ePortfolios for Reflection: Engaging Students In Connecting Learning and Practice

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e-Portfolios for Reflection Engaging Students In
Connecting Learning and Practice

• Presented by
• Shona Ellis, Joanne Nakonechny, and Bjorn
  Thomson, University of British Columbia
• UBC Learning Conference
• May 11, 2006

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Introduction to Bryo-Project

• Overview of project folio thinking
• Project Goals
• Encourage students to
• engage in active reflection, folio thinking
• make connection between schoolwork and identity
  as scientist
• Not a traditional, individual e-Portfolio
• a group effort coop portfolio
• Portfolio is both WebCT space and public website

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Overview Folio Thinking in Action
Biology 321 e-Portfolio
The e-Portfolio is both parts.
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Going Public

• Working BackwardsPresentation
• The front end is a public site
• connects students to public world
• validates what students are doing
• engages students as active scientists adding to
  inventory and image database.
• Public site http//www.botany.ubc.ca/bryophyte/

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Behind the Curtain WebCT

• Working BackwardsCollect, Select, Reflect

View of the WebCT homepage (includes
e-Portfolio unit)
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Results

• Benefits of using e-Portfolio
• Students studied cooperatively
• Students shared their work with classmatesand
  beyond
• The instructor could see where student
  misunderstandings were
• Could ask deeper questions because student
  studying was directed
• Students learned computer skills
• Developed sense of community

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Reflecting, Looking Ahead

• What weve learned, whats next
• Technology
• Elgg - promising idea, but wasnt used much
• Maybe because instructor didnt use (not enough
  file space)
• Liked the wiki but it disappeared (so linked the
  wiki from WebCT site)
• There has to be flexibility fewer demands to
  know technology
• Their space wasnt used for all assignments
• Their area wasnt structured could hand in
  assignments thru eport or not less stress for
  students, Shona Bjorn
• We may use WebCT portfolio module

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Reflecting, Looking Ahead

• What weve learned, whats next
• Information processing
• Information processing dont call it
  reflection
• Students want to have question choice
• enjoyed generating their own questions
• Study questions from info processing led to exam
  questions

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Group Activity

• Get together in groups (4)
• Choose one of three questions and choose a
  reporter
• Discuss your question in terms of this session
• Write down
• Your group response in 2 or 3 key words

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Summarizing

• Closing thoughts
• Wiki for presentation http//wiki.elearning.ubc.c
  a/BryoPresentation