PAT to PDP (the missing link)

October 30, 2009 at 12:16 am (1st Year Experience, PG-Cert, Student Support, learning)
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After considerable reflection on how to make stronger links between the Personal Academic Tutorial (PAT) system in the Academy and Personal Development Planning (PDP) framework (as identified in my Lighting a Fire post) I have suggested a solution to my colleagues. By extending our PAT student group support to include mentoring indivduals in reflection and evidence gathering (using Mahara) we add a further layer to thier learning experience.  PAT then becomes interwoven with PDP, using ePortfolio’s as the tool to accomplish this. An equal distribution of  1st year students amongst the lecturing staff from the outset would ensure that every student recieves learning support and each member of staff shares an equal workload.

We have decided to trial this method using a current assignment that I have set the first year cohort (see An Introduction to ePortfolio post). I have assigned a lecturer to a group of 5 or 6 individuals and have asked them to make comment on the views that the students have posted. It is hoped that, by the assignments submission deadline, every student will have a few lines of formative feedback to support them. This may only act as an encouragement to continue, but at this stage, may be enough. Providing this early scaffolding is essential in embedding reflective processes as well as orientating the students in using new tools, which they can use to manage and deepen their learning.

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Lighting a Fire

October 19, 2009 at 8:03 pm (1st Year Experience, PG-Cert, Student Support, employability, learning)
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It’s been a while since I have reflected in this manner and I must confess that it has been difficult to restart, especially since I have only just returned to teaching. This in itself is a point I will return to in a later blog i.e. How to encourage my students to reflect outwith term time?

“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

As part of my final assignment on the PG-Cert course I decided to take on the challenge (opportunity?) of embedding Personal Development Planning (PDP) within the School of Drama. Most undergraduate and post-graduate courses within the school have some degree of PDP already in existence, the methods were somewhat fragmented and scattered. I chose to introduce the concept of ePortfolio learning to the whole school first, by redesigning an already existing introduction session hosted by two of my colleagues (Jamie McKay & Christine Murphy). Thankfully they were both open to the suggestion and based on student feedback from last year, we went about developing the session. It was agreed that the length of the session had to be re-assessed so we moved from one three hour session to four consecutive sessions, each lasting 1.5 hours. These shorter sessions were more manageable, especially as the School of Drama intake had almost doubled, with several new courses coming online this year. We decided on 4 main themes that we wished to cover, these were:

  • Evidence Gathering
  • Reflection
  • Goal Setting
  • Employability

However, we wanted to allow the students to explore what PDP meant to them. They were to be reorganised into four groups and given the question “What is PDP?” We were aware that some secondary schools and certain employers had instigated PDP frameworks in their respective environments already, we wanted to ascertain if the students had been exposed to these processes already. The students were then asked to write down keywords that captured the essence of their understanding. The results were surprising, nearly all 16 groups, throughout the day, had a grasp of the concept already and few required prompting. A few of the groups had no experience of PDP but still managed to find most of the keywords. Most encouraging was the fact that all of the groups seemed to understand the link between PDP and reflection.

We then presented the QAA definition of PDP:

“a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal , educational and career development.”  QAA (2002)

As expected we were met with blank stares, so we launched into our own interpretation of this sentence. I had ’spiced’ up the old PowerPoint slides with bright and colourful graphical animations, which were designed to catch the eye and hopefully be retained in the memory. Feedback from the session seemed to support this. I then presented another quote, which specifically summarised the process of reflection:

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” (Drucker, 1909)

This allowed me to outline reflective practice in it’s simplest terms and lead me to suggest 3 simple reflective questions that the students should consider as a starting point for their own reflective learning. These were:

  1. What did I do well?
  2. What didn’t I do well?
  3. What will I do next?

The next slide outlined learning progression and the transition points that the cohort may have encountered on their way to the Academy. I emphasised these points as being both goals and barriers that had to be overcome before they could progress. I also pointed out that the students would have had to exercise elements of PDP in order to break down these barriers and achieve their goal. The slide also served to emphasise that learning (through PDP) doesn’t stop after graduation from HE, but continues through a framework of CPD, during employment.

