MRG Past Reading

05/03/2006

• Engagement with Electronic Portfolios: Challenges from the Student Perspective David Tosh, Tracy Penny Light, Kele Fleming, Jeff Haywood. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology

Volume 31(3) Fall 2005. http://www.cjlt.ca/content/vol31.3/tosh.html

Much of the evidence and research available on the use of e-portfolios focuses on faculty and institutional perspectives and/or consists mainly of anecdotes about how useful the e-portfolio has been to learners. While it is generally agreed that e-portfolios have great potential to engage students and promote deep learning, the research that has been conducted to date focuses very little on student perceptions of value of the e-portfolio for their learning. If students do not accept the e-portfolio as a holistic means with which to document their learning in different contexts and more importantly, agree or wish to use the e-portfolio as an integral part of their educational experience, then the potential impact the e-portfolio will have on learning will not be realised. This paper highlights four themes arising out of research ... from analysis of the qualitative data obtained from focus groups and comments within the surveys: buy-in, motivation, assessment and the e-portfolio technology. These themes point to the need to have alignment between the goals of those implementing the use of e-portfolios and how the technology will be used by students to carry-out their e-portfolio work.

Synopsis

This article hits on an important point, which is how ePortfolios are viewed from the student perspective. One of the key points the authors raise is that "it is important that the e-portfolio is not viewed like other forms of assessment or assignments which students are required to undertake but may feel little sense of ownership in." (Tosh, et. al, 2005). Without ownership for the portfolio (and their learning) students will perceive portfolios as another grade-earning hoop. This perspective is furthered by Helen Barrett who is currently collecting stories about student retaliation against portolios. One example Helen shared was how one group of students held a "portfolio burning bonfire."

One interesting side note that Tosh et. al brings out in this study is the fact that students are being told to create an eportfolio by people who have never created an eportfolio themselves. The relationship between student ownership and "directed use" of an eportfolio can be seen seen in the following research participant comment "...Okay, so you as an outsider who never even used it is telling us we should do this because it is the best thing since sliced bread but you have never used it-you can't find someone who did use it-you don't have enough information to tell us how to use it-and now you're telling us use it and we'll grade you on it-this kind of makes it hard for students to accept or appreciate it."

by user:gtvanek

04/19/06

• Engagement with Electronic Portfolios: Challenges from the Student Perspective David Tosh, Tracy Penny Light, Kele Fleming, Jeff Haywood. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology

Volume 31(3) Fall 2005. http://www.cjlt.ca/content/vol31.3/tosh.html

Much of the evidence and research available on the use of e-portfolios focuses on faculty and institutional perspectives and/or consists mainly of anecdotes about how useful the e-portfolio has been to learners. While it is generally agreed that e-portfolios have great potential to engage students and promote deep learning, the research that has been conducted to date focuses very little on student perceptions of value of the e-portfolio for their learning. If students do not accept the e-portfolio as a holistic means with which to document their learning in different contexts and more importantly, agree or wish to use the e-portfolio as an integral part of their educational experience, then the potential impact the e-portfolio will have on learning will not be realised. This paper highlights four themes arising out of research ... from analysis of the qualitative data obtained from focus groups and comments within the surveys: buy-in, motivation, assessment and the e-portfolio technology. These themes point to the need to have alignment between the goals of those implementing the use of e-portfolios and how the technology will be used by students to carry-out their e-portfolio work.

Synopsis

This article hits on an important point, which is how ePortfolios are viewed from the student perspective. One of the key points the authors raise is that "it is important that the e-portfolio is not viewed like other forms of assessment or assignments which students are required to undertake but may feel little sense of ownership in." (Tosh, et. al, 2005). Without ownership for the portfolio (and their learning) students will perceive portfolios as another grade-earning hoop. This perspective is furthered by Helen Barrett who is currently collecting stories about student retaliation against portolios. One example Helen shared was how one group of students held a "portfolio burning bonfire."

