SIRLS ePortfolios: Theory, Practice, and Implementation

1
SIRLS ePortfolios Theory, Practice, and
Implementation

• Martin Frické

2
Background Outcome based learning

• seized hold of the philosophy and practice of
  education k-12 (and on to Universities) in the
  western world.
• we all are in favor of looking for evidence that
  education has achieved its goals, but the devil
  is in the detail
• competencies ( job skills) Employers love
  it, makes the conversion of education into
  training

3
Diatribe against competencies etc

• Commodification of learning. Return on
  Investment.
• Competence is concerned with what people can do
  rather than what they know (and separate from any
  learning process)
• Education vs training. Sees education as
  essentially vocational. Aimed at the needs of
  employers
• Etc. Hyland seriously flawed and ill-equipped to
  deal with education and training beyond the level
  of basic skills and, moreover, (is) largely
  irrelevant to teaching and learning in adult
  education contexts. And is a narrow technicist
  approach to education which defines useful
  knowledge in the light of bureaucratic and
  corporate needs.

4
Like it or not, we are required

• both COA and North Central Accrediting need some
  outcome measure (a capstone experience or
  assessment) for a (Masters) degree
• for the degree as a whole, separate from for the
  individual courses
• tests both the individual student and the degree
  itself
• SIRLS used to do this (with a one hour oral exam
  for all graduates). Temporarily had to stop, but
  it (or something similar) was always coming back.
  We chose to let students self assess (good
  reasons for this).

5
What is an ePortfolio ?

• ePortfolios are collections of personal
  information about a learner that represent
  accomplishments, goals, experiences, and other
  personalized records that a learner can present
  to schools, employers, or other entities. Typical
  uses of ePortfolios go beyond the traditional
  concept of a transcript to include applying for
  jobs, designing personalized learning, and
  tracking career planning.
• http//imsglobal.org/

6
Types

• Assessment ePortfolios
• Demonstrate achievement to some authority by
  relating evidence within the ePortfolio to
  performance standards defined by that authority.
  Example A nursing student submits an assessment
  portfolio as evidence of a specific competency
  requirement.
• Presentation ePortfolios
• Present an audience with evidence of learning and
  achievement. Example a software engineer creates
  a presentation ePortfolio that shows
  relationships between professional certifications
  she has received, code she has written, and
  employment history.
• Learning ePortfolios
• Document, guide, and advance learning over time.
  Example a secondary school student develops a
  learning ePortfolio that allows him to reflect
  upon how technology skills improve over the
  course of a year.
• Personal Development ePortfolios
• Record learning and performance that can be
  reflected on, outcomes of that reflection, and
  future development plans.
• Working ePortfolios
• Combine elements of all the above types and can
  include multiple views of each.
• http//imsglobal.org/

7
Our interest

• Two particular types of ePortfolio
• Professional ePortfolio
• Competency ePortfolio
• Professional
• Personal, akin to a cv, we will support and
  assist with this. But it is not an assessed part
  of the Masters Degree
• Competency the Reflections
• This is an assessed part of the Masters Degree

8
Masters Competency e-Portfolio

• we had competencies (as outcome goals)
• let students self-reflect on these
• documents the students learning in the area of
  the SIRLS competencies and is a culminating
  experience comparable to a comprehensive
  examination or thesis.

9
Competency e-Portfolio Two types of document

• Artifacts
• Reflections 12
• Address each of 10 competencies
• Preferably several of the perhaps 10 professional
  development activities
• Milestones (midway, finishing)
• Usually accompanied by 1, 2 or several artifacts

10
Competencies A Foundational

• basic principles and concepts, related to the
  creation, organization, management, access, and
  use of information.
• the nature of research, research methods and the
  role of research in library and information
  science.
• the use of information and communication
  technologies in the provision of information
  resources and services.

11
Competencies B Disciplinary Knowledge and its
Application

• the principles of organization and representation
  of knowledge and their application.
• types of library and information professions,
  settings, services, and roles.
• the management of information resources, services
  and organizations.
• the roles of interdisciplinary,
  interprofessional, and community collaboration
  and alliances.

12
Competencies C Ethics

• how diversity contributes to the library and
  information professions and analyze information
  issues from diverse perspectives.
• the values and service orientation of the library
  and information professions.
• the ability to recognize and analyze ethical
  issues and dilemmas in library and information
  settings and propose reasoned courses of action.

13
Competencies Learning Outcomes

• The learning outcomes can be reconfigured as a
  checklist against which student portfolios can be
  reviewed in a process involving self-, peer-, and
  faculty assessment.

14
How to manage this I history

• applies only to 2006 regulations (Jan 1 06)
• one member of faculty to oversee (Professor
  Overall)
• cohorts
• 2005 Fall intake
• 2005/6 Winter intake
• meantime search for some system

15
How to manage this II

• big issue 10,000 documents privacy of
  assessed work
• Prof Martin to investigate Fine Arts system, SBS
  to author, wrote himself
• Content Management System CMS
• new cohorts to use the new CMS
• 2006 June
• 2006 July
• Change of regulations

16
How to manage this III

• challenge Professor Overall on leave Fall 06.
  Some students from her cohorts graduating in Fall
  06. Also some or many of them have done a fair
  amount of work on their eportfolios
• solution bring them into the Content Management
  System but let them link to existing work rather
  than re-do anything

17
How to manage this IV detail

• CMS site http//eportfolio.sbs.arizona.edu/drupal
  
• accounts netID, can change password
• Two three person groups. Group home page
• Reflections cataloging

18
CMS

• valuable experience (state of the art)
• cataloging
• some words on the issue of hosting professional
  ePortfolio