PDP.007

To further impress upon the cohort the importance of reflection and how it relates to three main aspects of their lives (Personal, Academic & Career), Jamie showed how these three can come together and where the overlap happens between any two, we suggested questions to reflect upon. Where all three converge, reflection through self review becomes central to the learning process.

PDP.009

The following slide simply showed where the individual fits into the learning process i.e. student centred with a Personal Academic Tutorial system acting as the next immediate framework for support which in turn is embedded in PDP. Finally the students chosen subject forms the underlying foundation on which to base their learning.

PDP.009

It was at this point that I took over and explained the advantages of using an ePortfolio as a tool to drive PDP. I had already delivered this content before to my PG-Cert class as a Pecha Kucha, so I knew it all inside-out. This time, I slowed it down by taking out the timings and any irrelevant slides. The result was encouraging, there was a host of interest from the students, with lots of questions to answer after each session. The critical incident form I posted on Moodle seemed to back this up.

Christine then went on to explain the PAT system within the Academy. This was probably the least thought-through aspect of the sessions and I felt that we lost the momentum that had been built up until now. We had no supporting images, but most importantly, hadn’t adequately linked PAT with PDP. Much more work needs done on this for next year. We need to work more closely on how to marry PAT to PDP, this year it became an afterthought. I think this was due to the fact that PAT had already become fairly established, so we neglected it, leaving it to languish unsupported. The result was a muddied, confused  experience for the students. Again, the CIQ feedback supported this. Most of the criticism of the session was aimed at this portion of it. The responsibility for addressing this must be shared between the three of us and learned from for next year.

To further compound the problem, we then asked the students to fill in a PAT form without much guidance on how to. The reason for this was to a) give the students a first try at completing one, b) provide a base-line for the PAT process to build from and c) begin the process of PDP. It wasn’t until the final session that we tried to change the format and provide guidance for each section of the form, prior to cohort filling them in. This seemed to help the students a little. Further reflection is required on how to deliver this more effectively in future.

We had decided to print business cards with both the Mahara & Moodle URL’s on them, along with the number to call for absence reporting. This was in an attempt to help the students remember these important bits of information and perhaps also remind them to at least try Mahara. Moodle is all but useless to them if their courses don’t provide content, the absence number in mandatory, the only aspect of the card that the students have any control of is the Mahara address. A faint spark, but a spark nonetheless.

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RSAMD Mahara

June 28, 2009 at 9:08 am (1st Year Experience, 2nd Year Experience, Flexible Delivery, PG-Cert, Student Support, assessment, employability, learning)
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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 Academy 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, Widening Participation, Achievement and Attainment Levels along with offering a high level of Personalisation to the learner. (JISC 2008) With these high level agenda items in mind and a pressing need for an improved Personal Development Planning framework within the Academy, 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 Personal 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 National 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 Academy 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 Administrator for Mahara (myself), appropriate training was provided for Moodle.

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 focused on employability skills amongst learners at Dumfries and Galloway 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 during 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 revealing 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
Chart 1

When asked what they considered to be the single most important benefit of keeping an ePortfolio, the results were revealing (see Chart 2).

Chart 2

Chart 2

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 secondary 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).

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 formula 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 commonly 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 research and development of this important learning tool.

To promote employability skills is as much about good learning experiences as it is about work placements or careers advice. (Bloxham & Boyd, 2007). They go on to state that more traditional methods of enhancing 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 student 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:

Chart 3

Chart 3

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 because they felt it was a viable learning process?

Chart 5

Is this reflection….?

Chart 4

The findings here are even more surprising, it shows that learners are prepared to take ownership of their own learning where reflective practice 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 definition 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 interested in pursuing an interest in ePortfolio’s, yet most reflections seem to 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!

Chart 6

Chart 6

Mahara also has social networking functionality which has great potential to create both formal and non-formal learning environments. The ability to build communities of practice within a rich learning environment has obvious collaborative and knowledge sharing potential. This approach could open the door to both self and peer assessment models. 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 attainment” (Stefani 1998: 346, cited in Bloxham & Boyd, 2007). The skills required to develop objectivity (needed for self assessment) by reflecting 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 understand, 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 serious consideration to offer a support platform for these students to enter 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 student aspirations stretch to include both peer feedback and a more collaborative environment in which to learn.