One interesting side note that Tosh et. al brings out in this study is the fact that students are being told to create an eportfolio by people who have never created an eportfolio themselves. The relationship between student ownership and "directed use" of an eportfolio can be seen seen in the following research participant comment "...Okay, so you as an outsider who never even used it is telling us we should do this because it is the best thing since sliced bread but you have never used it-you can't find someone who did use it-you don't have enough information to tell us how to use it-and now you're telling us use it and we'll grade you on it-this kind of makes it hard for students to accept or appreciate it."

by user:gtvanek

04/05/06

Assessing Group Learning Using Wikis: An Application to Capstone Design Kracicot

In this paper, we discuss the use of a wiki for documenting social knowledge in the context of an industrially-based capstone design course and for assessing group learning. Students create a knowledge management (KM) tool for the explicit purposes of sharing lessons learned with wider audiences and engaging in active group assessment, where students actively develop the product to be assessed. Because students are encouraged to verbalize in their own words concepts learned in class, the wiki reinforces learning and serves as a formative assessment tool, or perception check, for students and professors. This case analysis involved collecting feedback from key stakeholders, including Advisory Board and Industrial Sponsor interviews, student focus group discussions and assessment surveys. In addition, the wiki itself serves as a summative assessment tool. A difference approach was used to analyze rater perceptions of actual and expected performance. An average improvement score, based on a rubric, was obtained that improves reliability for small, variable groups like advisory boards.

03/22/06

• Improving Learning and Reducing Costs: New Models for Online Learning by Carol A. Twigg --Amorozov 11:32, 9 Mar 2006 (Pacific Standard Time)

" Every college and university in the United States is discovering exciting new ways of using information technology to enhance the process of teaching and learning and to extend access to new populations of students. For most institutions, however, new technologies represent a black hole of additional expense. Most campuses have simply bolted new technologies onto a fixed plant, a fixed faculty, and a fixed notion of classroom instruction. Under these circumstances, technology becomes part of the problem of rising costs rather than part of the solution. In addition, comparative research studies show that rather than improving quality, most technology-based courses produce learning outcomes that are simply “as good as” their traditional counterparts—in what is often referred to as the “no significant difference” phenomenon. By and large, colleges and universities have not yet begun to realize the promise of technology to improve the quality of student learning and reduce the costs of instruction. Supported by an $8.8 million grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Program in Course Redesign [1] was created in April 1999 to address these issues...supporting colleges and universities in their efforts to redesign instruction using technology to achieve quality enhancements as well as cost savings." *Another Q&A article on same topic from Innovate.

03/08/06

• "No Computer Left Behind" from 02/24/06 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, available here or here.

"Although we tend to believe that "new technology" always saves time and money, the marriage of the Web with the cellphone augurs the demise of the inexpensive technologies of multiple-choice tests and grading machines. But we will not be among the mourners at the funeral of the multiple-choice test. Such exams have fostered a school-based culture of rote memorization that has little to do with true learning. And the resources that it will take to offer and grade more complex and thoughtful exams pale in comparison to those being wasted on pointless approaches to measuring student comprehension. Politicians who insist on raising the "stakes" in standardized testing need to provide the funds for people rather than machines to do the grading. If we are going to continue to insist on having machines grade our students, then we should expect that they are going to insist on being able to answer exam questions using the machines in their pockets."

02/22/06

• Carol Trosset, Obstacles to open discussion and critical thinking: The Grinnell College study” (Change, September/October, 1998).

This reading is directly linked to our work in the Teaching Toolkit Series.

1/25/06 and 02/08/06

Hoffman, Perillo, Calizo, Hadfield, and Lee. (2005). Engagement versus participation: A difference that matters. About Campus, 10(5), 10-17.

"The kind of engagement that transforms a person is more than mere participation. It is risk-taking, spontaneous, socially supported, heart-pounding co-creation."

• Educating the Net Generation an Educause e-book

The Net Generation has grown up with information technology. The aptitudes, attitudes, expectations, and learning styles of Net Gen students reflect the environment in which they were raised—one that is decidedly different from that which existed when faculty and administrators were growing up. This collection explores the Net Gen and the implications for institutions in areas such as teaching, service, learning space design, faculty development, and curriculum. Contributions by educators and students are included. (this was e-mailed to group by Debbie Edwards and looked interesting; we could pick a chapter, or some multimedia audio/video resource from same link) 13:33, 19 Jan 2006 (Pacific Standard Time)Amorozov

• Lorenzo, G. & Ittelson, J. (2005). An Overview of Eportfolios.

