Implementation of an ePortfolio and its challenges February 20 th , 2018 - Karolien Decamps
Implementation of an ePortfolioand its challenges
February 20th, 2018 - Karolien Decamps
Overview
Overview
• Our programme
• The ePortfolio
• Challenges
• Pilot
• Questions
Our programme
Our programme
• UC Leuven-Limburg = merge of KHLeuven + KHLimburg + Group T
Our programme
• UC Leuven-Limburg: Facts and figures
15000 students
1700 employees
300 researchers
10 campuses
30 professional bachelor programmes
Our programme
• Biomedical laboratory technology (= BLT)
Professional bachelor degree
3 years
Profession: analyst (broad employment opportunities)
Our programme
• BLT: Facts and figures
2 campuses (Leuven and Diepenbeek)
550 students
50% female students
36 employees
2 specializations
• Farmaceutical and biological laboratory technology (FBT)
• Medical laboratory technology (MLT)
The ePortfolio
The ePortfolio: Why?
• Growing interest to work with portfolio in STEM educational
programs, such as BLT
• Visualization of learning outcomes in the curriculum as stated by
the ‘Domain specific learning outcomes’ (DLRs)
• Emphasize competences of the 21st century (lifelong learning,
independency,…)
The ePortfolio: Why?
• Students want to be acknowledged for their engagement and
competences. Sometimes students do (extracurricular) activities
which get none or not enough recognition
• Teachers work on a lot of competences that aren’t visible or
transparent in the educational programme
• ePortfolio is a suitable interactive communication and reporting
tool for internship mentoring
The ePortfolio: When?
• Up till now: no use of a portfolio in the curriculum
• From September 2018: start of a new curriculum
From semesters to periods (in the three years)
More biomedical content from the start
Semester 1 Semester 2
Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Period 4
The ePortfolio: When?
• Introduction of the ePortfolio
From the first year
During three years
Total: 3 ECTS credits
Supportive and linked to courses
Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Period 4
Portfolio
The ePortfolio: What?
• Structure of the ePortfolio
Lifelonglearning
My (study) career
Socialresponsibility
My personal growth
The ePortfolio: What?
• Structure of the ePortfolio
Four parts
Each part
• Include tasks, most of them already existing in the current curriculum but now linked
to courses and just-in-time
• Visualize competences, linked to DLR’s
Competences of 21st century ~ ‘Next generation’ students
Lifelonglearning
My (study) career
Socialresponsibility
My personal growth
The ePortfolio: What?
• Lifelong learning
Students need to attend three internal and two external seminars
Seminar content may be
• Biomedical context
• Supportive (how to work in a team, how to be a good leader,…)
At least one seminar needs to have an international character
Students write a short report of one internal, one external and one
international seminar
The ePortfolio: What?
• My (study) career
Self-reflection at fixed moments, such as
• Intake meeting between student and his/her student coach
• Choice between specialization FBT and MLT
• Pilot March 2018
• Preparation for job interviews / training
The ePortfolio: What?
• Social responsibility
Registration of activities with social responsibility
Total of 12 hours during 3 years
Linked to school
Motivation and performed hours need to be registered
Examples
• Helping during the information day
• Giving a presentation for secondary school leavers
The ePortfolio: What?
• My personal growth
Generic competences such as
• Teamwork
• Presentation skills
• Reporting skills
Link between generic competences and courses
Stimulation of self-reflection of students
• Peer and self-assessment
The ePortfolio: What?
• Students’ opinion
All students agreed that a digital platform will be useful for communication
during internship
Most students agreed that an ePortfolio can visualize certain competences
However, they added that face-to-face feedback is indispensable
Challenges
Challenges
• Challenges to overcome upon implementation of the ePortfolio
Input
Evaluation
Exemptions
Wider-access entrants
Internship
As a team leader
Challenges
• The connection between courses and ePortfolio requires a lot of
input from all kind of stakeholders
Teachers
Students
Internship coordinator
Internship mentor
Challenges
• How to evaluate?
Ways to evaluate
• Pass/Fail? Score?
• What if students fail for one or more tasks?
Who will evaluate?
Challenges
• Students with exemptions
What if students have a credit for a course which is linked to the
ePortfolio?
Challenges
• Wider-access entrants
What if students start in year 2 and therefore ‘missed’ the tasks from
year 1?
Challenges
• Internship
How to involve internship mentors?
Can the ePortfolio replace the SIS?
Challenges
• Challenges as a team leader
An ePortfolio requires input from teachers of different courses
• How to involve each lector?
How to keep the helicopter view?
Pilot
Pilot
• March 2018: Pilot
Choice between FBT and MLT
Before: use of Tolinto
Now: ePortfolio tool in which students need to document why they
haven chosen a certain specialization
Questions
Questions?
Thank your for listening and for your cooperation
Karolien Devaere
Wendy Fransen
Implementation of an ePortfolioand its challenges
February 20th, 2018 - Karolien Decamps