EValuation
Academic staff involved in the implementation of ePortfolios in the Accounting major at Deakin University
In-depth interviews with five academic staff involved in the implementation of ePortfolios in the Accounting major at Deakin University were carried out from 2014–2015.
Key reasons for implementing ePortfolios included:
What worked? The support provided by teaching and learning staff and IT to staff and students. ePortfolios are a new and innovative way that offered a ‘welcome break from the traditional mode of assessment’ (ST_002). Further, it took students out of their comfort zone and provided an opportunity for students to develop lifelong learning.
What didn’t work? Staff commented on how ePortfolios was too new and foreign to students. Staff felt that the time required to complete the task did not suit the low marks attributed to the task: "As it took students a while to embrace the idea, I’m not sure if the time and effort that they needed to inject into the task was necessarily well equated to the relatively small percentage that was allocated to the assessment task" (ST_002). Reflective writing was ‘difficult and challenging’ (ST_002) for students. Marking student reflection was not easy. It surprised staff members about how difficult it was to mark a reflective piece of work.
Support provided. Whilst staff appreciated the support from a dedicated ePortfolio person in the faculty for themselves and students, staff felt that more capacity building were required in the areas of:
Other observations. Time/workload issues for staff need to be taken into account. Further, the need to provide some examples of 'exemplary' ePortfolios for both staff and students to manage expectations was important. This would support in 'selling’ ePortfolios to students and help with articulating the benefits and value of eportfolios to student i.e. ‘It’s how you paint a story’ (ST_003). It was also important that Staff needed to be ‘sold’ on ePortfolios.
Students
An online survey was conducted at Deakin University with students involved in the implementation of ePortfolios in the Accounting major.
Students were asked how they felt about ePortfolios. The majority of students felt the ePortfolio was ‘confusing’, ‘hard to use’, that a ‘lack of information about it’ was provided, They commented that it was not ‘helpful in learning’ and that it was ‘irrelevant to the unit’. Some of the key points were:
"I felt they were a “filler” assignment…"
"...irrelevant assessment to the unit itself. Waste of time. Dilutes the worth of final score of unit."
"Weird at first. I’m old (53). I don’t do social media, and I’m uncomfortable with the whole US-style ‘sell yourself’ approach to life."
Students were asked what they found challenging about using ePortfolios. Students identified a wide array of challenges in relation to ePortfolio implementation and use. The most frequently cited response related to issues with technology and the ePortfolio tool itself with over half of students indicating it was ‘not user friendly.’ The second most frequently cited challenge was ‘reflection’ with students stating it was repetitive to have to reflect on everything and difficult to know what exactly was expected in a reflective piece. Other challenges alluded to by students, included the time required to complete the task, and the fact that instructions were not always forthcoming or adequate. Students also pointed to the fact ePortfolios were ‘too new’ and ‘unfamiliar’, language issues and difficulty of critical thinking as key challenges.
What students found beneficial about using ePortfolios in their learning. This included reflection, it served as an online repository where their work was ‘all in one place’, ePortfolios providing a ‘record of learning’ and enhanced digital literacy skills. Other students indicated that ePortfolios were also beneficial in terms of being portable and accessible, a showcase of learning and employability, something ‘different’ and ‘unique’, and that they helped ‘keep track of goals’ and overall ‘saves time’.
“My ePortfolio is a great summary of me as a person and a professional. It highlights my strengths, weaknesses and goals.”
Do ePortfolios enhance the learning experience?
The majority of students, indicated that it had improved their overall learning experience:
"...instead of just learning the course material and eventually forgetting about it, I was able to spend more time thinking about my learnings and their potential implications."
"I feel that I am more focused on the aspects of my learning that need improvement."
While others commented that they learn better through more traditional learning ways and assignments.
When asked how students see ePortfolios helping them in terms of employability, students stated that they did not see the potential of ePortfolios helping them from an employability perspective. However, students indicated it was a useful ‘showcase of work’ and ‘skills’, and that it was essentially an enhanced CV.
Concluding thoughts. Student thoughts ranged from fixing the technological ePortfolio tool, removing the ePortfolio task and in direct contrast, expanding ePortfolios to all units. Other comments ranged from the provision of feedback and instruction, and that the ePortfolio is too subjective to mark.
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In-depth interviews with five academic staff involved in the implementation of ePortfolios in the Accounting major at Deakin University were carried out from 2014–2015.
