e-portfolios and the problem of learning in the post-course era
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Randy Bass, Georgetown University
E-Portfolios and the Problem of Learning
in the Post-Course Era
Randy Bass, Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS),
Georgetown University
General Education 3.0 (AAC&U)
March 4, 2011
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
“You know. It was taught as a Gen Ed course and I took it as
a Gen Ed course.”
Georgetown student, end of first year, focus group: reflecting on a particular course in
which, he claimed, he was not asked to engage with the material.
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Core Questions
•What are the conditions for the most meaningful learning inside and outside the formal curriculum?
•How do we make it possible to see and capture evidence of meaningful learning in new ways? (moving target)
•Can we keep the “evidence of learning” agenda open in an age of metrics and accountability?
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
The Post-Course Era
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
The Post-Course Era
•The course as a useful way of managing time, staff resources, equivalencies
•A collection of courses as way of telling the story of the discipline or profession
•Coursework and the formal curriculum as the center of the educational experience—the places where the most significant learning takes place.
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
The Post-Course Era
End of the era of the self-contained course as the center of
the curriculum
“The fragmentation of the curriculum into a collection of independently ‘owned’
courses is itself an impediment to student accomplishment, because the different
courses students take, even on the same campus, are not expected to engage or build on one another.” (AAC&U, 2004)
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Post-Course: Smaller and Bigger
the intermediate
(capturing intermediate thinking processes)
&
the integrative
(making meaning across courses, experiences and time)
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Second Wave of the Learning Paradigm
(course design & curriculum design)
• Active Learning:
• Theory/ knowing
• Experience / doing
• Integrative Learning
• Theory/ knowing
• Experience/ doing
• Reflecting / connecting
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
High Impact Practices (National Survey of Student Engagement--
NSSE)
• First-year seminars and experiences
• Learning communities
• Writing intensive courses
• Collaborative assignments
• Undergraduate research
• Global learning/ study abroad
• Internships
• Capstone courses and projectsGeorge Kuh, High Impact Practices: What are they, who
has access to them, and why they matter. (AAC&U, 2008)
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Outcomes associated with High impact Practices
•Attend to underlying meaning
• Integrate and synthesize
• Discern patterns
• Apply knowledge in diverse situations
• View issues from multiple perspectives
• Acquire gains in skills, knowledge, practical competence , personal and social development
Experiences that help
students…
George Kuh, High Impact Practices: What are they, who has access to them, and why they matter. (AAC&U,
2008)
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
High Impact Activities and Outcomes
High Impact Practices:
• First-year seminars and experiences
• Learning communities
• Writing intensive courses
• Collaborative assignments
• Undergraduate research
• Global learning/ study abroad
• Internships
• Capstone courses and projects
Outcomes associated with High impact practices
• Attend to underlying meaning
• Integrate and synthesize
• Discern patterns
• Apply knowledge in diverse situations
• View issues from multiple perspectives
• Gains in Skills, knowledge, practical competence , personal and social development
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
So, if high impact practices are largely in the extra-curriculum (or
co-curriculum), then where are the low-impact
practices?
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Low-impact practices: Formally known as ‘the curriculum’?
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
If the formal curriculum is not where the high impact
experiences are then what are the options?
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Making courses more like high-impact practices
courses designed as inquiry-based &
participatory
Virtual Labs
Leveraging “the crowd” as a way of
teaching
Constructivist social tools: wikis & blogs
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
If the formal curriculum is not where the high impact
experiences are then what are the options?
1. Make courses higher impact
1. Design for greater fluidity and connection between the formal
and experiential curriculum
<< e-portfolios >>
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
What are the shared and salient features of participatory cultures in
Web-based environments?
Jenkins, et. al., Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture (MacArthur Foundation, 2006)
wikipedia
Video gaming communities
grass roots organizations
fan sites
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Participatory Culture of the Web
• Features of participatory culture
• Low barriers to entry
• Strong support for sharing one’s contributions
• Informal mentorship, experienced to novice
• Members feel a sense of connection to each other
• Students feel a sense of ownership of what is being created
• Strong collective sense that something is at stake
Jenkins, et. al., Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture (MacArthur Foundation, 2006)
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
The Formal
Curriculum
InformalLearning
Participatory culture
High impact practices
Experiential Co-
curriculum
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
The Formal
Curriculum
InformalLearning
Participatory culture
High impact practices
Experiential Co-
curriculum
Can we continue to operate on the assumption that the formal
curriculum is the center of the undergraduate experience?
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
The Formal
Curriculum
InformalLearning
Participatory culture
High impact practices
Experiential Co-
curriculumThe Intermediate
and the Integrative
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
John Seely Brown: Practice to Content
content
practice
From John Seely Brown, “Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0”
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
The Formal
Curriculum
InformalLearning
Participatory culture
High impact practices
Experiential Co-
curriculum
Where and how does one “learn-to-be,” inside and outside the formal
curriculum?
