Queensland University of Technology CRICOS No J ePortfolio and PDP at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Kim Hauville

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R About QUT Approximately 40,000 students 4 campuses – Gardens Point, Kelvin Grove, Carseldine, Caboolture 9 Faculties

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R QUT’s ePortfolio Team Project Sponsor – Tom Cochrane DVC TILS Project Director – Wendy Harper Project Team Leader – Kim Hauville Project Strategic Partner – Col McCowan, Manager Careers and Employment Project Reference Group Faculty Champions and committed Academic staff

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Purpose of the QUT Student ePortfolio To enable students to record, reflect on, catalogue, retrieve and present their experiences, activities, and things they produce both inside and outside of university life as evidence of the skills developed while at QUT that contribute significantly to their lifelong learning and career development.

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Major purposes Collecting and recording in a single structure Knowing about the generic skills employers seek Connecting skills and experiences to the curriculum Learning through reflecting and evidence-based writing Understanding and self auditing skills and experiences Planning where and how to develop skills Reviewing content and progress by self and others Showcasing slices of personal evidence Preparing evidence for academics and employers Preparing and building confidence for applications & interviews

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Steps to Introduction at QUT Strong project management Integration with existing systems Obtained QUT-wide acceptance Addressed key issues before building the system Managed and staged release Pilot with sub-groups and used feedback Identified and addressed key future developments

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Features of QUT’s Student e-Portfolio Available to all students and staff Student-centred Automatically appears on each student’s Intranet “Home” page Similar features and feel to all other activities Linked to other corporate data systems Mapped/linked to specific student capabilities Tailored to suit Faculty / Industry issues Legitimises activities undertaken outside QUT Easy to use –Form based –Limited number of steps –Lots of tips, help buttons, word count guides –Lots of self-help resources –Consistent look and feel

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Key Activities in Student ePortfolio Add Experiences to the portfolio Add Artefacts to the portfolio Create a View of the portfolio Release a portfolio View Students can add: Academic History Resume Photo Students can: Export their View Check visits to their View Students can: Undertake a self-assessment Upload files to their web-accessible space

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Three Styles of Student ePortfolios QUT aims to incorporate all three recognised styles Structured –predetermined framework of objectives to meet external / internal needs Learning / Dynamic –opportunity for self-audit, recording, reflection, feedback and on-going development Showcase –collect together, organise and present accomplishments

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R QUT Student Capabilities In the mid 90’s QUT developed a set of Student Capabilities in response to : –a need to consolidate specific lists from individual Faculties/Schools –a need to respond to business and industry requirements –a need to meet industry specific accreditation processes –a need to infuse into teaching & learning documents and practice, and –a desire to get ATN agreement on student capabilities across like universities in Australia.

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Examples of QUT Student Capabilities knowledge and skills pertinent to a particular discipline or professional area encompassing: –coherent theoretical and practical knowledge in at least one discipline area at the level of entry to a profession –technological skills appropriate to the discipline critical, creative and analytical thinking, and effective problem-solving including: –the ability to critique current paradigms and contribute to intellectual inquiry –the capacity to exhibit creative as well as analytical ways of thinking about questions in at least one discipline –the ability to identify, define and solve problems in at least one discipline area effective communication in a variety of contexts and modes including: –effective written and oral communication with discipline specialists and non-specialists and in cross-cultural contexts the capacity for life-long learning including: –searching and critically evaluating information from a variety of sources using effective strategies and appropriate technologies the ability to work independently and collaboratively including: –managing time and prioritising activities to achieve goals –demonstrating the capacity for self-assessment of learning needs and achievements –being a cooperative and productive team member or leader

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Mapping of QUT Student Capabilities QUT has mapped its Student Capabilities to: Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry / Business Council of Australia Employability Skills Framework Specific Professional Association listings eg for Nursing, Teaching Specific Faculty/Schools listings for curriculum purposes eg Business – Port of Brisbane Corporation, Law, Nursing, Education TPA’s… Student ePortfolio Skill Areas