Chart 7

Chart 7

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 individuals 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 learning (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 influence on how and what students learn than any other single factor. This 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 feedback?” with options depicting quantity rather than quality:

Chart 8

Chart 8

These statistics seem to suggest that there is a balance needing addressed in this area of learning. It has often been alleged that the Academy is heavy on summative assessment and light on the side of formative 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 importantly 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 emphasis 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

Dearing, R (1997) Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (The Dearing Report) http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/ncihe/

(accessed 18.06.09)

Developing a progress file for HE: Guidelines on HE progress files http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/progressfiles/guidelines/default.asp

(accessed 18.06.09)

Ward, R & Richardson, H (2005) Report to the JISC: Generic guidance for stakeholders implementing Personal Development Planning through e-portfolio systems http://www.erdee.org.uk/natsem/eport_seminar_report.pdf

(accessed 18.06.09)

ISLE: Individualised Support for Learning through ePortfolio’s, http://isle.paisely.ac.uk/default.aspx

(accessed 19.06.09)

Bloxman S & Boyd P, (2007) Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education: A Practical Guide. Open University Press, Berkshire

Stefani, L.A.J. (1998) Assessment in partnership with learners, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 23(4): 339-50.

Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B. and William, D. (2003) Assessment for Learning: Putting It into Practice. Maidenhead, Open University Press.

Beetham, H & Sharpe, R et al (2007) Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age: Designing and delivering e-learning. Oxon, Routledge

Boud, D (1988) Implementing Student Self-Assessment, HERDSA Green Guides Vol.5, University of New South Wales, Australia

Race, P (2007) The Lecturers Toolkit: A practical guide to assessment, learning and teaching, Oxon, Routledge

Boys, J & Ford, P (2008) The e-Revolution and Post Compulsory Education: Using e-Business models to deliver quality education. In association with JISC. Oxon, Routledge

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Flipping Mahara

May 2, 2009 at 9:36 am (1st Year Experience, 2nd Year Experience, Flexible Delivery, PG-Cert, Student Support, employability, learning)
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A couple of days ago I came into receipt of two flip camera’s, thanks to Ros (TPA Programme Leader) in order to provide another tool for students to use in gathering evidence of their learning. With Mahara trickling out to a small group of students I gave a couple of first year ASMs (Laura and Emily) the option to use them. They seemed enthusiastic to engage with the devices. Stage Management is an ideal subject to record production process footage, we are to be found in most area’s of a production ranging from being in rehearsals to mixing paint in the paint-frame. In order to capture the diversity of the subject I felt that video would be best suited for this purpose.

flip_video_ultra_blackThe camera’s themselves are being used widely in education, mainly due to their extremely simple controls (record, play, stop, zoom and delete) and their price (£70 each). They connect to a computer extremely easily via a pop out USB connector. If there ever was a gadget more suited to ease of use, then this is it. Perfect for web-sized clips to be uploaded to an awaiting e-Portfolio. I was surprised by the image quality, which was very good for the camera’s size and lens.  It only stores 60 minutes of video before you have to download the content to your pc, but this should be ample for storing bite-sized evidence to reflect on.

In general the uptake of both Staff and Students towards Mahara has been extremely encouraging, most have commented on how easy it is to create a ‘view’ and share it. All have seen its benefits from the point of view of employability and lifelong learning. With version 1.2 providing a facility to export entire portfolio’s as webpages it bridges the gap nicely between PDP and CPD. Institutions no longer need be the custodians of graduates folio’s as they can take them with them on a pen drive. However, I do like the idea of playing this custodian role, where we can still provide ongoing support to alumni, at least until they are established in their profession. This may be in the form of continuing CPD or simply by providing a server to host their folio’s. The institution benefits from direct graduate tracking, providing employment statistics which can aid in promoting courses or satisfying performance indicators for employability. (Goddard, 1999)

