a window and a doorway: eportfolios in support of program redesign

A Window and A Doorway ePortfolios in Support of Program RedesignMya Mangawang, Ph.D.Gail Matthews-DeNatale, Ph.D.Lydia Young, Ed.D.

Northeastern UniversityGraduate School of Education

TodayMya MotivationLydia Interactive Exercise & Redesign OverviewGail Redesign in Action Within One

Concentration

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ePortfolios As Window & Doorway

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ePortfolios As Window & Doorway

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By pursuing a Master's degree, you are in a process of -- metaphorically speaking -- writing the next chapter in the story of your life. Your courses are one part of that process. You construct meaning on your journey, considering how your program informs and shapes personal and professional goals. Your ePortfolio is designed to help you document this narrative of growth to see how parts relate to the whole.

ePortfolio as Window

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Our Students By the Numbers

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Size ~470 Active Students

Profile +60% attend part time

Format 100% fully online

Concentrations 4

Gender 73% female

Region 56% in state, 44% out of state

Another View of Our Students

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Another View of Our Students

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If we ask these students to document and reflect upon their learning in an ePortfolio, what will they would do with it?

How is this similar or different from what we hope they would do with it?

Redesign Process• 2012: Inquiry

– Reviewed Portfolios Students Had Already Created– Identify Program Competencies– Author Mission Statement

• 2013: Reflection & Redesign– Author Concentration Missions, Identify Competencies– Curriculum Mapping to Missions/Competencies– Plan Courses & Identify Signature Assignments– Embed ePortfolios in the Curriculum

• September 2013: Implementation9

Kick-Off Retreat1. What can you tell about the person's background, motivation, goals, and aspirations? How does this compare with your understanding of the profiles of students who enroll in our programs?2. Looking at the person's work samples, what appear to be the areas of strength and need? How could that be addressed?3. Given the strengths and challenges that you observe in the ePortfolios, what do our students need to thrive, both in our programs and after graduation? What are the implications for program improvement?

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We Are Not Who We Think We AreMany Were1. Inexperienced2. Unrealistic expectations3. Not making connections4. Not articulating professional identity

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Why?

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What’s Your Ideal for Graduates?What contributions are you preparing students to make to society and/or to their profession?

What expertise, abilities, and characteristics will the graduates of your program need to be able to make these contributions?

Think, Pair, Share13

Figuring It Out

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Mission

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The Master of Education program at Northeastern University develops educators with the skills and intellectual acumen to be effective, to question systemic norms, and to anticipate and shape a more equitable, globally connected society.

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Signature Assignments

ePortfolio as Doorway

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Mission

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eLID prepares graduates to design engaging mobile and online learning environments, develop new models and strategies for motivating learners, and respond innovatively to the opportunities and challenges associated with living in a technology-rich, globally connected society.

ePortfolios: Two Faces, Inherent Tensions

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A Question of Ownership

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Metacognition, self-awareness, and self-regulation regarding competencies make it possible for students to develop agency over their learning.

The ideal portfolio process supports the development of these capabilities.

Professional Learning Plan

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Strategic Thinker“I am at a changing point in my career … I am leading the team to move our corporate learning models to online modalities …

Although this is an exciting project, this also is a time where I need to consider my next professional steps.”

Case Study

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Communicator“Throughout this entire course, one idea has become very clear to me: the intersectionality between concepts of learning.

There are many connections and patterns between information and ideas, and it is at the intersection of these ideas and experiences that true learning occurs.”

LearningConcept Maps

Creative Problem Solver

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LearningConcept Maps

Creative Problem Solver

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Education Narrative

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Culturally Responsive“I am seriously considering applying what I’m learning to career counseling. I want to focus on helping veterans overcome the struggles they face when adjusting to campus life from the military.

Problems such as PTSD, depression, anxiety and alcohol/substance abuse all play a huge role in their challenges accessing the system.”

Personal Process, Integrated Learning

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Foundation Courses

Ed as Field of Study

How People Learn

Models for Learning Design

Professional Learning

Plan

Learning Portfolio Showcase Portfolio

Experiential Learning Proposal

Connecting Theory with

Practice

Review PortfolioPlan Project

Design as Collab. Profession

Social Media

Open Learning

Tech. as Medium for Learning

Capstone

Revise/Present Work to Others

Professional Portfolio

Experiential Learning

Work

Professional Integration &

Presence

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Showcase Portfolio

Experiential Learning Proposal

Connecting Theory with

Practice

Review PortfolioPlan Project

Design as Collab. Profession

Social Media

Open Learning

Tech. as Medium for Learning

Capstone

Revise/Present Work to Others

Professional Portfolio

Experiential Learning

Work

Professional Integration &

Presence

Professional Learning

Plan

Foundation Courses

Ed as Field of Study

How People Learn

Models for Learning Design

Learning Portfolio

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Foundation Courses

Ed as Field of Study

How People Learn

Models for Learning Design

Professional Learning

Plan

Showcase Portfolio

Design as Collab. Profession

Social Media

Open Learning

Tech. as Medium for Learning

Capstone

Revise/Present Work to Others

Professional Portfolio

Experiential Learning

Work

Professional Integration &

Presence

Experiential Learning Proposal

Connecting Theory with

Practice

Review PortfolioPlan Project

Learning Portfolio

33

Foundation Courses

Ed as Field of Study

How People Learn

Models for Learning Design

Professional Learning

Plan

Showcase Portfolio

Experiential Learning Proposal

Connecting Theory with

Practice

Review PortfolioPlan Project

Capstone

Revise/Present Work to Others

Professional Portfolio

Professional Integration &

Presence

Experiential Learning

Work

Design as a Collaborative

Profession

Social Media

Open Learning

Technology as Medium for Learning

Learning Portfolio

Foundation Courses

Ed as Field of Study

How People Learn

Models for Learning Design

Professional Learning

Plan

Showcase Portfolio

Experiential Learning Proposal

Connecting Theory with

Practice

Review PortfolioPlan Project

Design as Collab. Profession

Social Media

Open Learning

Tech. as Medium for Learning

Experiential Learning

Work

Professional Integration &

Presence

Capstone

Revise/Present Work to Others

Professional Portfolio

Learning Portfolio

35

Foundation Courses

Ed as Field of Study

How People Learn

Models for Learning Design

Professional Learning

Plan

Showcase Portfolio

Experiential Learning Proposal

Connecting Theory with

Practice

Review PortfolioPlan Project

Design as Collab. Profession

Social Media

Open Learning

Tech. as Medium for Learning

Capstone

Revise/Present Work to Public

Professional Portfolio

Experiential Learning

Work

Professional Integration &

Presence

Learning Portfolio

Thank You!

Mya Mangawang, Ph.D.Gail Matthews-DeNatale, Ph.D.

Lydia Young, Ed.D.

Contact for Further Questions: g.matthews-denatale@neu.edu

Northeastern UniversityGraduate School of Education