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Comparison across Skill Sets e-Portfolio Skill Areas used at QUT QUT Student Capabilities (MOPP) Business Council of Australia /Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry Employability Skills Skills of Business GraduatesSkills of Law Graduates Communication Listening, speaking, writing,understanding, presenting, reading, editing, interpersonal relations. Effective communication in a variety of contexts and modes including: effective written and oral communication with discipline specialists and non-specialists and in cross- cultural contexts. Communication skills that contribute to productive and harmonious relations between employees and customers. Listening and Responding Involves being attentive when others are speaking, and responding effectively to others comments, during a conversation. Oral Communication Involves the ability to present information verbally to others, either one-to-one or in groups. Written Communication Involves the effective transfer of written information either formally (eg business reports, correspondence) or informally (eg memos, notes). Interpersonal Skills Involves working well with others (superiors, subordinates and peers), understanding their needs, seeking feedback and being able to negotiate effectively. Communication Clearly and accurately communicating, both orally and in writing, through listening, non-verbal communication, speaking, presenting, reading, writing, editing, drafting, negotiating, interviewing, advocacy, mooting and report writing; using appropriate language for a variety of contexts; interpersonal interaction. Specific Skills:  Oral communication (Communication)  Written Communication (Communication)  Oral presentation (Communication)  Advocacy (Communication)  Interviewing (Communication)  Mooting (Communication)  Negotiating (Communication)  Drafting (Communication)  Report Writing (Communication)  Interpersonal interaction (Relational)

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R The Student ePortfolio – skills concept map SKILL AREAS( ACCI/BCA/QUT): Communication Teamwork Problem Solving / Critical Thinking Life Management / Life-long Learning Technical / Professional / Research Managing / Organising Social / Ethical Responsibility Leadership Creativity / Design Initiative / Enterprise (Plus one skill area of your own)

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R SETTINGS : SKILL AREAS( ACCI/BCA/QUT): AcademicWorkCommunityPersonal Communication Teamwork Problem Solving / Critical Thinking Life Management / Life-long Learning Technical / Professional / Research Managing / Organising Social / Ethical Responsibility Leadership Creativity / Design Initiative / Enterprise (Plus one skill area of your own) The Student ePortfolio - skills concept map

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R SETTINGS : SKILL AREAS( ACCI/BCA/QUT): AcademicWorkCommunityPersonal Communication 5 experiences2 experiences1 experience Teamwork 4 experiences2 experiences1 experience Problem Solving/Critical Thinking 1 experience Life Management Life-long Learning 1 experience2 experiences Technical / Professional / Research 2 experiences1 experience Managing / Organising 2 experiences1 experience Social / Ethical Responsibility 1 experience 2 experiences Leadership 2 experiences1 experience Creativity / Design 1 experience Initiative / Enterprise 2 experiences1 experiences (Plus one skill area of your own) The Student ePortfolio – skills concept map

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Helping students to reflect on their experiences S ituation Situation is where you had the experience. Describe the environment, and the type of people or equipment you worked with. This gives employers background information and puts the experience into context. T ask The task is what was required of you. When addressing a Task, it may be the project itself, a presentation you had to deliver, or a problem that arises within a project, such as personal differences. A ction When addressing Action, think about what you did to resolve a problem or perform a task. Ask yourself “what did I actually do?” R esult When addressing Result, think about how your actions affected the outcome of the situation and the status of the task. L earnt When addressing the things learnt, highlight skills that came out of the process and how they can be applied in other situations. This will show employers growth in your personal development as well as the skills you possess.

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R A sample Student ePortfolio

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Sample Student ePortfolio – Introduction Page

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Sample Student ePortfolio - Experiences

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Sample Student ePortfolio – Artefacts page

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Sample Student ePortfolio – display Artefact

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Sample Student ePortfolio – Resume

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Sample Student ePortfolio – Academic History

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Accessing Student ePortfolio On the main page of QUT Virtual students can access: –Student Portfolio application –Resume Builder tool –QUT Virtual File Manager where they can upload 128MB of their files

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Student ePortfolio Menu

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Experiences Digital stories Trained to use STARL acronym to enter experiences Think of the viewer Limit of 1500 characters Form based Sample portfolios available for each Faculty Resources to help write stories Need help with first story then ok Skill sets tailored to each Faculty curriculum set

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Entering Experiences

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Artefacts Form based as per Experiences Students can store anywhere and point to it QUT provides web-accessible storage (128mb) For big files (eg video) students trained to focus on key part of the clip Need to indicate size and type of file to the viewer Think of the viewer looking at it

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Entering Artefacts

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Accessing File Manager in Artefacts

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Self-assessment Tailored to Faculty curriculum set Can do a pre-activity self rating Can follow up strengths and weaknesses Can do a progress self-assessment

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Self-assessment

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Resumé Builder Students can create their resumé: –Enter their resumé details on the ‘Manage Details’ tab –Make selections from these details and ‘Create Resumé’ –‘Export Resumé’ for use in a word processing program such as Microsoft Word

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Resumé Builder

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Academic History Students can choose to include their academic history in their portfolio view. This academic history is generated for them by QUT Virtual.

