ePortfolio’s

“An unfolding narrative of a unique learning journey”

(JISC 2008)

How can ePortfolio solution’s such as Mahara provide and enhance

employability skills through Personal Development Planning to Acad-

emy students?

Current research being carried out by organisations such as JISC and

BECTA have identified that e-Portfolio’s can enhance Employability

Skills, Lifelong Learning provision, Internationalisation, Retention, Wid-

ening Participation, Achievement and Attainment Levels along with of-

fering a high level of Personalisation to the learner. (JISC 2008) With

these high level agenda items in mind and a pressing need for an im-

proved Personal Development Planning framework within the Acad-

emy, this investigation was both timely and required.

The Academy’s Learning and Teaching strategy clearly states that its

mission which, in essence, is to nurture creativity through a focus on the

individual through the promotion of innovative methodologies and the

exploitation of new and emerging technologies.

The term portfolio has a range of meanings, depending on the context

you are engaged with, with Higher Education it can be best described

as a collection of artifacts (evidence) presented alongside associated

reflections for learning. This archive is collated and drawn on by the

learner as evidence of learning achievement. These achievements can

then be used to plan targets and set goals. Therefore a portfolio can be

associated with the gathering of records which can be used in the Per-

sonal Development Planning (PDP) process. The concept of Personal

Development Records (PDRs) is closely related to the Higher Educa-

tion Progress File, a recommendation found in the Report of the Na-

tional Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (Dearing, 1997) and

extends beyond that, to incorporate artifacts which may evidence claims

made in PDRs. Many institutions are choosing to implement PDP (and

to encourage learners to manage their PDRs) through electronic

means, often linking this to the term e-portfolio (Ward & Richardson,

2005) .

In 2008 The Academy made the bold decision to implement Mahara as

its institutional e-Portfolio solution. It was a bold move as the software

was, as yet untested, having only been released two months prior to it’s

installation. Two main reasons for it’s adoption was it’s integration with

Moodle and that it was Open Source i.e. free. Further to this, the Acad-

emy also made the commitment to contract e-Learn Design as consult-

ants and to maintain both Mahara and Moodle installations, for a period

of 12 months. This move was seen as a positive step towards fulfilling

it’s Learning Resources and Student Support Strategy which states, as

an objective for December 2009 to “implement Mahara as an Academy-

wide platform for Personal Development Planning” . Four Moodle site-

wide Administrators were found, including myself and a single Adminis-

trator for Mahara (myself), appropriate training was provided for Moo-

dle.

Lessons learned on the JISC funded ISLE (Individualised Support for

Learning through ePortfolio’s) Project found that ePortfolio’s cannot be

introduced during the academic year. Greater success was found when

you introduce them at induction. (ISLE). This Pilot scheme initially fo-

cused on employability skills amongst learners at Dumfries and Gallo-

way College. Themed templates were created to provide structure to

this process of PDP with categories which included: about me, My CV,

my learning style, my interests and hobbies etc… All of which exist as

default fields in Mahara, thus reducing the workload of tutors.

Encouraging students to personalize their learning spaces by deciding

on layout as well as content can enthuse them to become more creative

with their learning. The celebration of achievements can hence be more

rewarding, with positive feedback from both peers and tutors acting as

motivational devices. Improved retention levels were also recorded dur-

ing the ISLE Project ranging from 30% to 100% improvement in some

cases (JISC, 2008).

Results of an online survey I conducted, where I canvassed the opinion

of 79 students and 11 staff members on ePortfolio’s, returned some re-

vealing results. Out of the total number surveyed only 17% currently

used an ePortfolio solution and from those, most (13 individuals) used

Mahara. When asked the question, “Would you considering using one?”

53% said yes, with a further 36% stating that they “didn’t know” (see

Chart 1). This shows that there is an interest worth considering and

more promotion of Mahara needed.

Chart 1

When asked what they considered to be the single most impor-

tant benefit of keeping an ePortfolio, the results were revealing

(see Chart 2).

Yes No Donʼt Know

53%

11%

36%

Would you consider using an ePortfolio?

The results in Chart 2 clearly show that Employability would be

a major contributing factor towards a learner engaging with an

ePortfolio, with the organistaion of work being a major secon-

dary concern. These statistics appear to align with the theory

that both professional and vocational focus relies heavily on the

development of praxis rather than knowledge alone. In this light,

the ePortfolio serves as a developmental log in which to track

‘fitness of practice’. (Beetham & Sharpe, 2007).

