Implementation Strategy
The portfolio strategy involved an iterative staged approach to ePortfolio implementation with strong leadership and dedicated support team in place. The iterative process allowed for incremental small steps, dynamic evaluation, support and opportunities for continuous improvement during the process. This enabled the project team to work collaboratively with project stakeholders to provide timely responses and act on any emerging issues.
Implementation Stages:
Stage One - started with two core Accounting units in Trimester 2, 2014.
Stage Two - progressed with an additional two core Accounting units in Trimester 3, 2014 on top of the previous two units. In Trimester 1, 2015 the last core Accounting unit, which saw a total of five core Accounting units using ePortfolios as part of assessment.
Stage Three - next stage, will explore the possibility of incorporating ePortfolios in a first year Bachelor of Commerce core unit to lay the foundation of portfolio thinking in students and staff, and towards the end of the degree, embedding ePortfolios in a third year capstone unit to consolidate and close the loop.
Implementation Stages:
Stage One - started with two core Accounting units in Trimester 2, 2014.
Stage Two - progressed with an additional two core Accounting units in Trimester 3, 2014 on top of the previous two units. In Trimester 1, 2015 the last core Accounting unit, which saw a total of five core Accounting units using ePortfolios as part of assessment.
Stage Three - next stage, will explore the possibility of incorporating ePortfolios in a first year Bachelor of Commerce core unit to lay the foundation of portfolio thinking in students and staff, and towards the end of the degree, embedding ePortfolios in a third year capstone unit to consolidate and close the loop.
STrong leadership
Strong leadership was key to driving cultural change in teaching and learning innovation and experimentation in the Accounting Department and course. Building a program led approach to support and a new culture in assessment, takes time. The leadership was important in the initial engagement of academic teaching staff, establishing champions, generating staff buy-in as well as building momentum early and sustaining it right throughout the process. A cultural change in academic teaching teams was pivotal to the portfolio strategy if students were to be convinced of its relevance and value.
Dedicated Support Team
Solid support offered by a
dedicated ePortfolio support team was established to provide at-the-elbow support for academic teaching unit teams and students involved.
The dedicated support team was responsible for building capability and capacity and developing of support resources for staff and students. Structured workshops and at the elbow, one-on-one support sessions were organised as and when required to support Unit teaching teams on the following: overview ePortfolios, assessment design, marking and providing feedback to students, and learning how to use the ePortfolio technology.
As the need presented itself the support team looked for expertise to help support the implementation. There was a strong element of collaboration and working towards a common goal, so that when support was offered and received, it did not reflect the sole responsibility of an individual, but rather a joint activity and shared effort by all players. The support team and their involvement included:
· Faculty Teaching and Learning Support Team – provided ePortfolio design and implementation support; assessment and rubric design; technical portfolio skills development and troubleshooting support; and acted as the conduit/contact point between other Faculty and central institutional Learning, Teaching and Technology support teams with the sharing and exchange of good ePortfolio practices and ideas.
· Local School/Discipline based Teaching and Learning support– provided dedicated support at the elbow one-on-one and all-rounder ePortfolio support for staff and students.
· Study and Language Skills Support – provided support to the teaching team in the creation of resources relating to the development of self-reflective practice and scaffolding support resources to skill development.
· Careers Development and Planning Support – provided support and creation of resources aligned with professional learning and career planning in the context of the Accounting discipline.
The benefit of having a dedicated support team meant that coordination of ePortfolio activities and cascading understanding of and commitment for ePortfolios was possible, and hence, led to the automatic formation of an ePortfolio community of practice locally within the faculty sharing good practices and supporting cultural change.
The dedicated support team was responsible for building capability and capacity and developing of support resources for staff and students. Structured workshops and at the elbow, one-on-one support sessions were organised as and when required to support Unit teaching teams on the following: overview ePortfolios, assessment design, marking and providing feedback to students, and learning how to use the ePortfolio technology.
As the need presented itself the support team looked for expertise to help support the implementation. There was a strong element of collaboration and working towards a common goal, so that when support was offered and received, it did not reflect the sole responsibility of an individual, but rather a joint activity and shared effort by all players. The support team and their involvement included:
· Faculty Teaching and Learning Support Team – provided ePortfolio design and implementation support; assessment and rubric design; technical portfolio skills development and troubleshooting support; and acted as the conduit/contact point between other Faculty and central institutional Learning, Teaching and Technology support teams with the sharing and exchange of good ePortfolio practices and ideas.
· Local School/Discipline based Teaching and Learning support– provided dedicated support at the elbow one-on-one and all-rounder ePortfolio support for staff and students.
· Study and Language Skills Support – provided support to the teaching team in the creation of resources relating to the development of self-reflective practice and scaffolding support resources to skill development.
· Careers Development and Planning Support – provided support and creation of resources aligned with professional learning and career planning in the context of the Accounting discipline.
The benefit of having a dedicated support team meant that coordination of ePortfolio activities and cascading understanding of and commitment for ePortfolios was possible, and hence, led to the automatic formation of an ePortfolio community of practice locally within the faculty sharing good practices and supporting cultural change.