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Academic History

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R View 1 Views and Releasing Views –An assembly of various experiences and artefacts Releasing –Once they have created a view, they can choose who is able to see it by releasing it to that person. Resume Web siteVideo Presentation Assignment At home Social Club Casual Job Whole Portfolio

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Creating and Editing a Specific View

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Making Selections – Experiences Example

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Review and Preview

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Releasing a Student e-Portfolio View

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Exporting from Student e-Portfolio Export to take information out of Student Portfolio for addressing selection criteria or on graduation Export can be either of a View or the whole portfolio

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Export

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Visitors Log After a View has been released you can check to see if there have been any visits. You can select one or all your Views and a date range

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Visitors Log

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R The Student e-Portfolio process Build your portfolio Add experiences Add Artefacts Release those selections from your Portfolio to others Release a View Take information out of the Student Portfolio Export a View or all Portfolio information View information about who has looked at your Views Check the Visitors’ Log Make selections from your Portfolio Create Views Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Usages Business Advantage (4 x 2hour course) : Self Assessment and ePortfolio Module, Career Planning Module First Year: introduction, requirement, pre-assessment Work Integrated Learning: Nursing, Education, Co-op & Internships, Paramedic, Pharmacy Post – grad: professional course, pre-employment preparation, supervision journal Discrete elements only: Resume, Artefacts (eg dance clip), Self-assessment Year 11’s in a Secondary College Creating and monitoring development of Learning Objects

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Findings Students find easy to manage IT can allocate to 10/11 Skill Areas easily find it difficult to write first experience after first experience, others follow easily liked working with 1500 character limit good for self-audit, selection criteria, interview preparation good for storing wide range of artefacts Staff accepted matrix, good for work integrated learning activities, improved communication skills Employers students better organised / prepared, good access to artefacts, increase in confidence, excellent second stage selection tool

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Developments Recent Web-accessible storage space (128mb), Alumni, Multimedia Tutorials Current Lifelong access for Alumni Export portfolio to CD, Third party access, Online feedback Use of portfolio data to address selection criteria, Career Plans Professional Staff ePortfolio Future Use of Palm Pilots? Learning Journal Learning Objects (CI/IT Faculty) Capacity to increase personalisation

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Challenges Conducting system load trials Storage Privacy, Security QUT endorsed Training Tailoring Scope creep Evaluation Funding

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Some key considerations Supporting the reflection process Emotional engagement Purpose – first year versus third year ‘Bubbling along’ / mentoring Short term versus Long term (life-long) Multiple purposes, multiple audiences Inter-operability before and after QUT eg My future, Qld Learning Accounts….

Queensland University of Technology CRICOS No J As soon as I began using the Portfolio, it became evident to me that the process was going to be as valuable as the final product. After writing just one experience according to the “formula” suggested by the Portfolio team, I could notice a change in my thinking. I was learning to consider my experiences from an employer’s perspective and to identify - in all facets of my life -examples of skills that employers would value. A Third Year Library Science Student……..

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Learning about the Student Portfolio was also fantastic. I think it is an amazing tool that will greatly benefit me in preparing job applications in the future. Getting to know my personal strengths and weaknesses, and doing the online portfolio. Now I can work on my weaknesses and plan how to strengthen my strengths. Second Year Business student

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R I think the e-portfolio is very relevant and useful to me at university, because it encourages thought about what skills and experiences I have that others may not have and gives me a very user- friendly and well-structured means for me to record these for future reference. First Year Business student

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Reflections required me to commit course content to long- term memory. Reinforcing my learning and making it clearer and more permanent in my mind. First Year Bachelor of Education student

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R When I was trying to navigate it myself I was like, what if I’m doing it wrong. What if I’m not doing it the way we have to. So it’s almost like taken the pressure off a bit realising that it’s not an assignment. …well I think my writing will be a lot better because there’ll be meaning behind it now instead of I have to do it, so it’s changed. My view on it has changed a lot. I actually went home and I went MUM, it’s not an assignment. The pressure is off. The good thing about the Portfolio is that it’s your own, it’s for yourself so – I’ve just been realising this over the last week, I’m like, Yes, it makes it so much easier. Because there is no pressure then, you don’t have to be like somebody else and that’s what I was worried about. First Year Bachelor of Education student

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R From a recruiters perspective the Student Portfolio is a great innovation. It allows students to be able to present information from their studies and about themselves in a way that they have total control over. Queensland Treasury – Graduate Coordinator

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R I think what the Student Portfolio has the potential to do is to encourage students to focus on a wider range of graduate capabilities than they sometimes do; particularly in content based disciplines. The focus that they have I think then will extend through to an opportunity for academics to promote authentic learning experiences and use field, project, clinical, problem based approaches which cover a wide range of graduate capabilities in one holistic pattern. Dr Al Grenfell Director of Academic Programs - QUT

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Writing up my experiences in my Student Portfolio is better for the soul than 10 episodes of Oprah Winfrey……. A Third Year Information Technology student

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Student e-Portfolio Website