The use of reflective diaries in
summative assessment
Anne Tierney, School of Life Sciences
Eamonn Butler, School of Social & Political Sciences
Karen McCluskey, Careers Service
Karen Sawyer, School of Social & Political Sciences
Kerr Gardiner, Learning & Teaching Centre
Reflective diaries – overview
Background
Outcomes
 Use
 Position
of reflective portfolios
 Perceptions of reflective writing
within the literature
•
Reflective writing
• Community-building
• Generative writing
The Project
 Mahara
 Graduate Attributes
 Courses
•
Requirements
• Comparison
• Evaluation
A student view
Conclusions and further work
Background
Use of reflective portfolios
Perception of reflective portfolios
 Professional/vocational
 Not
–
courses
common in non-vocational
courses
Education, Medicine & allied professions
[see IMS CP; Richards, online]
• Requirement for professional development
• Professional focus
–
Lack of focus makes reflective portfolios:
•
•
•
•
Difficult to assess
Not academically rigorous
Subjective
Informal
Reflective writing
Jennifer Moon (1999: 188-194)
 Benefits
“To deepen the quality of learning, in the form of critical
thinking or developing questioning attitudes”
“To enable learners to understand their own learning
process”
“To increase active involvement in learning and personal
ownership of learning”
“To enhance creativity by making better use of intuitive
understanding”
“To provide an alternative ‘voice’ for those not good at
expressing themselves”
“To foster reflective and creative interaction in a group”
University of Glasgow
Learning & Teaching Strategy
(2006-10)
(2011)
Fostering Investigative learning through
Research-led
teaching
“We will engage
them [students] with
teaching and approaches to learning
which support their development as
“We
will engage
themindependent
[students] with
motivated
learners,
and
teaching
and
approaches
to
learning
critical thinkers, and promote
which
support
development
confidence
andtheir
awareness
in theiras
subject
specialists,
reflective
learners,
skills, knowledge
and
understanding.
independent
andacritical
thinkers, and
We will promote
learning
encourage
of and
environmenttheir
thatawareness
develops and
values
confidence
in
their
skills,
knowledge
these attributes.”
and understanding. We will promote a
learning environment that develops
and values these attributes.”
Graduate Attributes
QAA Scotland Enhancement Theme
 From
Melbourne model (Nicol, D. 2010)
Five domains:
– Academically excellent
– Knowledge across disciplines
– Leaders in communities
– Attuned to cultural diversity
– Active global citizens
The Project – Reflective writing in summative
assessment
Online
tool - Mahara
Typical
Mahara
Admin
for
view
Mahara
Group
 University
of Glasgow approved pdp software
•columns
Group
Admin has control
over:
•tables
– Offers
•Type of group
•text
• Privacy
•How members
join for users (no hierarchy cf. Blackboard
•pictures
• join
Any user can create or join groups
•Who can
•links
•Forum • Blog, forum, messaging facility
• Make public via ‘Views’
Group Admin has no
control
over:
http://portfolio.gla.ac.uk/
http://www.mahara.org
•What
individual group
members write
•Who they make it
available to
or Moodle VLEs)
Course
Business & Bioscience
Perspectives on Security
Since 1945
Student type
Bioscience
Social Science
Student year
4th year honours; MSc (MRes)
3rd & 4th year honours
Mahara experience
Little/None
Little/None
Mahara training given
Yes
Yes
International students
included
Yes
Yes
Length of course
2 weeks
2 semesters
Diary entry submitted
Daily
Weekly
Diary assessed
Yes (10%)
Yes (25%)
Peer assessment of diary
No
Yes (formative only)
If students miss session, how
do they complete diary entry?
From peer group
From reading and peer group
The Project
Evaluation (Handout)
 Diaries
–
Evidence of reflection
 Focus
–
groups
Themes
– Identify areas of
– agreement
– divergence
Outcomes
Position within the literature – Reflective writing (Moon, 1999)
 Students
from both courses showed evidence of
–
Understanding their own learning
– Increased involvement with learning and ownership of learning
– Enhanced creativity and intuitive understanding
– “Alternative voice”
– Reflective and creative interaction in the group
 Only
–
…in interviews
students from PSS45 showed evidence of
Developing critical thinking
Does that mean that Bioscience students are not critical thinkers?
Outcomes
Position within the literature – Community building
(Wenger, 1999; Naisbett, 2001)
 Students
–
showed evidence of
The emergence of a community of practice
– Sharing and collaboration
– Acknowledgement of others’ experience and expertise
– Existence both online and face-to-face
Outcomes
Position within the literature – Generative & free writing
(Elbow, 1998); Removal of academic constraints (Graff, 2004)
 Students
–
showed evidence of
Ability to write
– Acknowledgement of ‘ease’ of task
– Acknowledgement of academic nature of task
Outcomes
Mahara
 Students
from both courses agree
–
Mahara is not intuitive
– Training is required
– Early start (First year)
– Despite
these reservations, students also agree
• Mahara has its place
• They would consider using it for other tasks
Outcomes
Graduate attributes
 Melbourne
model (Nicol, D., QAA Scotland, 2010)
Academically Excellent
– Reach a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities, problem
solving and communications
– Be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning
– Be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and
communication technologies
Knowledge across disciplines
– Have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar
problems
Leaders in communities
– Initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions
and workplaces
A student view
Karen Sawyer, School of Social and Political Sciences
Took part in Perspectives on Security Since 1945 in 2009/10
Conclusions and further work
•Diaries are a legitimate form of summative assessment
•Use as assessment to encourage students to start writing
•Support students as they explore new topics and areas of interest
•Diaries contribute to the intellectual development of the students by:
–
Developing a reflective, critical approach to learning
– Supporting collaboration
– Allowing students to take control of learning
 ScotPID
–
Support from QAA Scotland and HEA
– PDP case study
References
•Elbow, P. (1998) Writing without teachers, Oxford University Press
•Glasgow (2006) The Learning & Teaching Strategy. Available at: http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_89688_en.doc
•Graff, G. (2004) Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind, Yale University Press
•IMS CP for Medical Skills-based Reflective Diary (based on Tomorrow’s Doctors) JISC-funded project, available
online at: http://www.elframework.org/projects/spws/medical-logbook.zip/view
•Moon, J. (1999) Reflection in Learning and Professional Development. (London: Kogan Page)
•Naisbett, J., Naisbett, N. & Philips, D. (2001) High Tech, High Touch: Technology and our Accelerated Search for
Meaning
•Nicol, D. (2010) The foundation for graduate attributes: developing self-regulation through self and peerassessment Graduates for the 21st Century: Integrating the Enhancement Themes, The Quality Assurance Agency
for Higher Education (QAA)
•Richards, J. C. (online) “Towards reflective teaching”, The Teacher Trainer, available online at:
http://www.tttjournal.co.uk/uploads/File/back_articles/Towards_Reflective_Teaching.pdf
•Wenger, E (1999) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity (Learning in Doing: Social Cognitive
and Computational Perspectives) Cambridge University Press