Why not explore ePortfolio
Practitioner Stories from the inside?
Shirley Bennett
University of Hull
s.bennett@hull.ac.uk
Aim To issue an invitation to build on the
experience of ePortfolio story-telling …
Why not invite a colleague to look
through a window, explore your
ePortfolio practice from the inside, and
collaborate in an opportunity for shared
learning by watching the story as it
evolves, through
On-Line Peer Observation
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Peer Observation in UK
Has …
• been given a key role within quality review processes
• become increasingly common practice
Is …
• still typically used only within classroom settings
Should …
• “embrace the breadth of the ‘teaching’ role and its
impact on the total learning environment.” (Kell, 2005, p.8).
Why do Online Peer
Observation?
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“The online learning environment is
significantly less familiar … than the
classroom”
Tonkin and Baker, 2003
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“… the majority of tutors
new to online teaching do
not have that background
of online learning
experience upon which to
draw in the same way as
trainee teachers starting
out in classroom teaching
can draw upon their
personal classroom
learning experiences which
will date back from their
early years at school.”
Bennett & Marsh, 2002
Model - Peer Review / Development
(Gosling 2002, 2006 and Askew, 2004)
Evaluation Model
Development Model
(“accountability”)
(“co-operative”)
Peer Review Model
(“reflective”)
Quality assurance, training, appraisal,
Improve teaching competencies
Engagement in discussion about
teaching; self and mutual reflection
Senior staff observe other staff teach
Educational developers or expert
teachers observe practitioners teach
Teachers observe / review each
other’s practice
Power
(One-way)
Expertise
(One-way)
Equality / Mutuality
(Two way dialogue for learning)
A “checklist” identifying criteria for
‘excellence’
More open-ended, but still often using
a checklist
Participant-ownership of focus /
agenda
Pass/fail, score, quality assessment
Advice on how to improve
Non-judgemental, Constructive
feedback
Peer Observation for QE and CPD
The primary purpose is
that teachers, one
acting as observer and
one being observed,
engage in mutual
reflection on a teaching
session in order that
both can learn from it
in order to inform
future practice.
(McMahon, 2007: 502)
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The acquisition of knowledge
and skill through active
helping and supporting
among status equals or
matched companions.
Topping, K (2005)
How? - A standard three-part process …
3-stages
Preparation
Scene-setting
Discussion of objectives
Agenda-setting
Observation
Observe class
Notes in line with “Agenda”
Discussion
“Feedback”
Reflection + Discussion
Points for the future
Stage 1 - Preparation - Setting the focus
Work Individually consider the following
questions and jot down ideas:
•
•
•
•
What aspects of student learning would
be most interesting for you to explore?
Is there an aspect of your teaching or
assessment practice you would like to
change?
Are there aspects of your teaching or
assessment practice that you would like to
investigate, or reflect on further? (Note:
this might be to understand better why
something works well as much as
something that is not working
successfully.)
What are your goals in your subject
teaching / support work? Are they being
achieved?
Starting Point – Your interests Your development
2 aspects of
1.
your teaching
you would like
your observer to 2.
focus on:
2 aspects of
teaching you
would like to
explore through
observing
others:
1.
2.
Gosling and O’Connor 2006
5 mins
Story 1
Blackboard 6
Discussion Forum
- Level 4 module - Social
Inclusion
- 3 semi-synchronous
discussions
-Team-based engagement
Forward planning for
observation on the basis
of experiences in the past
Could you look at the level of
interaction between tutor and student
group? – i.e. is the facilitator effectively
absent or over-bearing?
Team identified typical problems with
students’ engagement:

The ‘yes man’ format.

The ‘post and run' or miniessay, format!
Sometimes it’s difficult to know where to begin
if the group has already started. Sometimes I
wonder if they actually need me to say
anything at all but I feel compelled to make a
posting just to highlight that I am here.
Stage 2 - Observation Clear instructions where
to “go” within the VLE
Stage 3 - Feedback, Reflection, Discussion
“I would suggest revisiting the
underpinning task for the activity,
probably as a team, because I think there
are ways in which a little bit of re-design
could really help the quality of discussion,
avoiding some of the repetition existing
(in all groups) at the moment and leading
students deeper more quickly. Key issues
might be:
– a purpose for the discussion
– more personal focus – e.g. allocating
particular issues to individuals/pairs.”
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Student comments:
through informal evaluations
• “I enjoyed it…. I preferred it in smaller groups”
• “When we broke into smaller groups it was made a bit easier
especially for those who can’t type as fast”
• I like the way you split us into smaller groups, I think it gives
you more time to participate”
• “You can get a conversation flowing better that way”
Story 2
“Wetpaint” wiki
• Level 7 module eTutoring + eLearning
Course Design
• Student-led “Hot
Seat” discussions
• Asynchronous - wiki
development +
discussion
• Retrospective Peer
Observation looking back to explore
problems experienced
I provided an example of how to set their
Hot Seat up but one did nothing more
than post questions. How could the
example have been better-designed, to
provide a clearer model ?