Employabilty AssessmentFormative Feedback Organizing WorkReflection Gathering Evidence of Learning

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40

3

38

3

4

3

216

1

8

1

9

Staff

Students

Chart 2

In Art, we find ourselves confronted with a series of stimuli, such as a

performance, a design, literary text or a piece of music. These artifacts

of learning more than often require our learners to ‘respond’ rather than

to unravel an answer. These responses are often aesthetic in nature

and require a degree of reflection that involves more than finding a for-

mula which leads to a solution. (Beetham & Sharpe, 2007). Having the

ability to present these stimuli as media; .mp4, jpeg, .doc or mp3 etc.

provides the learner with a platform to host their evidence alongside

their interpretations of it. It is hoped that the outcome would be that the

learner has a greater understanding of the artifact.

“focus on creative activity is typical of the arts and that the methodologies

(i.e. discussion) used to study the artefactual focus of these disciplines

are to some degree themselves inspired by the methodologies employed

in the creation of those artifacts.” (Beetham & Sharpe, 2007).

This form of reflective discourse based on the study of existing artifacts

lends itself perfectly to the learning artist. The creation of new work com-

monly inspired by existing work. e.g. a learner uploads an .mp3 to their

Mahara view then invites collaborators to listen to it, a discussion builds

around the work from within a Mahara group forum. Changes are made

to the work based on peer evaluation and the view is opened to the tutor

for feedback and perhaps assessment.

The collection of this evidence could be a key driver to PDP being a key

element to the UK Governments e-strategy (DfES, 2005). The Center

for International ePortfolio Development is based in the University of

Nottingham and is proof of the United Kingdoms commitment to re-

search and development of this important learning tool.

To promote employability skills is as much about good learning experi-

ences as it is about work placements or careers advice. (Bloxham &

Boyd, 2007). They go on to state that more traditional methods of en-

hancing employability (entrepreneurship, careers guidance and PDP)

do not necessarily contribute to the overall learning environment that is

designed to foster employability, as they are often stand alone modules

or lie outside of programme altogether. In this respect, there seems to

be the need for a tool which draws all of these elements together and is

still designed for learning. As the electronic portfolio is essentially a stu-

dent centered solution, in which the learner has control over who and

when their evidence is to be subject to academic scrutiny, then it would

be fair to conclude that they can also choose when their work is open

for employers to gauge their suitability for employment. Mahara can be

viewed externally, allowing the learner to produce a media rich CV,

which can be viewed by anyone of their choosing. Access to a particular

view can also be time-limited or suspended at any point, by the learner.

In the online survey I asked how often those who completed it reflected

on their learning and whether these reflections were self motivated

(non-assessed) or part of their course (assessed). Chart 3 shows the

frequency of reflection:

Now that the statistics were in place (and I was surprised at the amount

of reflective practice stated) the task was then to ascertain why the

learners were reflecting i.e. was it because they had to or was it be-

cause they felt it was a viable learning process?

Transition Transition Transition

Often Seldom Never

63%

33%

3%

How often do you reflect on your learning?

Chart 3

39

40

41

4041

Non-Assessed Assessed

These findings here are even more surprising, it shows that learners are

prepared to take ownership of their own learning where reflective prac-

tice is concerned. Thus going some way to prove that reflection is seen

by a cross section of students in the Academy as an effective way to

learn. Couple these statistics with those who outlined an interested in

finding out more information about Mahara (85% of those surveyed

wished to learn more, while 10% did not) and there is a clear case for

further investigation.

To find out which methods were used in reflection I asked ‘how’ these

learners reflected, giving a choice of the most common tools available.

The results were mixed (Chart 6) and dependent on the learners defini-

tion of nomenclature e.g. a log book could be considered a journal by

some. What is interesting is that 89% of those surveyed considered

themselves to be computer literate which aligns closely to those inter-

ested in pursuing an interest in ePortfolio’s, yet most reflections seem to

Is this reflection....?

Chart 4

be recorded using analogue (paper-based) tools. One could conclude

that this was due to the learners preference. Though when asked if the

Academy should be doing more to promote Mahara, the response was

that 58% thought so, 6% thought the Academy shouldn’t be promoting it

and 35% didn’t know we even had one!