Key reasons for implementing ePortfolios included:
- as a way to make the "unit more interesting, innovative and relevant" (ST_002)
- afforded the opportunity to enhance "the practical link between a transcript and a degree and with employability and life, post university." (ST_002)
- as an opportunity to build student's writing skill
- help with processing information and reflection
- current teachings in accounting are thought to be superficial, and hence ePortfolios give students an opportunity to improve their generic skills
What worked? The support provided by teaching and learning staff and IT to staff and students. ePortfolios are a new and innovative way that offered a ‘welcome break from the traditional mode of assessment’ (ST_002). Further, it took students out of their comfort zone and provided an opportunity for students to develop lifelong learning.
What didn’t work? Staff commented on how ePortfolios was too new and foreign to students. Staff felt that the time required to complete the task did not suit the low marks attributed to the task: "As it took students a while to embrace the idea, I’m not sure if the time and effort that they needed to inject into the task was necessarily well equated to the relatively small percentage that was allocated to the assessment task" (ST_002). Reflective writing was ‘difficult and challenging’ (ST_002) for students. Marking student reflection was not easy. It surprised staff members about how difficult it was to mark a reflective piece of work.
Support provided. Whilst staff appreciated the support from a dedicated ePortfolio person in the faculty for themselves and students, staff felt that more capacity building were required in the areas of:
- Understanding of reflective practice, designing reflective practice in assessment and marking rubric, as well as assessing and marking student reflections.
- How to use the ePortfolio tool and associated technologies to implement and further support students.
Other observations. Time/workload issues for staff need to be taken into account. Further, the need to provide some examples of 'exemplary' ePortfolios for both staff and students to manage expectations was important. This would support in 'selling’ ePortfolios to students and help with articulating the benefits and value of eportfolios to student i.e. ‘It’s how you paint a story’ (ST_003). It was also important that Staff needed to be ‘sold’ on ePortfolios.
Students
An online survey was conducted at Deakin University with students involved in the implementation of ePortfolios in the Accounting major.
Students were asked how they felt about ePortfolios. The majority of students felt the ePortfolio was ‘confusing’, ‘hard to use’, that a ‘lack of information about it’ was provided, They commented that it was not ‘helpful in learning’ and that it was ‘irrelevant to the unit’. Some of the key points were:
"I felt they were a “filler” assignment…"
"...irrelevant assessment to the unit itself. Waste of time. Dilutes the worth of final score of unit."
"Weird at first. I’m old (53). I don’t do social media, and I’m uncomfortable with the whole US-style ‘sell yourself’ approach to life."
Students were asked what they found challenging about using ePortfolios. Students identified a wide array of challenges in relation to ePortfolio implementation and use. The most frequently cited response related to issues with technology and the ePortfolio tool itself with over half of students indicating it was ‘not user friendly.’ The second most frequently cited challenge was ‘reflection’ with students stating it was repetitive to have to reflect on everything and difficult to know what exactly was expected in a reflective piece. Other challenges alluded to by students, included the time required to complete the task, and the fact that instructions were not always forthcoming or adequate. Students also pointed to the fact ePortfolios were ‘too new’ and ‘unfamiliar’, language issues and difficulty of critical thinking as key challenges.
What students found beneficial about using ePortfolios in their learning. This included reflection, it served as an online repository where their work was ‘all in one place’, ePortfolios providing a ‘record of learning’ and enhanced digital literacy skills. Other students indicated that ePortfolios were also beneficial in terms of being portable and accessible, a showcase of learning and employability, something ‘different’ and ‘unique’, and that they helped ‘keep track of goals’ and overall ‘saves time’.
“My ePortfolio is a great summary of me as a person and a professional. It highlights my strengths, weaknesses and goals.”
Do ePortfolios enhance the learning experience?
The majority of students, indicated that it had improved their overall learning experience:
"...instead of just learning the course material and eventually forgetting about it, I was able to spend more time thinking about my learnings and their potential implications."
"I feel that I am more focused on the aspects of my learning that need improvement."
While others commented that they learn better through more traditional learning ways and assignments.
When asked how students see ePortfolios helping them in terms of employability, students stated that they did not see the potential of ePortfolios helping them from an employability perspective. However, students indicated it was a useful ‘showcase of work’ and ‘skills’, and that it was essentially an enhanced CV.
Concluding thoughts. Student thoughts ranged from fixing the technological ePortfolio tool, removing the ePortfolio task and in direct contrast, expanding ePortfolios to all units. Other comments ranged from the provision of feedback and instruction, and that the ePortfolio is too subjective to mark.
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