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
NOVICE MIRACLE EXPERT
product product
Connecting Intermediate Processes to Practice
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
NOVICEprocesses
EXPERTproductpractice
LEARNINGprocesses
LEARNINGprocesses
evidence of process
Connecting Intermediate Processes to Practice
LEARNINGprocesses
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
NOVICEprocesses
EXPERTpractice
LEARNINGprocesses
LEARNINGprocesses
How can we better understand
these intermediate processes?
How might we design to foster and
capture them?
evidence of process
Connecting Intermediate Processes to Practice
LEARNINGprocesses
Our learning environments are rapidly expanding the ways we can make the
intermediate visible…
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Making Intermediate
Thinking Visible
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Making IntermediateThinking Visible
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Making Intermediate Thinking Visible
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Derek Bruff, Vanderbilt University
derekbruff.com
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Derek Bruff (Vanderbilt University)
Bruff’s remapping of Cliff Atkinson’s uses of Backchannel:
• Note taking
• Sharing Resources
• Commenting
• Amplifying
• Asking Questions
• Helping One Another
• Offering Suggestions
• Building community
• Opening the Classroom derekbruff.co
m
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
NOVICEprocesses
EXPERTpractice
How can we better
understand these
intermediate processes?
How do these processes serve as a bridge from
novice processes to
expert practice?
Connecting Intermediate Processes to Practice
Social media and intermediate thinking processes
Note takingSharing Resources
Commenting Amplifying
Asking QuestionsHelping One AnotherOffering SuggestionsBuilding community
Opening the Classroom
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
On the use of Twitter in the classroom (Mark Sample, GMU—
after Rick Reo, GMU)
“Twitter is a Snark Valve” http://www.samplereality.com/
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Michael Smith & Ali Erkan, Ithaca College
•Using Wiki’s to teach history
•Students work in collaborative teams to write history wiki-texts on subjects that interest them in historical context
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Bottleneck(s) in History
•Students often have difficulty understanding that history is about constructing an interpretation based on multiple sources and perspectives
•They often have trouble making connections between specific details and broader context
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Michael Smith & Ali Erkan, Ithaca College
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Michael Smith & Ali Erkan, Ithaca College
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Michael Smith & Ali Erkan, Ithaca College
“How can students be engaged so that there is meaning in the structure of wikis they produce?” “If there is meaning in the structure of student wikis, how can it be harvested and, subsequently, analyzed?
“Thin Slicing”?
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
NOVICEprocesses
EXPERTpractice
How can we better
understand these
intermediate processes?
How might we design to foster and
capture them?
Connecting Intermediate Processes to Expert PracticeThe places we can look for captures of
learning are expanding rapidly…
How do you capture the relationship
between intermediate engagement and
intellectual development?
Evidence of gen ed goal?
LEARNINGprocesses
The Formal
Curriculum
InformalLearning
Participatory culture
High impact practices
Experiential Co-
curriculumIntermediate
--------------------------Integrative
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
ePortfolio as Social Pedagogy
Collaborative
Integrative
Interactive
RecursiveEmbodied
Adaptive
Connecting through ePortfolio
Student
Student
Faculty& Staff
External Audiences
Across Disciplines
Across Semesters
Academic Curriculum
Lived Curriculum
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
ePortfolios as tools and practices for integrating
Connect to Learning (FIPSE)
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Second Wave of the Learning Paradigm
• Active Learning:
• Theory/ knowing
• Experience / doing
• Integrative Learning
• Theory/ knowing
• Experience/ doing
• Reflecting / connecting
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Reflection at the heart of ePorfolio
practice
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Dewey’s Criteria for Reflection
•Carol Rodgers has summarized Dewey’s criteria for effective reflection into these four statements:
• Reflection as connection • Reflection as systematic and disciplined • Reflection as social pedagogy• Reflection and personal growth
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Reflection as Connection
(1) Reflection is a meaning-making process that moves a learner from one experience into the next with a deeper understanding of its relationship with and connections to other experiences and ideas. It is the thread that makes continuity of learning possible.
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Exp Exp Exp Exp
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Exp Exp Exp Exp
Reflection
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Exp Exp Exp Exp
Reflection Reflection
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Exp Exp Exp Exp
Reflection ReflectionReflection
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Exp Exp Exp Exp
Reflection ReflectionReflection
Prior Learning(Experience &
Theory)
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Exp Exp Exp Exp
Reflection ReflectionReflection
Prior Learning(Experience &
Theory)
Making Meaning
Integration
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
(2) Reflection as Systematic & Disciplined
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
(2) Reflection as systematic and disciplined inquiry
Exp Exp Exp Exp
Reflection ReflectionReflection
Prior Learning(Experience &
Theory)
Making Meaning
Integration
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
(3) Reflection as Social Pedagogy
•Reflection needs to happen in community, in interaction with others.