Goddard, A (1999) Times Higher Education. Flawed targets damage access. Available at:[http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=147041&sectioncode=26] Accessed on 29.04.2009

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PDP

April 3, 2009 at 8:59 am (1st Year Experience, 2nd Year Experience, PG-Cert, Student Support, employability, learning)
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In order to provide a more organised framework for my reflections on our current investigative assignment I have opted to look at the ‘bigger picture’ before focusing solely on Mahara and e-Portfolio’s in general. From my reading I have ascertained that Mahara is just one of many e-Portfolio systems currently in use in HEI’s nationwide, widening the scope of the investigation finds that e-Portfolio’s are primarily used as tools in which to implement vital area’s of personal development planning (PDP) systems. PDP itself, is central to the overarching employability theme and in many ways can be thought of as the catalyst that drives this governmental enhancement.

I feel that in order for me to grasp the concepts that underpin e-Portfolios, I should start by investigating the pedagogy behind PDP, touching on the Quality Assurance Agency’s (QAA) Employability Enhance Theme along the way.

The QAA Scotland/Universities Scotland Joint Working Group (JWG) was constituted in 2002 with the primary remit to implement PDP within the sector. In doing so, it firstly identified three core features that embody PDP:

a) the ability of the student to undergo a self-audit process that enabled the student to become more effective in their own learning.

b) a process embedded as far as possible within the existing curriculum and activities and

c) that the process should be holistic and take in as much of the students experiences in HE as possible.

(QAA Scotland, 2007)

From these three features a framework was drawn up from a series of focused prompts that helped students review their own progression within their HEI. These focused learner questions (FLQs) became the core drivers within a framework for effective learning known as ELF (Effective Learning Framework). If looked at in diagrammatic form, ELF has three main domains of learning progression depicted as Academic, Career and Personal (see Fig.1), where these area’s overlap a key FLQ can be found and where all three domains overlap with each other , a central process of self review resides.

Fig.1 ELF

Fig.1 ELF

Why was this required?

In 1997, Sir Ron Dearing published a series of reports, collectively known as the Dearing Report, which outline 93 recommendations for Higher Education in the UK. Recommendation 20 was as follows:

20. We recommend that institutions of higher education, over the medium term, develop a Progress File. The File should consist of two elements:

—a transcript recording student achievement which should follow a common format devised by institutions collectively through their representative bodies;

—a means by which students can monitor, build and reflect upon their personal development (Dearing, 1997)

There was/is an apparent need to develop and embed lifelong learning within HEIs, breaking down the idea that learning stops upon graduation, but instead should be a continual process which carry’s on into the careers of students. This was a shift away from the more traditional notion that students were only required to engage in purely tacit learning, instead learning itself would be considered a skill vital to employability. The process would begin at the application stage to the candidates chosen HEI with a series of FLQs, thereafter keypoints would be marked within the learners educational pathway with more questions at each point. The hope is to support learners in developing their self-analytical, exploratory, questioning and planning skills, empowering them to take control of their own learning by placing them firmly in the center of it. These skills are also much sought after by graduate recruiters.

‘a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that make an individual more likely to secure and to be successful in their own chosen occupation(s) to the benefits of themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy’ (York, 2004, cited in Higher Educational Academy, Ward 2006)

The Self

At the heart of PDP lies the ’self’. The notion of self-directed learning underpins the entire process, wherever you look within the PDP environment you will find ’self’ being the most coined word. From an employers point of view, self-management, self-promotion, self-evaluation, self-awareness, self-reflection and self-analysis are all key to successful employment. Couple these skills with a willingness to learn and the student is ready to present themselves to a waiting employment sector as well as to other programmes of study.

