E-Portfolio wins for innovation excellence

E-Portfolio wins for innovation excellence

An E-Portfolio project developed at the University of Auckland has won an innovation and excellence commendation.

The E-Portfolio project from the University’s Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Science was awarded a 2014 Innovation and Excellence Commendation by the Association for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE) at its annual conference in Dunedin this week.

The nomination highlighted the project as an innovative solution, which promotes the exemplary and research-informed use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education; and a large scale implementation initiative which promotes the exemplary research informed use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education.

“We needed to select an e-portfolio platform that would support a range of learning activities. To capture these, the project team developed a comprehensive, user-focused, evidence-based selection process,” says the University’s director of the Learning Technology Unit, Dr John Egan.

“The purposeful integration of e-portfolio-based assessment has required both curricular and pedagogical refinement in our programmes,” he says. “Programmes where portfolio-based assessment existed beforehand have found efficiencies and have been able to refine business processes. Other programmes are leveraging this initiative to refine and refresh aspects of their curricula.”

A number of benefits have resulted from this initiative. At the course and programme level, these include:
Streamlined management of assessment tasks
Elimination of hard copy submission, and associated printing and postage costs
Real time submission time-stamping
Use of rubrics for assessment
Reduced turn-around time for assessment
Students writing more and of a higher standard.
“Selecting a learning platform is a complex process, with any number of potential derailers,” says Dr Egan. “The FMHS e-portfolio project offers an exemplar on how to do this effectively. Staff felt this was an inclusive, comprehensive selection, design and deployment process.”

The project team included Dr John Egan, Dr Aran Sisley, Lynne Bye, Dr Michelle Honey, Dianne Marshall, Adam Blake, Dr Jill Yielder, Dr Fiona Moir, Associate Professor Roger Booth, and Associate Professor Mark Barrow. Professor John Fraser (Faculty Dean) and Associate Professor Cathy Gunn (Deputy Director, CLeAR) co-nominated the team for the award.

ENDS

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