This article is an overview of e-portfolios that may be old news for most of you, but helpful to faculty considering such tools. Randy plans to use it with a Student Affairs group considering e-portfolios.

Picianno, A. G. (2002). Beyond student perceptions: Issues of interaction, presence and performance in an online course. JALN, 6(1), 21-40.

Baurlein, M (2005). A Very Long Disengagement Chronicle of Higher Ed, January 6, 2006.

Wolfe, W.J. (2004) "Online Student Peer Reviews" : a paper and handouts from the Western Accreditation Assoc. Conference that describes an online method of implementing student peer reviews possibly helpful for such efforts here:http://registration.wascsenior.org/wasc//Session%20Materials/Wolfe_CSUCI_onlinestudentpeerreviews.pdf

http://registration.wascsenior.org/wasc//Session%20Materials/Wolfe_CSUCI_PeerReview_Present.pdf

1/11/06

Slate Goes to College A week of articles about higher education. http://www.slate.com/id/2130141/

Pitts, S. E. (2005). Testing, Testing...: How do students use written feedback? Active Learning in Higher Education.

12/28/05

• Barrett, H. C. (2005). White Paper: Researching electronic portfolios and learner engagement.

This white paper is part of the Reflect Initiative which Helen Barrett is directing with support from TaskStream, Inc. More information on this white paper and/or Helen Barrett can be found at http://electronicportfolios.org/

Barrett provides a quick background on research on electronic portfolios. She also addresses the multiple purposes of eportfolios, motivation and student engagement, and technology tools that engage learners in reflection. Her diagram "Assessment Systems and Electronic Portfolios: Balancing Accountability with Learning" (p. 12 in long version) is a great visual for understanding the two sides of assessment (assessment of learning vs. assessment for learning). If you are researching and/or implimenting ePortfolios this is a must read (in Todd's opinion).

12/14/05

Teen_Content_Creators_and _Consumers |PEW/Internet report: Teen Content Creators and Consumers] Nov 2005, PEW Internet and the American Life project.

General Consensus was the article was not very informative.

11/30/05

Meeting was cancelled.

11/16/05

• Downes, Stephen (2005). eLearning 2.0. eLearn Magazine. Retrieved October 21, 2005.
  "E-learning as we know it has been around for ten years or so. During that time, it has emerged from being a radical idea—the effectiveness of which was yet to be proven—to something that is widely regarded as mainstream....Today, e-learning mainly takes the form of online courses...As a consequence, the dominant learning technology employed today is a type of system that organizes and delivers online courses—the learning management system (LMS)...In general, where we are now in the online world is where we were before the beginning (emphasis added) of e-learning." Goes on to explore trends and impacts on "read-write" web.

(Discuss...)

11/02/05

- Add article citations here by 9:00am on the Friday prior - Selected Reading

• "LEARNING RECONSIDERED A CAMPUS-WIDE FOCUS ON THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE" [2] (http://www.naspa.org/membership/leader_ex_pdf/lr_long.pdf) by THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATORS THE AMERICAN COLLEGE PERSONNEL ASSOCIATION. JANUARY 2004.

I have put this article as the selected reading based on preference of 2 MRG members who have responded to me by e-mail. Amorozov 16:50, 31 Oct 2005 (Pacific Standard Time)

Proposed Readings

• Downes, Stephen (2005). eLearning 2.0. eLearn Magazine. Retrieved October 21, 2005.
  "E-learning as we know it has been around for ten years or so. During that time, it has emerged from being a radical idea—the effectiveness of which was yet to be proven—to something that is widely regarded as mainstream....Today, e-learning mainly takes the form of online courses...As a consequence, the dominant learning technology employed today is a type of system that organizes and delivers online courses—the learning management system (LMS)...In general, where we are now in the online world is where we were before the beginning (emphasis added) of e-learning." Goes on to explore trends and impacts on "read-write" web.

