The Comport ProjectComparative study of e-Portfolio implementation in WBL

Success in Sunderland and Sunny in Doncaster!

Doncaster by Mattingham;

Used under Creative Commons Licence;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattingham/434618474/

Bob Stokoe’s Hand by Mrs Logic;

Used under Creative Commons Licence;

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ComPort - A Quick Outline

Service Management

Blackboard e-Portfolio tool

PDAs

Teacher Training

E-Pet

Marine Engineering

Learning Objects Blog tool running within Blackboard

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearningcapital/heinfe/comport.aspx

http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/case-studies/e-portfolios/gateshead

Tyne Metropolitan CollegePebble PadWithdrew due to unforeseen circumstancesA new strand looking at student use of social networking sites as e-Portfolios introduced

ComPort – The CoSC Strand• Foundation Degree in Service Management

Assessed Module in Personal Development Planning

• Three groups of part-time adult learners in management roles

• The Blackboard e-portfolio tool

• Each student was supplied with a mobile PDA device to create, collect and store digital artefacts for their assessed portfolio

• From September 2007 to June 2008

The Good• The results were in general very positive:

• Promoted personalised learning and learner ownership –– Promoted creativity in e-portfolio design and in type

and style of digital artefacts used– Ease of access and convenience for the learner

• Encouraged greater critical thinking skills in considering the evidence learners used to demonstrate personal development activities

The Good• Provided greater opportunity for formative

assessment

• Enjoyment of new challenge and experience.

• Shared with work colleagues and family members

The Good• Gave confidence in exploring and using new technology,

the PDA in particular – lots of on the spur of the moment blogs along with regular

weather reports for the South Yorkshire holiday hotspots!

• Improved general IT skills

• Improved co-operation between learners

• 36 out of 38 chose e-Portfolio and would prefer this in the future– the two that didn’t use the e-Portfolio wish they had…

Food for Thought

• Some early frustrations and worry amongst Learners– Need for front-loaded learning and support in using the

technology

• PDA useful but fell into the “penknife syndrome” – Useful for lots of things but not really good or specialised for a

specific task e.g. the digital camera

• Initial major concern: time consuming – As time progressed many students recognised the e-portfolio

as being time efficient and an enjoyable learning tool to use

The Future and Beyond• All our leadership and management foundation degree

learners started using an e-portfolio to record their personal development from September 2008

• All HE courses at CoSC are doing likewise from September 2009.

• The Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Sunderland are consulting with us on how they should develop e-portfolios and mobile technology for use in personal development planning modules in their undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

The Future and Beyond

• From our learning we have developed a bespoke e-journal product for Npower – currently being used on a higher education employer

engagement course. – Some very positive feedback to date.

• As part of our employer engagement strategy we are working with Union Learn to deliver Foundation Degrees in Leadership and Management in the workplace. – For example HMRC and Blyth Valley District Council.– Lessons learned from ComPort Project being applied…

The Future and Beyond• Union Learn funding has enabled us to provide wireless notebook

computers (with an integrated camera) for learners (instead of PDAs).

• We are currently experimenting / researching this type of mobile technology as resource to support e-portfolio and e-journal work in the workplace

Guiding Principles

• What are we trying to achieve?

• Which tools and why?

• Who with?

• Clarity of Purpose

• Tools used must be appropriate

• The activity must have meaning for the group

Thanks

• Richard Hodgson (City of Sunderland College)

• Dave Duell (City of Sunderland College)

• Ralph Holland (South Tyneside College)

• Andrew Robson (Gateshead College)

• Phil Robinson (Gateshead College)

What did our learners say ?• “I am ready to throw this thing out the bedroom window!”

• “I’ve done it! My husband thinks I am a genius”

• “I’ve enjoyed this. We have come a long way since September”

• “Done it! Uploaded the school garden plans. Once again, very straightforward once I saw a way around the problem”

• “E-portfolios, bring it on!”

• “Blogging you on the train to see if it works. Sunny in Doncaster”

What did our learners say ?“Blogging you on the train to see if it works. Sunny in Doncaster”

Sunset over the Ice, Doncaster by Johnson Cameraface;

Used under Creative Commons Licence;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54459164@N00/3282155127/

Merv Stapleton, Director of Learning Resources, City of Sunderland Collegemerv.stapleton@citysun.ac.uk