eportfolios:
Graduate Qualities, Standards
& ICT
Dr. Trudy Sweeney
Faculty Scholar, 2010
School of Education
Background
There is a limit to what can be included in the formal
curriculum to assist students to achieve the most
appropriate graduate capabilities.
We can also encourage, or require, students to
self-assess their achievement of such capabilities and
their attainment of relevant professional standards.
An ePortfolio system is one way this can be done in an
independently managed online space.
ePortfolios are not a new concept but the digital
environment can promote more profound forms of
learning.
Focus of inquiry
What is the potential of
ePortfolios to enhance
teaching and learning in
the School of Education at
Flinders University?
What are the models of
success, the challenges
and implications?
How might ePortfolios be
of value to other schools in
the faculty?
ePortfolios are one component of developing
graduate capability
Source: Prof. Beverley Oliver, ALTC Research Fellow, 2010, Curtin University
http://web.me.com/beverleyoliver1/benchmarking/About.html
“... there is a high level of
interest in the use of
ePortfolios to help students
become reflective learners who
are conscious of their personal
and professional strengths and
weaknesses, as well as to
make their existing and
developing skills more explicit”
(p. iii).
http://www.eportfoliopractice.qut.edu.au
/information/report/
Project Outcomes
Data will be available on how and where in the new Education
courses the graduate qualities will be contextualised,
embedded and assessed.
Opportunities to evaluate, extend and enhance student
learning using ICT tools are identified in topics and courses.
Interested staff will form an eportfolios workgroup to develop
and share knowledge, skills and confidence to use PebblePad
as an eportfolio tool.
Models and principles of best practice using PebblePad will be
investigated and shared with interested Faculty staff.
Pebble Pad
Pebble Pad is not just an
eportfolio. It’s an environment to
construct portfolios and support
personalised and reflective
learning.
“Hello World! This is me”
Pebble Bash 2010
Baume (2003) conceptualised
the developmental portfolio as,
“a compost heap ... something
refined over time, enriched by
addition, reduction and turning
over” (p.4).
“Small cycles of innovation”
(Masters, 2010) and an organic
process.
Support frequent use throughout
a course to ‘fade’ the software
Hughes, 2010
School of Education
We have some
excellent reflective
practices happening in
topics.
There is an opportunity
to make explicit
connections between
the topics throughout
the new courses using
graduate capabilities
and/or professional
standards.
At La Trobe University, School of Education
students use the wizards in PebblePad to reflect on
aspects of their professional experience.
In the final year, students create a webfolio that
relates aspects of their personal and professional life to the
Victorian Institute of Teaching Standards for Graduate
Teachers.
eportfolios for staff
Successful
implementation
occurs when staff use
Pebble Pad to support
their professional
development
Challenges
Securing funding beyond 2011 ($20,000 for 1000
licenses!!)
Ensuring technical support for students
Identifying learning design support for staff
Starting small in 2011 with first year students and
identifying a developmental pathway throughout
courses
Working with the graduate qualities and professional
standards
Conclusion
“e-portfolios radically alter how students learn, how faculty
teach, and how institutions assess the value of their
education... e-portfolios are literally remaking the
landscape of higher education” (Yancey, 2009).
Pebble Pad is an excellent tool to support student learning
There are many research opportunities related to the use
of ePortfolios to improve practice
How can we convince University leaders to provide
funding?