Author: Julie Hughes, j.hughes@wlv.ac.uk

JISC e-Learning Activity Area: e-Portfolios

Higher Education Academy Subject Centre: Philosophical and Religious Studies/History, Classics and Archaeology

This case study illustrates...an effect on learning, an effect on exam results, an effect on student personal development, student satisfaction with e-learning, innovation in learning and teaching, an influence on educational research, staff satisfaction with e-learning, staff personal development, an influence on policy, modifications to learning spaces, an effect on social equality

Tangible Benefits

What tangible benefits did this e-learning approach produce?

Student evaluations and levels of satisfaction were always high for the dialogic approach I adopted. Foundation Degree grades across the 2 years have shown clear improvement particularly in their ability to engage in reflection. The increase in A and B grades across the 2 years was specifically linked to the quality of the reflective writing. Current year 1 FD students have expressed a desire to act as e-mentors for next year's cohort.

There has been a significant development in student enthusiasm for e-learning activities and for the continuation of e-learning into the workplace. One new teacher from each of the cohorts (2005-7) is currently working in HE with embedded e-portfolio in their teaching and research.

Student stories of engagement - PGCE

ESCalate Summer 2006 and Autumn 2006

JISC case study - Jenny and Emma

My work has also been drawn up by Gillie Bolton in Bolton, G. (2005) Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development: Second Edition. Sage and used as a case study in Goodfellow, R. and Lea, M. (September 2007) Challenging E-learning in the University. Buckinghamshire. Open University Press.

The epistle project has worked with Primary, Secondary and College partners. TCAT have decided to adopt the system across the whole college and earlier e-portfolio learners following a teacher education programme will be using e-portfolio in their teaching from Autumn 2007.

Mentored staff's profiles have been raised through conference presentation and publication. School of Health and Humanities, Languages and Social Science staff are involved in HEA e-portfolio projects and Special Interest Groups.

Staff in the School of Education are slowly becoming more involved in exploring the potential within an e-portfolio system. The appointment of a part-time e-learning co-ordinator has further raised the profile of e-learning and there are some exciting ideas and projects emerging - most significant is the Primary PGCE team's piloting of an electronic Record of Professional Development in 2007/8.

The University currently has 15,000 users of the system although we do not know what that use is in relation to education and whether it has been formally encouraged in all cases.

Did implementation of this e-learning approach have any disadvantages or drawbacks?

As stated already and:

Innovation costs and this has not been factored into any of my personal workload in terms of time. As an early adopter my passion carried me through but when the same old arguments about technology emerge yearly it can be very demotivating and isolating. Because of the lack of strategic direction with regard to e-portfolio, or the fact that this has not been realised in school learning and teaching action plans I feel that e-portfolio has not been taken as seriously as other platforms.

How did this e-learning approach accord with or differ from any relevant departmental and/or institutional strategies?

As stated already and:

The University instigated an e-learning review in 2007 the results of which will be available in July 2007. It is hoped that a strategy for implementation will emerge from these findings.

The University is also currently responding to the alumni access issue.