Evidencing your learning

It is likely that most institutions carry out PDP activities whether they know it or not. The important question of whether they evidence their learners progression or not is valid. Within the School of Drama in RSAMD, we use a number of PDP solutions the most obvious being reflective journals, work placements, personal academic tutorials and employability skills training. The PAT system has been overhauled in the last 12 months, with core changes to it’s structure and intent. Although it has been tentatively linked to an overall PDP framework (indeed, the entire framework in itself is a tentative and perhaps overly cautious attempt) there hasn’t been a drawing together of PDP resources as yet, the PAT system is due to be evaluated next term. It is hoped that stronger evidencing of this process as an element of PDP will be high on the agenda. The other ‘less developed’ PDP elements listed ‘float’ around the PDP environment with no concrete base. How we  process critical incident feedback will be central to the success of PDP within the Academy and the collation of such data, in terms of assessment, is still under-developed. Crucially, the lack of a robust framework for these activities has made the learning experience around PDP wholly unsatisfying to the student, as it is still unclear on how the different elements ‘join up’ to create a larger holistic picture of thier career pathways.

The JWG recommend several ways of implementing FLQs into the curriculum and suggest key progression stages at which learners and institutions can pose new questions. Suggested stages to begin to embed the process and examples of suitable FLQs follow:

  • Pre-entry into HE:

Which career path should I take?

Which institutions best suits my needs?

  • Starting in HE:

What strengths do I bring from my previous studies?

What can I do to prepare myself for my new experiences at university?

  • Settling in (personal):

What can I do to meet people and develop new friends?

What experiences do I have of personal, inter-personal and financial management?

  • Settling in (Academic):

Have I located all the resources? e.g. tutors, rooms, library etc…

Do I understand what is expected of me?

  • Considering permitted changes to the curriculum:

Did I choose any class as an experiment with the thought of quickly changing to another one?

Am I now considering this change and its implications?

  • Mid-term stocktaking:

How do my experiences on the programme so far match my expectations?

What seems to be valued by people who specialise in my main subject interest?

Do I still feel motivated?

(HEA, 2006)

It is vital that we (both tutors and students) develop these questions into praxis. How we collate, disseminate and reflect on our answers will determine what our course of action will be. On route, a range of skills will be developed based around the ’self’ with clear achievements, goals, barriers and actions that need addressed before progression can take place.

It is, as they say… in our own hands.

Dearing, R. “Welcome to this site.” BEI Search. 02 Apr. 2009 <https://bei.leeds.ac.uk/Partners/NCIHE/>. [Accessed 02.05.09]

Higher Education Academy, 2006. Personal Development Planning and Employability, Higher Education Academy, York.

QAA Scotland, 2007. Effective Learning Framework – Using focused learner questions in personal development planning to support effective learning, QAA 138 02/07, Mansfield.

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Mahara

March 22, 2009 at 11:24 am (Flexible Delivery, PG-Cert, Student Support, learning)
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Another assignment, this time to investigate specific processes within the Academy and   to present our findings back to the group after Easter. I had intended to try and avoid a  technological topic this time around and to concentrate on more traditional teaching methodologies, however the inclusion of Mahara as an option was far too tempting to ignore. My rationale was simple: I wanted to. Since the new install of Moodle, Mahara has sat there on the front page like a green genie awaiting a master. Once again the PG-Cert has afforded me an excuse to step forward and motivate me into action.

Work has already progressed on general PDP within the School, though it has been slow and uncertain of itself. Introductions to PDP have been delivered to 1st Years, but little evidence of progress has been evident. Surely it must involve more than simply outlining the concept to them? The added value of PDP to learning appears to be obvious and the rationale is robust, I just haven’t come across any institutional evaluation of the concept. The whole concept, in my opinion, requires a firmer and much more directed approach, its success lies in the first year experience. I believe Mahara could be the vehicle to inspire and drive the process forward.

What is it?

An electronic portfolio or ePortfolio is a generic term encompassing as wide a range of types and products as there are reasons for using them. The simplest starting point is to consider an ePortfolio as an extension of the paper based-portfolio, bringing with it the obvious benefit of making a portfolio of evidence portable and shareable anywhere that you have Internet access – “the new generation of the three ring binder” JISC My World Project Final Report, Roberts. 2006

In fact, an ePortfolio has a much broader scope as an online collection of reflections and digital Artefacts (such as documents, images, blogs, resumés, multimedia, hyperlinks and contact information). Learners and staff can use an ePortfolio to demonstrate their learning, skills and development and record their achievements over time to a selected audience.