Mahara also has social networking functionality which has great poten-

tial to create both formal and non-formal learning environments. The

ability to build communities of practice within a rich learning environ-

ment has obvious collaborative and knowledge sharing potential. This

0

7

13

20

27

33

40

31

30

5

3829

27

126

1011

11Digital

Analogue

How do you currently organise and reflect on your work?

Word Process DiaryLog Book JournalBlog Sketch BookPaper Based Folio Course ProformaePortfolio Other

approach could open the door to both self and peer assessment mod-

els. These assessment skills are seen as valuable in developing lifelong

learning skills such as self-evaluation, giving feedback, justifying a point

and negotiation skills (Boud, 2000). Furthermore Stefani reminds us

that “If assessment processes are intended to enhance student learning

then it follows that students must be able to reflect on their current at-

tainment” (Stefani 1998: 346, cited in Bloxham & Boyd, 2007). The skills

required to develop objectivity (needed for self assessment) by reflect-

ing on their own work, carves a path for the learner to direct their own

work and thus making steps towards becoming autonomous learners.

(Bloxham & Boyd, 2007). Peer feedback is often more accessible to the

learner, being that it is not ‘emotionally loaded’ (Black et al, 2003:77)

being that the language of peers is much easier for the student to un-

derstand, digest and evaluate.

When asked the question, “How often are you required to collaborate

with others on your course?” (Chart 7), the results were as expected on

programmes that involved both group and individual tuition. Only a 3%

minority perceived that they did not collaborate at all, it should be a se-

rious consideration to offer a support platform for these students to en-

ter the fold and be able to reflect and collaborate with other learners.

There is scope here for further development in cross curricula design

and implementation, there would seem to be strong evidence that stu-

dent aspirations stretch to include both peer feedback and a more col-

laborative environment in which to learn.

The final chart (Chart 8) was based around formative feedback and it’s

perceived quantity available on individual courses. This question was

purely subjective i.e. “What are your feelings on formative feedback?”,

this was done intentionally as I wished to gauge student perception

rather than objective fact. Feedback, or the amount of, is an academic

responsibility and the student perception of this is dependent on the in-

dividuals requirements. A student who is struggling will percieve that

they require more formative feedback, delivered in a timely manner.

Race recommends that; “ if assessment is the engine that drives learn-

ing (Cowan cited in Race, 2007) then feedback is the oil that lubricates

the cogs of understanding” (Race, 2007). Boud goes on to add that,

“Assessment methods and requirements probably have a greater influ-

ence on how and what students learn than any other single factor. This

All of the time Most of the timeSome of the time Never

51%32%

14%3%

 How often are you required to collaborate with others on your course?

Chart 7

influence may well be of greater importance than the impact of teaching

materials.” (Boud, 1988).

I order to ascertain student perception of formative feedback provision

within the Academy I asked, “What are your feelings on formative feed-

back?” with options depicting quantity rather than quality:

These statistics seem to suggest that there is a balance needing ad-

dressed in this area of learning. It has often been alleged that the Acad-

emy is heavy on summative assessment and light on the side of forma-

tive assessment. With these statistics in place it would seem that this is

indeed the case. ePortfolio provision can address this issue head on,

with 24 hours access to student evidence and reflection, more impor-

There isnʼt enough Thereʼs too muchItʼs just about right Whatʼs formative feedback?

51%

1%

30%

18%

Chart 8

tantly it is the learner who opens their portfolio’s for scrutiny by tutors.

This places the procurement of feedback firmly in their own hands.

Recommendations

The following are recommendations for the implementation of

ePortfolio-based practice within the Royal Academy of Music & Drama,

in order to address the findings in this investigation:

1. Staff training on the use of ePortfolio’s with particular empha-

sis on Mahara as a tool to enhance learning and employabilty

within the student body.

2. The implementation of a robust framework for PDP in which

ePortfolio provision can exist.

3. The introduction of ePortfolio-based learning at induction at

the very latest.

4. Further investigation into allowing new and incoming 1st Year

students to access and build ePortfolio’s on Mahara.

5. The introduction of a pilot scheme to encourage FE feeder

courses to implement ePortfolio provision within their institutions

as a recruitment driver.

6. The introduction of a pilot scheme to encourage employers to

access final year students work as a recruitment driver.

Bibliography

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