Heather Pate Edith Cowan University

1. Talk the talk Finding the language of the ePortfolio Heather Pate Edith Cowan University

2. Overview Speaking different languages • The language of an ePortfolio • The design of a first year engineering unit • The language of a reflective engineer

3. ePortfolios and reflection An ePortfolio provides a scaffolded opportunity for students to achieve higher order thinking: • Allow and encourage student autonomy • Empower students to take responsibility for their own learning Use of an ePortfolio system requires a “considerable level of learner autonomy and initiative, of learner responsibility for their learning and of opportunities to refine their learning based on feedback from the teacher.” (Stefani, Mason & Pegler, p.12)

4. PebblePad and reflection • Reflection as an intrinsic part of PebblePad “This inbuilt reflective structure is what transforms PebblePad into a space where learning is generated rather than simply collected and evidenced.” “At every step of the way PebblePad users are prompted to consider ‘Why?’, ‘So what?’, ‘What if?’ and ‘What now?’” Sutherland, Brotchie & Chesney (2011), p.24

5. PebblePad and reflection • Reflection as an intrinsic part of PebblePad Management reflection task Education reflection

6. Perceptions in engineering • Negative attitude towards writing (Beer, 2002) • Engineering is a practical “real world” skill, not a classroom skill (Dunsmore, 2011) • Disregard of ‘reflection’: “I really don’t see how writing a blog will make me an engineer.” (Faulkner & Azin, 2011, p.13)

7. What’s the point? • Why use an ePortolio at all? First year engineering unit PebblePad task: • Improve writing skills • Present work • Improve employability skills

8. First year engineering ePortfolio • Task: • Introduce yourself from a professional perspective; • Introduce your practical project; • Show evidence of the skills you have developed in sustainability, safety and team work.

9. LEARNING OUTCOMES On completion of this unit, students will be able to: 1. identify the roles and responsibilities of a practicing engineer; 2. identify the stages in a design cycle and prepare a design strategy that incorporates the components of this cycle;  3. describe the importance of ethics, safety and sustainability in engineering design, and embed these issues into their design processes; 4. demonstrate the oral and written communication skills that are critical in relationships between engineers and clients, where clients may include the general public; 5. work in a team to plan and carry out a project. Unit Learning outcomes

10. Engineers Australia Competencies • Outcomes are linked to the professional competencies: • Ethics – EA Competency 3.1 • Sustainability – EA Competency 1.6, 2.3 • Safety – EA Competency 1.6, 2.1 2.3, 3.1 • Team work – EA Competency 3.6

11. Reflection for engineers Clemson University. (2013) Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs.

12. Language items searched

14. Text analysis of tutor feedback 1st year engineering students – feedback from tutors

15. Comparison with EA Professional competencies STAGE 1 COMPETENCY STANDARD FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER ROLE DESCRIPTION - THE MATURE, PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER The following characterises the senior practice role that the mature, Professional Engineer may be expected to fulfil and has been extracted from the role portrayed in the Engineers Australia - Chartered Status Handbook. Professional Engineers are required to take responsibility for engineering projects and programs in the most far-reaching sense. This includes the reliable functioning of all materials, components, sub-systems and technologies used; their integration to form a complete, sustainable and self-consistent system; and all interactions between the technical system and the context within which it functions. The latter includes understanding the requirements of clients, wide ranging stakeholders and of society as a whole; working to optimise social, environmental and economic outcomes over the full lifetime of the engineering product or program; interacting effectively with other disciplines, professions and people; and ensuring that the engineering contribution is properly integrated into the totality of the undertaking. Professional Engineers are responsible for interpreting technological possibilities to society, business and government; and for ensuring as far as possible that policy decisions are properly informed by such possibilities and consequences, and that costs, risks and limitations are properly understood as the desirable outcomes. Professional Engineers are responsible for bringing knowledge to bear from multiple sources to develop solutions to complex problems and issues, for ensuring that technical and non-technical considerations are properly integrated, and for managing risk as well as sustainability issues. While the outcomes of engineering have physical forms, the work of Professional Engineers is predominantly intellectual in nature. In a technical sense, Professional Engineers are primarily concerned with the advancement of technologies and with the development of new technologies and their applications through innovation, creativity and change. Professional Engineers may conduct research concerned with advancing the science of engineering and with developing new principles and technologies within a broad engineering discipline. Alternatively, they may contribute to continual improvement in the practice of engineering, and in devising and updating the codes and standards that govern it. Professional Engineers have a particular responsibility for ensuring that all aspects of a project are soundly based in theory and fundamental principle, and for understanding clearly how new developments relate to established practice and experience and to other disciplines with which they may interact. One hallmark of a professional is the capacity to break new ground in an informed, responsible and sustainable fashion. Professional Engineers may lead or manage teams appropriate to these activities, and may establish their own companies or move into senior management roles in engineering and related enterprises.