Tutor looked back on experience of
teaching the module and
identified issues for exploration
– Activity design
– Tutor role
Some drew well on their own experience.
However, I would like to have seen more
reference to learning from their peer
observation and more reference to reading.
Please pick one “Hot Seat” and see where I
could have been more proactive in encouraging
this?
Stage 2 - Observation “Explore at will!” within
the wiki
Stage 3 - Feedback, Reflection, Discussion
•
•
Questions in blue – encourage reference to learning gained from their peer
observation
Questions in red – encourage reference to readings
… I have not experienced inappropriate behaviour
online - but providing guidance on netiquette can help
with this. Have you observed inappropriate behaviour
while doing your peer observation? If so, how did the
observee deal with the situation? Students will also
model the behaviour of their online tutor. Is there any
evidence from your readings that supports this
statement, or is it a personal impression?
Regarding the skills difference between f2f and
online….
Story 3
Blog Tool within
Sakai-based VLE
• Level 7 module Research Methods
• Blog Tool used to
support a “Collective
Reflective Log”
• Asynchronous, studentled, interaction optional
• OLPO mid-way through
module to guide
evolving teaching /
learning process
“Culture” - I am not a “Blogger” … and
blogging has never felt to be something that
fits my personality – so although I think it is the
right technology for the job, I am nervous
about “doing it right” – I have not used a Blog
for teaching before now
Tutor identified “a number of tricky
challenges for me in this …”
Navigation in the Blog is actually quite difficult …
I think all of this contributes to the fact that
there are fewer comments on blogs than I had
hoped. One “strategy” I have thought of is
(from next week) to put people into pairs/threes
Stage 3 - Feedback, Reflection, Discussion
• A reasonable proportion of the students are undertaking voluntary
blogging and a collaborative approach … the students are setting
their own agenda. If I was a student in this cohort I would be happy
with the level of support/challenge that you give in the blogs and I
would also probably be happy if you just left us to it.
• There are end-user issues which work against student participation
… to do with the presentation of the blog and its underlying
technology.
• I can see the value of using a discussion forum approach because it
would possibly (?) be easier for students to navigate and home in on
topics that they want to collaborate on.
Story 4
Blackboard forum +
Individual emails
• Level 6 module Forensic Science
• Independent group
work
• “Some information and
timelines can be found
on Blackboard and
some are provided
separately as email
communications”
• Retrospective Peer
Observation for
feedback on incident
Tutor asked for retrospective
observation to look back on a
problematic incident , information
given, student issue and tutor
response.
I would be interested in finding out if I
supported the students appropriately online
and responded in a justified and timely
manner.
Story 5
Portfolio Tool within
Merlin VLE
• Level 4 module - Online
Facilitation + Tutoring
• Samples of student
work and feedback
• OLPO mid-way through
module after first
assignment to guide
further practice.
Tutor wanted feedback on the
tone/language of feedback during
a first experience teaching wholly
online
Receiving and giving feedback can be a very
touchy process. It requires a good level of trust
between the giver and the receiver;
otherwise, the process may end up being
counterproductive. And this trust is not as
easily forged in an online environment, where
the teacher has fewer clues as to how her
message is getting to the learner.
Peer Observation Online is …
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The same …
Familiar benefits
• Two-way benefit - learning
opportunity for observer
and observee
• Overcome isolation,
increase confidence, gain
another view on specific
concerns
• Situated learning - the
chance to SEE it, not just
TALK about it
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The same …
Challenges and risks remain
the same - so Critical
Success Factors still apply
“Observee” choice over:
- Participation √
- Choice of observer √
- Focus of Observation √
- Form of feedback √
- Information flow √
- Future action √
(McMahon, 2007: 502)
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It is only when students and
staff are able to enquire into
their practices through selfinvestigation and discussion,
in an ethos that is not
potentially punitive that critical
issues in learning and
teaching can be fully
acknowledged and
addressed. (Gosling and D’Andrea,
2001)
But different …
Online observation offers more flexibility
• Of context - cross boundaries of place,
discipline and technology
• Of focus - different aspects of the OL
teaching and learning process and roles
• Of timing of observation
– Predictive / Retrospective / Concurrent
• Of depth of observation
– Overview / Drill down
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But different …
• Time works differently - Identify a clear
focus
• Context is more fuzzy - work out /
convey where observer needs to look
• Confidence to observe online is
variable - Next tasks
– Guidance
– “Observation Tools”
• Approach - the “how” can and should
be determined by the what and the
why!
• Ethics - informing / consulting students
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So…
if you would
like to get
involved … let
me know!
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s.bennett@hull.ac.uk
Thank you!