educating for professional life Dr Mark J.P. Kerrigan, Dr Mark Clements, Dr Andrew Bond, Ms Federica Oradini, Ms Yanitsa Nedelcheva & Prof Gunter Saunders e-Reflect, a System for Making Assessment Count through Reflection

educating for professional life UK University Context I National Committee of Inquiry in Higher Education (Dearing and Garrick reports) Has led to a focus on transferable skills Often in practice linked to individual modules Seen by many academics as an imposition How can the curriculum make room? Are there bigger underlying but linked problems?

educating for professional life UK University Context II UK students feel they are assessed too much that they do not receive enough feedback UK lecturers feel students do not use feedback Mass HE means that students can be isolated And the same can also happen to staff Staff/student differences and separation significant

‘Once I have read the feedback I understand why I got the grade I did’. educating for professional life ‘I would learn more if I received more feedback’.

‘I use the feedback to go back over what I have done in the assignments’. educating for professional life ‘I tend to only read marks’.

educating for professional life Can the feedback/assessment issue be addressed and in turn help to deliver PDP? In the rest of this presentation: I hope to be able to show you how students can be encouraged to make better use of the feedback that they receive on their subject specific work and in so doing draw on a wider community of scholars to inform their development in their subject as well as mature in relation to the key transferable skills they will need to be effective workers and lifelong learners.

educating for professional life In this presentation: I hope to be able to show you how students can be encouraged to make better use of the feedback that they receive on their subject specific work and in so doing draw on a wider community of scholars to inform their development in their subject as well as mature in relation to the key transferable skills they will need to be effective workers and lifelong learners.

educating for professional life Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Students enrol on a degree Degree with a Fantastic sounding name

educating for professional life Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW

educating for professional life Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW

educating for professional life Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW Team Student CW

educating for professional life What holds a degree together? The motivation and willingness of a student to succeed Staff that support the students throughout their learning The feedback that students receive on their work Personal tutors

educating for professional life The e-Reflect Project

educating for professional life Aims & Objectives The development of a student-centred, Web 2.0 process for reflection on feedback (eReflect) Integration of eReflect with tutoring process thus opening a learning dialogue Foster a ‘joined-up’ virtual and physical learning environment, which will focus attention on individual student needs thus supporting them to become better lifelong learners

educating for professional life The eReflect process eReflect uses the SOS model of feedback whereby students receive Subject, Operational and Strategic feedback for each piece of coursework. Students complete a piece of course work (1) that is then graded and feedback written on the script (2). Following reading their feedback students complete and an online reflective questionnaire (3) that culminates in an ed report (4). Students then use this report to complete their reflective blog (5) that is then read and commented on by their personal tutor (6).

educating for professional life The eReflect process eReflect uses the SOS model of feedback whereby students receive Subject, Operational and Strategic feedback for each piece of coursework. Students complete a piece of course work (1) that is then graded and feedback written on the script (2). Following reading their feedback students complete and an online reflective questionnaire (3) that culminates in an ed report (4). Students then use this report to complete their reflective blog (5) that is then read and commented on by their personal tutor (6).

educating for professional life The eReflect process eReflect uses the SOS model of feedback whereby students receive Subject, Operational and Strategic feedback for each piece of coursework. Students complete a piece of course work (1) that is then graded and feedback written on the script (2). Following reading their feedback students complete and an online reflective questionnaire (3) that culminates in an ed report (4). Students then use this report to complete their reflective blog (5) that is then read and commented on by their personal tutor (6).

educating for professional life The eReflect process eReflect uses the SOS model of feedback whereby students receive Subject, Operational and Strategic feedback for each piece of coursework. Students complete a piece of course work (1) that is then graded and feedback written on the script (2). Following reading of the feedback students complete an online reflective questionnaire (3) that culminates in an ed report (4). Students then use this report to complete their reflective blog (5) that is then read and commented on by their personal tutor (6).

educating for professional life The eReflect process eReflect uses the SOS model of feedback whereby students receive Subject, Operational and Strategic feedback for each piece of coursework. Students complete a piece of course work (1) that is then graded and feedback written on the script (2). Following reading of the feedback students complete an online reflective questionnaire (3) that culminates in an ed report (4). Students then use this report to complete their reflective blog (5) that is then read and commented on by their personal tutor (6).

educating for professional life The eReflect process eReflect uses the SOS model of feedback whereby students receive Subject, Operational and Strategic feedback for each piece of coursework. Students complete a piece of course work (1) that is then graded and feedback written on the script (2). Following reading of the feedback students complete an online reflective questionnaire (3) that culminates in an ed report (4). Students then use this report to complete their reflective blog (5) that is then read and commented on by their personal tutor (6).

educating for professional life The eReflect process eReflect uses the SOS model of feedback whereby students receive Subject, Operational and Strategic feedback for each piece of coursework. Students complete a piece of course work (1) that is then graded and feedback written on the script (2). Following reading of the feedback students complete an online reflective questionnaire (3) that culminates in an ed report (4). Students then use this report to complete their reflective blog (5) that is then commented on by their personal tutor (6).

educating for professional life The Reflective Questionnaire Workload and time management Efficiency/effectiveness of work approach Motivation Direct learning strategy Awareness of available assessment guidance Understanding of feedback received Placing feedback in context Questions designed to focus student on:

educating for professional life The Learning Journal (Blog) Reflection on Subject and Operational feedback Identify key strengths Share grades and performance with tutor Identify areas for improvement Develop a strategy for learning Increase integration Develop as a life-long reflective learner Designed to focus student and act as a basis for dialogue

The eReflect Pilot 77students and 9 staff in Biosciences Average of 9 different assessments over the semester Use a combination of diagnostic questionnaire and reflective blogs Not compulsory Pilot just come to an end ~40 have so far participated educating for professional life

Response to the eReflect Pilot Active participants very positive about –The process –The benefits of engaging Overall participation rate lower than hoped for –It was a ‘voluntary’ scheme –It started mid way through an academic year educating for professional life

Response to the e-Reflect Pilot educating for professional life

Next Steps All students on the Life Sciences degree Participation integrated into curriculum Tutors given time allocation for e-Reflect e-Reflect now linked to students records SQL database provides ‘robust’ application e-Reflect becoming a corporate application educating for professional life

Summary E-Reflect Helps students use feedback in a structured way Can give tutors information to help guide the student Can personalise the learning experience Builds a corpus of reflective evidence of progress Adds breadth to PDP via close links to the subject educating for professional life

JISC (funding body) University of Westminster TWOLER – JISC funded project educating for professional life Acknowledgements