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
(4) Reflection and Personal Growth
•Reflection requires attitudes that value the personal and intellectual growth of oneself and others
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Three Rivers CC (Nursing)
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
In search of effective practices of reflection…
Reflection as professional development: iterative program-level design
N101 N102 N201 N203 N205•Description of experience•Focus on goals & outcomes•Self-evaluation•Increasingly comparative•Social at all stages
Three Rivers Community College
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Foundational
Description of experience setting up
comparison with other
work
“Backward design” of reflective practice implies that faculty think forward and together: “All clinical faculty promote development of reflective skills.”
Three Rivers CC (Nursing)
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Three Rivers CC: Iterative design
“The assignment builds upon the semester previous with a focus in development of their professional
voice.”
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Three Rivers CC: Making reflection “social” and public
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Three Rivers CC: Making reflection “social” from the beginning
Reflection as social pedagogy begins with
entry level courses
“Students write a letter to future students of the
course”
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Virginia Tech’s SERVE Living Community
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Virginia Tech’s SERVE Living Community
“SERVE community members are
encouraged to be active through both
service and reflection. In their
portfolios, you will find detailed experiences of
their engagement as well as reflective pieces
synthesizing their journeys” (VT ePortfolio page)
Co-curricular engagement portfolios
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Comprehensive Reflection Assignment
Comprehensive
Reflection Assignment
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
“Final Exam Replacement” – ePortfolio Assembly, Comprehensive Reflection, and
Letter to Self (200/1000 total points)
• Step II - Comprehensive Reflection (150 points)
Your comprehensive reflection entry will be the home page for the “Synthesis and Reflection” tab. This final paper should demonstrate your ability to reflect critically on the whole of the class (readings, discussions, projects, experiences) and articulate how your views and understanding has progressed. This comprehensive paper is a synthesis of both the theoretical and practical constructs of reflection, dialogue, group process, service, and leadership. Look to the “course objectives” outlined in the syllabus as one possible checklist of tracking potential learning and reflecting on the course. More specifically, the paper should include exploration of some of the following questions:
What are some critical components of community building? How has your understanding of “the call to service,” “citizenship,” and/or “democracy” evolved over the course.
Include relevant and updated pieces from your “My ‘why’” assignment Provide concrete examples of particular experiences, discussions, or readings that illustrate areas of learning or
personal growth How has your service personally impacted you? What did you learn about the social issues being addressed at
your site? How has the study of social change and the change lab activity shaped you? How might you consider using some
of these experiences/studies to help you in future pursuits?
• Step III – Letter to Self (25 points) It is the end of the semester, and you have just finished your comprehensive reflection. This is your last bit of work
before you can close the book on this class and your first semester here at VT. Write a letter to your future self (the one who, presumably, will spend the winter break enjoying some much deserved relaxation. Catch this future self up on all you’ve accomplished and give him/her some direction into your favorite parts of your ePortfolio, some learning points / experiences / reflections you want to highlight. Then take a minute to give some direction on where you would like to go for your second semester here at VT. Is there some new project you would like to initiate to address some social issue or meet some student need? Is there someone you met this semester whom you need to get to know better or want to learn more from? Whatever it may be, big or small, take this opportunity to jump-start yourself into action.
Reflect critically on the whole class
(readings, discussions,
projects, experiences) and
articulate how your views and
understanding has progressed.
This paper is a synthesis of
both theoretical and
practical constructs of
reflection, dialogue,
group process, service, and leadershipHow has your understanding …
evolved? How has… it impacted you? What did you learn? How has it…
shaped you?
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Dewey’s Criteria for Reflection
•Carol Rogers has summarized Dewey’s criteria for effective reflection into these four statements:
•Reflection as connection •Reflection as systematic and disciplined •Reflection as social pedagogy•Reflection and personal growth
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Carol Rodgers on Reflection: Deepening Developmental Cycle
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
The Big Finish
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Synthesis: the “problem of learning” in the post-course
era
the Intermediate
&
the Integrative
Social Learnin
g
Deepening Cycles
of Reflectio
n
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
Making Thinking Visible and the Deepening Reflection Cycle
Note takingSharing Resources
Commenting Amplifying
Asking QuestionsHelping One AnotherOffering SuggestionsBuilding community
Opening the Classroom
Intermediate --------------------------Integrative
Randy Bass, Georgetown University
The Formal
Curriculum
InformalLearning
Participatory culture
High impact practices
Experiential Co-
curriculumIntermediate
--------------------------Integrative
bassr@georgetown.e
duThanks to:Ali Erkan and Michael Smith, Ithaca College
John Seely BrownMark Sample, GMU
Derek Bruff, VanderbiltBret Eynon and Judit Torok and the Connect to Learning Team at LGCC
Trent Batson (AAEEBEL, Connect to Learning)Three Rivers CC
Virginia Tech ePortfolio and SERVE teamThe Teagle Foundation
Heidi Elmendorf, GeorgetownMy colleagues at the Center for New Designs in
Learning and Scholarship
cndls.georgetown.edu
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