Pauline Roberts
EdD Candidate
Murdoch University
P.Roberts@murdoch.edu.au
ePortfolio Forum 2012
Background and Context:
 Perth metropolitan university.
 4th Year Bachelor of Education students.
 Difficulty in developing specific reflections.
 Needed to complete and Action Learning Project but
were unsure where to start.
 ePortfolio platform was introduced as means of
recording and presenting research.
 Resistance by the students to the project and the
technology.
Research Question 1:
 What impact does engagement in the
ePortfolio environment have on the
level of students' reflection?
Research Question 2:
 How effective are the prompts and
reflective learning activities provided in
the environment in increasing
engagement and developing students’
reflections?
Research Question 3:
 What strategies are most successful in
developing reflective interactions
amongst students and why?
Overall Framework:
eLearning Lifecycle
Phillips, McNaught &
Kennedy (2011)
• The cycles of implementation
of the environment.
Enculturation Teaching
Model
• Examples of Good Practice
• Activities to Complete
Tishman, Jay & Perkins (1993) • Interaction Amongst Students
Framework for Teacher
Reflection
Colton & Sparks-Langer
(1993)
• Action
• Constructing Knowledge and
Meaning
• Professional Knowledge Base
In what ways can an ePortfolio platform provide an environment
for the scaffolding of the development of reflection in pre-service
teachers in a University environment?
eLearning Lifecycle
Enculturation Teaching Model:
Exemplars
Interaction
Activities
Tishman, Jay and Perkins (1993)
Framework for Teacher
Reflection:
Colton and Sparks-Langer (1993)
What was implemented:
 Within the PebblePad platform, prompts
were placed in the “Gateway Blog”
 Students were asked to complete, comment
and interact.
 Data collected via blog posts, focus group
interviews, online survey, individual
interviews, document analysis and learning
analytics.
Cycle 3:
Prompts to
encourage
interaction.
Focus on first
submissions
Focus on learning the new
platform.
Review of previous
experience.
Cycle 3:
Prompts
Focus
Comments
A reflection on teachers
[3] Prior experience, personal values
Yes - feedback
Something to talk about
[2] Interactions – set up groups
No
Reflective Journal as a Blog
[3] Scripts
No but 104 blogs
Plan/Rationale Outline
Assessment [1] & [2]
Yes - questions
Adding Ethics Checklist
Assessment
Yes – questions
Time to refine
[3] review of all aspects
No
Progress Report Outline
Assessment [1] & [2]
Yes – feedback
Uploading Evidence
Assessment [3]
Yes - questions
Result:
Platform being used
 Usage Stats in platform
 Assessment tasks in format
BUT
Comments not being made
Discussion not happening
Changes made:
 Questions added to the assets to direct
the discussion
 Reference added to the prompts to
show strength of theory and allow
follow up if desired
Cycle 4:
Consolidating
the platform
and the
process.
Cycle 4:
Prompts
Focus
Comments
Reflective writing review
[2] & [3] content and scripts
No
Outline of the 4R’s
[2] Levels of writing
Yes- feedback
Video Review
[2] constructing meaning
No
Verbal 3-Step Framework
[1] Plan, implement, review
No
Reflective Journal Review
[2] & [3]
No
Conclusion Questions
Assessment [1] Evaluating
No
Final Report
Assessments [1], [2] & [3]
Yes- questions
Attachments
Assessments
Yes - questions
Current conclusions:
 Prompts were read by the students but not
acted upon unless directed towards
assessment.
 Interaction was happening in other forums.
 Students still resistant to new technology,
especially in the final year.
 Results overall still alter across the cohort.
 Fewer questions than previous years.
Where to now:
 Finalise the data collection.
 Review which prompts worked and why.
 Outline an environment that may be able to
be applied in other platforms.
 Make changes to implement in 2013.
References:
 Colton, A. B., & Sparks-Langer, G. M. (1993). A
Conceptual Framework to Guide the Development of
Teacher Reflection and Decision Making. Journal of
teacher education, 44(1), 45–54.
 Phillips, R., Kennedy, G., & McNaught, C. (2011).
Evaluating e-learning: Guiding research and practice.
New York: Routledge.
 Tishman, S., Jay, E., & Perkins, D. N. (1993). Teaching
Thinking Dispositions: From Transformation to
Enculturation. Theory into Practice, 32(3), 147–153.
Further information:
Pauline Roberts
Murdoch University
P.Roberts@murdoch.edu.au
pauline_k_roberts@me.com
0419 447 832
paulinekroberts.com
#paulinekroberts