Where Do I start?

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• Where Do I start?
• work-based learners' first experiences of online
  reflective journals

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The COMPORT Project

• A collaborative project involving three FE
  Colleges in North-East England
• Piloting the introduction of different
  e-portfolio systems within HE in FE programmes
  with work-based learning components.
• Establishing a standard framework of metrics to
  collect data consistently
• Other key outputs evaluation report, case studies

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Focus of Project

• Outcomes
• Comparison of the use of e-portfolios across
  different courses and institutions
• Gain knowledge that will help the HE in FE
  community make choices about the implementation
  of e-portfolio/PDP technologies with work-based
  learners
• Gain insight into how e-portfolios may influence
  the way work-based learners, tutors and
  institutions work.

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Project Strands

• Colleges and Technologies
• City of Sunderland College Blackboard and PDAs
• Gateshead College ePET
• South Tyneside College Blackboard/LX Tools
• All partners Student driven Web 2.0 technologies

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City of Sunderland College

• Foundation Degree in Service Management
• A programme in its second year, year 2 learners
  with focus on PDP modules
• Learners (mainly school administrators) were
  issued with PDAs for collecting evidence
• Use of Blackboard as a means of collecting
  evidence, communicating and reflecting, using
  customisable templates from Dundee University.

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South Tyneside College

• Foundation Degree in Marine Engineering
• A new programme with a small initial group of
  learners.
• Learners spent part of their course on duty at
  sea a perceived need to maintain contact and
  support learning.
• Blackboard used with Campus LX tools. in
  particular to support reflective blogging.
• Potential issues with on-line access whilst on
  placement.

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Gateshead College

• Certificate in Education/PGCE
• A large number of first and second year trainee
  teachers
• Reflective learning is central to professional
  development
• Using a customised version of ePET (support by
  University of Newcastle EPICS team)
• Both a reflection tool (Learning Autobiography)
  and Professional Development file log of
  teaching, tutorial records, action plans,

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Learner Driven Strand

• A late addition, responding to growth in
  learner-driven Web 2.0 approaches
• Focus on FD Music students in each partner
  college
• No intervention collecting data on use to
  provide comparison for main project

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What Happened?

• City of Sunderland College
• Smooth implementation.
• Well integrated, widely used and appreciated by
  learners.
• High level of support from tutor and e-learning
  team.
• PDAs less impact.

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What Happened?

• South Tyneside College
• On-line access problematical during placement.
• Some learners made substantial and valuable use
  of system, most didnt contribute.
• Staff buy-in was limited.

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What Happened?

• Gateshead College
• Delayed implementation due to course issues and
  need for customisation missed crucial induction
  period.
• Focus on reflective journals (blog), limited use
  of on-line PDP forms.
• Student engagement variable, some highly engaged.
• Issues around integration with main programme.

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Student Comments - Induction and support

• There was not enough initial explanation of the
  system and how it works.
• Navigation not user friendly hard to find way
  around and didnt flow
• I had support from college to master the
  technology all the way through.
• Scary for someone not IT literate.
• As a dyslexic person I need the blue paper on
  top of a print-out, so the on-screen material
  isnt much use for me.
• When introduced too much at once.. now I can
  handle it - couldnt understand it until Id
  used it.

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Student Comments - Online Journals

• it was great to be able to put down your
  thoughts without thinking is this academic
  writing?. You could just let the thoughts flow
• Were complicating something that doesnt need
  to be complicated reflection IS important ..
  (but) all I need is a diary.
• Its a diary and Ive never had a diary in my
  life
• Didnt always have to come to college to get
  feedback from tutor....instant feedback was given
  on the entries.
• Permissions could control who had access to
  it
• It is a good tool for reflection when I read
  back over it I couldnt remember feeling that
  way, so it was useful

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Student Comments - Dialogue/Sharing

• Good to share learning and to voice opinions.
• Didnt use it much.. nervous about others seeing
  it wasnt sure it was set up privately.
• Comments from colleagues need to be thought
  through there were some careless comments that
  undermined the learners confidence in continuing
  with the blog.
• I wasnt brave enough to let others read.
  When others did feed back to me it really
  worked.
• It is a good tool for reflection when I read
  back over it I couldnt remember feeling that
  way, so it was useful

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Student Comments - Overall

• Potentially a powerful tool for
  cross-referencing, uploading resources, lesson
  plans and for pulling different things together
  in one place, its quite useful but I did not use
  it to its full potential.
• Didnt use it it seemed a lot of additional
  work without obvious value.. I assumed we needed
  a hand copy for assessment.
• Thrilled with it and proud of it huge sense of
  achievement shared to lots of people.
• Brought out creative aspects of work, more
  visual with photos, exciting and colourful.
• Could access it at home or work.

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Emerging Issues (1)

• Learner engagement and feedback
• Importance of timely training and feedback.
• Tutor contact time
• Learner inhibitions about the process.
• It takes time to encourage sharing and for it to
  become natural/common practice
• Employer and Mentor Engagement
• A challenging area difficult to nurture and
  sustain.

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Emerging Issues (2)

• Staff Buy-in
• Time need to be confident before working with
  students
• Support too often relies on goodwill on part of
  staff
• Managing learner expectations
• No One-Size fits all answer
• Must tailor to institutional AND programme needs

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Conclusions (Implementation)

• Not the same as a VLE.
• Match the e-portfolio system to the programme
• Timing of introduction is significant
• Staff buy-in is critical.
• Learner inhibitions regarding reflection, means
  that support, feedback and time are needed.
• Success depends on the quality and suitability of
  support and feedback to learners
• Web 2.0 potential not yet tapped

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Where are we going next?

• City of Sunderland College
• No single e-portfolio tool for all needs.
• Adapt to meet employer needs and particular
  learner needs
• South Tyneside College
• Using the experience to help introduce the
  concept to the current cohort. May consider
  PebblePAD.
• Gateshead College
• Experience has informed the production of
  organisational guidelines.
• No single e-portfolio tool for all needs.
• Migrated to system that is standard for specific
  professional area

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Contact Details

• Project website contact details
• http//comport.gateshead.ac.uk
• Phil Robinson (phil.robinson_at_gateshead.ac.uk)
• Andrew Robson (andrew.robson_at_gateshead.ac.uk)

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END

• Following Slides May be Used in Future
  Presentations
• ..

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Will People Blog?
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Initial Learner Views

• How do you think the e-Portfolio/PDP process can
  help you achieve your learning goals?
• It allows you to capture issues that will affect
  your development in a real time basis. For
  example a particular lesson that stimulated
  thought or an experience with-in ones individual
  teaching. This will allow the individual to
  record and then reflect on the situation.
• By collating all of my work and being a good
  referral tool. But I also think it will add to my
  workload and I think I will struggle to find as
  much time as I would like to complete all of the
  sections due to work/college/family commitments.
• I can reflect on my practice and maybe learn from
  others who are posting their blogs too.
• This is completely out of my comfort zone and new
  to me , so the use of this system will hopefully
  improve my IT skills.
• Help better organisation of files. Cross
  reference against skills and outcomes.

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Emerging Themes Issues
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Emerging Themes Issues
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Who we are

• We are not e-portfolio experts
• We are practitioners/managers delivering HE
  programmes in FE institutions
• We think that e-portfolios can actively enhance
  the HE students learning experience.
• Hence the ComPort Project a JISC-funded HE in
  FE project piloting e-portfolio systems in four
  local F.E. institutions
• The focus for this project is implementing and
  comparing existing technologies today we will
  share our experiences