“ePortfolios … are personal on-line spaces for students to access services and store work. They will become ever more useful as learners grow up and start moving between different types of learning and different institutions” Secretary of State for Education and Skills, UK, January 2006.

They have the potential to provide a central, linking role between the more rigid, institution-led learning management system and the learners’ social on-line spaces.

There are sound applications for the learner, the teacher, the institution – and sometimes combinations of the three. A teacher and learner for example can be one and the same person, with differing requirements from the same ePortfolio. It can be used to create collections of artefact’s to share with fellow students, peers, family and friends, to present to potential employers and to complement applications for research funding. In short, it is an on-line space from which to manage your life, learning and goals. Mahara (2007)

Although Mahara is built on the same modular system as Moodle (it can be stand alone or integrated, to an extent, with the VLE) it would appear to be fundamentally different to implement. Moodle has a very structured framework in which to operate, it has clearly set out activities and resources, which could be considered to be user-friendly. It is after all a course management system, where all content is defined in neat blocks of information, moderated and presented by educational facilitators. Mahara however, is primarily student centred. It can only evolve with a high level of student engagement. The students build their ‘views’ themselves and grant permissions to other users to participate in their self generated content.

Groups and Fora are generated by learners who wish to expand their learning beyond the curricula (though Mahara can be used for assessment purposes if required). Artifacts (user generated objects such as mp3’s, jpegs or documents) are uploaded onto a ‘view’ page, then access is opened to anyone that the students require to view them. Fora can be used for social purposes or as a vehicle for learning communities to thrive. All of these facilities, empower the student to explore and centre their own learning under their own volition.

Learning – Reflective learning, personalised learning, lifelong learning

An ePortfolio is an ideal tool for meeting the needs of established and emerging pedagogy and approaches to learning.

Reflective learning is “..a form of mental processing that we use to fulfil a purpose or to achieve some anticipated outcome. It is applied to gain a better understanding of relatively complicated or unstructured ideas” HE Academy Guides for busy academics, no 4, Moon 2005

An ePorfolio allows for building in reflective activities for learners and staff, through blog functions and the creation of ‘Critical incident diaries’ in which users reflect on their learning and experiences over a given period or activity. For example, this could be reflections on how a student dealt with a problem, or processed some new information on a given topic. This can become a two way process with a tutor or peer providing feedback via the same diary.

It works as a user-centred, personalised learning space allowing the user to shape the way they present themselves to the world. Content and layout can be personalised to create multiple Views which meet the specific, differing or changing requirements of the user. This ties in with one of the key tenets of personalised learning, that students become key partners in the design of learning to suit their needs.

“Personalising learning involves thinking about knowledge as an active process. Students get to be informed, active participants in their own learning, they contribute to decisions about what learning can work best for them, and they have a much better understanding of how they are progressing.” Minister of Education, NZ, 2007 (Mahara 2007)

Mahara (2007) About E-Portfolios [online] Available at: http://mahara.org/view/view.php?id=3 [Accessed 23rd March 2009]

Mahara (2007) Learning – Reflective learning, personalised learning, lifelong learning [online] Available at: http://mahara.org/view/view.php?id=3 [Accessed 23rd March 2009]

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Paperwork, Sound & Light

February 6, 2009 at 7:14 pm (2nd Year Experience, assessment, learning)
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As has been the case every morning this week, the students had score reading classes. Today was their last day and they all came back with the usual enthusiasm for the sessions. I must see if I can get the go-ahead to schedule more in. While they were attending the class I set up (on Moodle) a Critical Incident form and notified them that they should fill it in. The nice thing about doing one of these forms online is that Moodle collates al of the answers onto one sheet, making it easier to evaluate group responses. Hopefully I will get a better response than last years paper-based attempt.

I began the class (again in the Chandler) by introducing an old friend of mine from my theater days, Ruth Alexander. She is currently the Company Stage Manager at Pitlochry Festival Theater, the only repertoire venue in the UK. Pitlochry have always been good employers of RSAMD graduates and are a leading voice in FST. The combination of this and it being a repertoire system made getting Ruth involved with my students all the more interesting for them. The PLX students came along to sit in and contribute.