16. Comparison with WA teaching competencies

17. ‘Reflection’ in teaching competencies

18. What does this tell us? The field of engineering: • Specific language for reflective skills • plan • evaluate • interpret • justify • Require increasingly complex reflective tasks as they move towards graduation.

19. Where to from here? • Find the language of the discipline • Build it into the ePortfolio task The Design Cycle Alternative Design Process Dowling, Carew & Hadgraft, 2012 Arulampalam, ECU, 2013

20. LEARNING OUTCOMES On completion of this unit, students will be able to: 1. identify the roles and responsibilities of a practicing engineer; 2. identify the stages in a design cycle and prepare a design strategy that incorporates the components of this cycle; 3. describe the importance of ethics, safety and sustainability in engineering design, and embed these issues into their design processes; 4. demonstrate the oral and written communication skills that are critical in relationships between engineers and clients, where clients may include the general public 5. work in a team to plan and carry out a project. Unit Learning outcomes

21. Supporting the process To integrate PebblePad into a new discipline • Use the language of the field • Bend the tool, not the people.

22. Your turn • What is the language of reflection for your discipline? • How can you adapt PebblePad to suit your needs?

23. References Beer, D.F., "Reflections on why engineering students don't like to write - and what we can do about it," Professional Communication Conference, 2002. IPCC 2002. Proceedings. IEEE International , pp.364-368, 2002. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1049119&isnumber=22469 Clemson University (n.d.) Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs. Retrieved from http://www.clemson.edu/assessment/assessmentpractices/referencematerials/documents/Blooms%20Taxonomy%20Action%20Verbs.pdf Department of Education and Training (2004). Comptency framework for teachers. Retrieved from http://det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/guidelines/competency-framework-for-teachers.en?oid=com.arsdigita.cms.contenttypes.guideline-id-3738620 Dunsmore, K., Turns, J. and Yellin, J. M. (2011), Looking Toward the Real World: Student Conceptions of Engineering. Journal of Engineering Education, 100: 329–348. Engineer Australia (n.d.) Stage 1 competency standard for professional engineer. Retrieved from http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/shado/Education/Program%20Accreditation/110318%20Stage%201%20Professional%20Engineer.pdf

24. References (cont.) Faulkner, M. and Azin, S. M. (2011). Stimulating self assessment and reflection in first year engineering using ePortfolios. Ergo. 2(2), 5-17. Retrieved from www.adelaide.edu.au/herga/ergo/0202/ergo_v2n2_p5-17.pdf Prince, M. Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research. Journal of Engineering Education. 93(3), 223-231 Riedinger, B. (2006). "Mining for Meaning: Teaching students how to reflect". Ch.10 in Handbook of Research on ePortfolios, Jafari, A., & Kaufman, C. (Ed.) (2006). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. pp.89-100. Schön, D.A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Stefani, L., Manson, R. & Pegler, C. (2007). The educational potential of eportfolios: Supporting personal development and reflective learning. New York: Routledge.

25. References (cont.) Sutherland, S. Brotchie, J. and Chesney, S. Pebblegogy: Ideas and activities to inspire and engage learners. Pebble Learning Ltd: Telford, UK. Western Australian Department of Education and Training. (2004). Competency framework for teachers. Retrieved from http://det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/guidelines/competency-framework-for-teachers.en?oid=com.arsdigita.cms.contenttypes.guideline-id-3738620-id-3738620