Developing a successful academic identity for non-traditional students: the role of the electronic portfolio David Blundell (Dept of Education) & Peter Chalk (Undergraduate Operations) London Metropolitan University Learning & Teaching Conference 2008

Takashi’s showcase: uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PFNWTPlz10Q uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PFNWTPlz10Q

Background u Autumn 0809 pilot ePortfolio project (Chalk 2008) u Foundation Degree in Community Sports Coaching (Blundell & Cunningham 2007) u ePortfolio placed at the centre of the curriculum (but no template or structure) u Students encouraged to use it as a repository for a variety of digital resources.

‘Non-traditional’ students u Contested term: ‘modern’ better? u Perceived as ‘deficit model’: u Class u First in family u ‘Non-standard’ qualifications, i.e. ‘less’ u Race u Alternative view – diversity as positive self-identity, alternative cultural capital…

1. Prior achievements u Diverse achievements in ‘non-academic’ field, e.g.sport.

2. ‘Digital natives’ u Diversity of IT experience & self- confidence – 1 st semester learning object:

In first 10 days, links to web 2.0 sites:

3. Diversity of race/ identity u Positive images of cultural icons (in learning object built by Marcus):

Brian Lara – Chantelle’s learning object ‘box’

Towards an academic identity

Showcasing a writing skill

ePortfolio & academic identity u ePortfolio work in all four modules: u Learning object in HEO u Performance standards achievement u Coaching plans u Reflections on feedback u SMART analysis u Wagon wheel performance analysis u Examples follow:

Evidence of planning u Coaching plan

Evidence of reflection u Coaching plan - evaluation

SMART analysis

Wagon wheel analysis

From self to academic identity u Transition in ePortfolio from evidence of personal accomplishment to records of academic achievement u Assisted by u embedding in all 4 modules, u small group (of 3), u IT Lab support, u use of ePortfolio to store evidence of standards attainment.

Positive self-identity u Of nine pilot ePortfolio modules this was probably the most ‘successful’ – why? u Perhaps it was the L&T strategy above u Perhaps it was fact that ‘non-traditional’ ‘diverse’ students typically have u Positive self-identity u Achievements u Experience u Leading to a self-confidence we need to ‘unlock’

Towards a theoretical understanding… u ‘Otherness’ inherent in diversity not a barrier, but can be a tool to help realise academic excellence u ePortfolio provided a dwelling space (Heidegger 1971) u “…Only if we are capable of dwelling, only then can we build…” u Chantelle’s ‘Brian Lara learning object box’

Another explanation? u Sports achievers use immediate feedback u Knowledge of Results (KoR) theory: u Fast, positive feedback is inspirational u ePortfolio, perhaps, also provided a form of immediate feedback, e.g. achievement evidence showcased on web u Tentative suggestion: transference of skill/ expectation/ experience going on?

Conclusions u Initial focus on prior positive achievement u Confident successful self-identity u Encourage initial show-casing u Other ‘traditional’ degree students not engaged with ePortfolio (why not?) u All students should be encouraged to approach ePortfolio as showcase u Avoid ‘deficit model’ of non-trad student

References u Blundell, D. and Cunningham, P. (2007) ‘Community Sport Coaches as Social Pedagogues and Agents of Citizenship Education’, CiCe Nordic Conference - Citizenship Education in Society - A challenge for the Nordic countries at Malmö University, School of Teacher Education, Malmö, Sweden, 5th and 6th October, u Chalk, P. (2008) ‘Introducing an electronic portfolio: results of a one semester pilot’, London Metropolitan University PDP Group Report. u Heidegger, M. (1971) Poetry, Language, Thought. New York: Harper and Row.