After the complaints of over work and long hours during the Opera from this same group of students, this actually turned our to be timely. Ruth’s talk made it clear that professional theater and the style in which Pitlochry works is not for the work shy or those adverse to working long hours. She brought around a raft of paperwork examples and had a series of supporting Powerpoint slides. This was much more than any other guest lecturer had ever turned up with to one of my classes. The students didn’t have to write anything down as notes were also provided. I was really pleased with the way the session went and on leaving I arranged a venue visit with Ruth for both myself and my students.

After lunch we sat around a table and discussed the paperwork they had produced so far. We discussed corporate layouts and I gave a series of tips and tricks to help them to produce professional looking documentation. We also touched on eDocuments and how we would be exploring this at a later date. This is an area that, if used appropriately could modernise Stage Management. I have never attempted to teach this area before and it is one I am looking forward to immensely.

Later on (after a few minor technical hic-cups) we were joined by the PLX students and ran a Sound Plot for both shows. We agreed on a cue order and added some new cues. We then briefed them on all the LX cues that were required, leaving them with a free reign to design any extra cues themselves.

In all it was a slow and relaxed day. I left the students to rig lighting and continue designing the sound, the SMs were briefed on getting thier Prompt Copies ready for Monday, when they were to cue thier shows, leaving an hour on Monday morning to go over thier weekend homework and make corrections. Another day full of simulations of actual production sessions, but slowed to a crawl.  I wish I could use an actual production in this way as a learning environment, but the pressures placed on TPA by other departments agenda’s always makes this next to impossible. My aim is to use 2nd Year productions, such as the A2 Shakespeares as on such purely ‘learning production’ where the schedule is drawn out to accomodate both learning and reflection. A production where sessions can be paused for educational purposes and less emphasis is placed on simpley ‘gettin the show on’. That would leave 3rd Year as a purely production based forum for practise and the honing of skills.

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Multiple Speculations

January 26, 2009 at 9:40 pm (PG-Cert, learning)
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It was a busy old week last week. The Opera hit crisis point and eventually allowed an audience in on Friday night. Everyone looked as grumpy as hell by the end of the week and the long hours had taken their toll. Once again TPA were faced with an age old dilemma i.e. Learning vs. Production. The remit of the CPU is very clear, get shows on and drag the students along in it’s wake. Of course they have an educational remit i.e. the old apprentice style of learning controlled from the top and filtered down to the students. We (the lecturers) have a shiny new approach, which is student centered and allows knowledge to flow from the bottom up, somehow we have to meet half way.

The effect of this ‘industry-standard, best practice’ model that the Opera’s so clearly advocate is detrimental to the best practice of learning. There is no time for the students to reflect, be tutored, develop any sense of critical analysis or, indeed, simply ‘live their lives’. This is the first time away from home for most of them and they are still groping their way around domestic life, while at the same time trying to produce productions comparable to full on professional efforts (at least the expectations are of that). Many of them have never attempted the role at any level, let alone for the first time.

It’s true that the sense of satisfaction they feel when the show is over, must be massive, but at what cost? Many of the skills they pick up aren’t analysed as there simply is not time to reflect. Last week the Stage Management team alone accrued around 70 hours each, with little compensense. Perhaps they ‘learned’ that these hours are the industry expectation and it wouldn’t suprise me if that fact shocked them into some form of dispair. Is this what they had been through 3 years for? A professional has the experience to deal with these pressures, our students don’t. It’s hard to see the value of an experience like that, even though it is there, buried under a mountain of pressure. Should we be ‘challenging’ our students in such a way? Is firing them through the meat grinder really the best opportunity we can give them to learn? What is it we are giving them that a direct route into the industry cannot?

In my head, it’s not as black and white as I am making it sound. There is a need to encourage stamina, focus under duress and simply telling them about it, is often not enough. Surely these are issues that the industry itself is best placed to accomodate. We are about developing students into critical, open and self-analytical thinkers. The industry requires that from it’s employee’s and that is the best that Higher Education can offer, the responsibility must be shared.