• "LEARNING RECONSIDERED A CAMPUS-WIDE FOCUS ON THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE" [2] by THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATORS THE AMERICAN COLLEGE PERSONNEL ASSOCIATION. JANUARY 2004. Amorozov 13:59, 25 Oct 2005 (Pacific Daylight Time)

Article was recommended by Debbie Edwards (Career Services) for discussion on campus-wide ePortfolip planning on 10/26. Abstract: "Learning Reconsidered is an argument for the integrated use of all of higher education’s resources in the education and preparation of the whole student. It is also an introduction to new ways of understanding and supporting learning and development as intertwined, inseparable elements of the student experience. It advocates for transformative education – a holistic process of learning that places the student at the center of the learning experience."

10/19/05

Reading Selection:

• Recognising Learning: Educational and pedagogic issues in e-Portfolios, Graham Attwell : Weblog October 7, 2005

The core of this paper is the "seven different functions for an ePortfolio, all of which can be mapped against different pedagogic processes": recognizing learning, recording learning, reflecting on learning, validating learning, presenting learning, planning learning, and assessing learning. The author also looks at "assessment in many portfolio applications and implementations and the issue of ownership." (Discuss...)

Other readings proposed but not selected:

• Innovations at the Margin by Kay M. McClenney [3]

McClenny argues: "We are at a point [in higher education] where innovation, even lots of it... does not equal transformation, and multiple innovations do not add up to fundamental change. ...Innovations seldom change institutions or systems.... In fact, the willingness to allow innovation on the margins is a way of containing it, preventing it from contaminating 'core functions.' Innovation on the margins relieves pressure on the institution to create more essential change."

• Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved August 16, 2005 from elearnspace.org In this article George Siemens argues for a new learning theory that considers the capabilities of technology to support competency development in forming connections. Siemens writes "Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-orgnization theories." Todd Vanek

10/05/05

Reading Selection:

Elbow, Peter. “Making Better Use of Student Evaluations of Teachers.” ADE Bulletin 101 (1992): 2­8. [4] We didn't get a chance to discuss this article in the last meeting. -Theron (discuss...)

Other readings proposed but not selected

• Farmer, James and Anne Bartlett-Bragg (2005). Blogs @ Anywhere: High fidelity online communication. Retrieved September 29, 2005. "...little examination has taken place of the significant differences in communication dynamics between blogs and other forms on online communication and the impact of these factors on teaching and learning online. This paper seeks to illustrate to a degree that in order to effectively utilize blogs in an educational context, their inherent communication dynamics must be examined and pedagogical and environmental strategies and constructs used which reflect and utilize them effectively." Nils Peterson

9/21/05

Reading Selection:

• WELSH, JOHN F. ; METCALF, JEFF. Cultivating Faculty Support for Institutional Effectiveness Activities: benchmarking best practices. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 28, no. 1 (2003): 33-45 (13 pages) [5]

(DISCUSS THIS ARTICLE)

• (OPTIONAL READING) Elbow, Peter. “Making Better Use of Student Evaluations of Teachers.” ADE Bulletin 101 (1992): 2­8. [6]

Other readings proposed but not selected

• Yvonne Steinert, Sylvia Cruess, Richard Cruess & Linda Snell. Faculty development for teaching and evaluating professionalism: from programme design to curriculum change. MEDICAL EDUCATION 2005; 39: 127–136

• Eric G. Boyce. Development of an Educational Assessment Plan for Doctor of Pharmacy Programs. JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE, Vol. XIII, No. 5/October 2000

• Patti Clayton and Sarah Ash. Reflection as a key component in faculty development. VOL. 13 NO. 3 2005, pp. 161-169, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1074-8121 jON THE HORIZON j PAGE 161.

9/07/05

See below for selected readings.

Reading Selection:

1. Grubb, N.W., Lazerson, M. (Jan. /Feb. 2005) “Vocationalism in Higher Education: The Triumph of the Educational Gospel.” Journal of Higher Education. [7] [8]