As for my own learning, I feel it has stalled somewhat. I am ploughing through Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences but finding myself more and more doubtful of his theories. There seems to be a great deal of speculation within the books pages, too much to solidify a sound reasoning. Perhaps it’s his use of language? He ooks you with a convincing debate, then within the turning of a page, leaves you cold with his lack of cold facts. I shall percivere and hopefully move towards a critique of my own shortly.

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Stage Management Summit

January 9, 2009 at 8:57 am (Student Support, employability, learning)
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As is usual with me, I seem to reflect somewhat annoyingly between the hours of 5am and 7am, forcing me to get up and blog. This morning was no exception, so in the midst of domestic breakfast and school chaos I am attempting to jot down my thoughts before they fade.

The idea of a summit for Stage Managers has been with me for a number of years, a day in which all 3 years of SM students and industry professionals all come together to discuss professional expectations of student graduates. It would also provide a valuable learning opportunity for the students, providing a forum to ask those questions only a professionally active SM can answer. I would also like this session to be hosted in a professional environment such as a working theater. I could even involve the Stage Management Association (SMA) and perhaps host skills workshops (that they already provide) in order for students to learn alongside professionals.

The idea was sparked again by the enhancement themes project we were given (see previous post), with particular inspiration derived from the Employability theme and the Leitch Report.

The problem has always been timing. Trying to get all 3 years of SM students free for a day together is difficult enough. This has further been compounded by the 1st Years not making the decision of what specialism they have chosen until the very end of Term 3, which I personally think is a term too late. I do feel that this problem isn’t insurmountable and the benefits far outweigh the potential workload of planning and preparation. It is also strongly linked to both institutional and governmental strategies with regards to skills learning, employability and is underpinned by a persuasive pedagogy.

To begin with I shall start to work on a simple model for the summit, trialing it with the current SM cohort as an internal event, at least to begin with.

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Flexible Delivery

January 8, 2009 at 8:27 pm (Flexible Delivery, PG-Cert, learning)
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Over the last few weeks students on the PG-Cert class have been furiously posting on the Academies Moodle site. We were each given an enhancement theme to research and present our findings on individual forum posts. In addition to encouraging others to post and keeping our own spaces topped up with enhancement information, we were expected to contribute to the other themes postings. The Enhancement themes were divided up as follows:

The First Year Experience
Integrated Assessment
Flexible Delivery
Research – Teaching Linkages
Meeting Student Support Needs
Employability – Skills for Life
Assessment

At first I struggled to get my forum off the ground, I seemed to be the only one posting. I reflected on WordPress, searching for a solution, when it struck me that perhaps I was being too technical (not sure if thats the right word?) and decided to bring the subject closer to home, especially with my posed questions. i.e. I aimed the content directly at how we were currently benefiting on the PG-Cert course by using a flexible, online approach. It seemed to work and the posts began to appear.

It was an interesting exercise. Studying flexible learning whilst partaking in it. At times I did feel as if I was cheating! The others didn’t have the benefit of a live scenario in which to test their themes. By the end of the research period, I had very little to do but encourage and answer the others questions. They all seemed appreciative of the effort I had put in, as I was of them and what they had provided. It really felt like a community of learners, communicating and collaborating effectively.

There were a few things that I would do differently next time though and I began to address them nearer the end:

1. Change the subject line when posting a new thought or sub-category.
2. Maintain a better balance between reporting in an Academic style and a lighter more social tone.
3. Present more research into the pitfalls of the subject matter. I don’t feel I presented a well balanced discussion.
4. Reduce the amount of personal opinion i.e. non-cited theories.

What do I still need to do?

Having scraped the surface of flexible delivery I am, more than ever, convinced that it is the way to go. My worry is that I have been blinded by technology. Even though I know that eLearning is not all that a flexible program would have to offer, but merely a very effective tool that helps facilitate it, both terms have almost become synonymous with each other. I must separate the two in my head as I still refer to a flexible program as being a wholly technological solution.

I still have to look, in more depth, at how best to assess on a flexible learning activity. It would seem that self and peer assessment are the most popular solutions, or at least the ones that are cited most often. More research is needed in this area, I am particularly interested in how to assess reflective journals, especially online blogs.

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