ePortfolio integration

in an e-

Marketing Course

BUS4074S Course Convener Stephanie HouslayCILT ePortfolios co-ordinator Dr Nicola Pallitt20 October 2014 UCT Teaching and Learning Conference

Background

• Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship Management or Marketing

• E-Marketing Course (18 NQF credits at level 8)• 94 students enrolled• Demographics: 21- 44 years old, different ethnic

groups, diverse backgrounds and range of previous studies

• Course objectives:- “The overall aim of BUS4074S is to enable you to

critically evaluate and compile e-marketing strategies. The course examines the latest trends pertaining to information and communication technologies and marketing

- You will learn practical skills related to the implementation and evaluation of various e-marketing tactics, through individual and group-based projects.”

Where We Were...• Fast evolving industry - updated course content and curriculum for industry relevance

- embed workplace relevant skills in the curriculum and prioritise the practical application of course content

• Personal online brand

• Rationale - authentic learning: - learning activities that closely resemble the ways that

students will be expected to use their knowledge and skills in industry

• Rule (2006) identifies 4 main components: 1. involves real-world problems that mimic the work of

professionals, 2. includes open-ended inquiry and higher order thinking skills, 3. engages students in social learning and4. empowers students by choice to direct their own learning

ePortfolios

• ePortfolios - “A purposeful collection of information and digital

artefacts that demonstrates development or provides evidence for achieved learning outcomes, skills or competencies.” (Cotterill, 2007)

• Individual assessment (20% of course work mark)

• WordPress blogs to create ePortfolios• Negotiation around private/public platform• 3 e-tivities and overall ePortfolio graded• Additional e-tivity• e-tivities (topics) set with industry collaborators• Internships awarded by industry partners

Where Are We Now?• Research and evaluation- illuminative case study design

• What kinds of values did students derive from the integration of ePortfolios as an assessment system in BUS4074S?

• Data:- analyses of students’ ePortfolios using multimodal discourse

analysis-course evaluation (in progress)-survey (completed)-focus groups (completed)-student reflections (e-tivity 3, completed)

Preliminary Findings...

• ‘Who are our students?’

- better understanding

• Not about the technology

• Value beyond the University and ‘for marks’

• Graduate preparedness

• Personal online brand - emerging professional

identities

• Career changes

• Learning new skills

Technical aspect the easiest! Concurring with ePortfolios literature, students struggle with reflective writing. Like CVs, being selective about what to include to represent themselves also difficult.

The ePortfolio and eMarketing course has been extremely beneficial for me. The ePortfolio's made me realise that I had to expand my digital presence and in so doing I created my own website Brad Mylne eCV - which was a really cool experience for me. I was able to include this website on different social media platforms, this lead to a 'past friend' coming across it. My past friend and now business owner made contact with me and offered me a job at a 4month old online retail company On The Patio. I am the first person they have officially employed and really excited to show them what I have learnt throughout this course. So yeah just thought I would share a cool little story!!

Student Quotes

“What I enjoyed about it was it’s a very different way to learn theory and, I mean, I’m terrible with learning theory, but putting it in a way that’s more creative, I can understand it, like, 100% even though it’s reading a text book. When you relate it to yourself I was able to learn it, like, a whole lot better. And so, like Chelsea mentioned, it’s being able to go back to see what you did and to see what other people have handed in whereas normal projects you just hand in your project and you don’t then actually ever get to see what the other people are doing.”

(student, focus group)

Student Quotes

“I guess they’re a lot more personal.  You know, tutorials are always, like, you’re given something to do, and almost always third person or something else, but this is very personal…”

(student, focus group)

Student Quotes

“It’s, like, you have to reflect in the right way.  Even though you want to reflect how you want to; there is a right and a wrong way to do it, which is hard to, like, balance what you want to.”

“Yes, I felt like I wanted to say a lot of things but I felt it wasn’t academic enough to say those sort of things on my blog, even though I was meant to reflect.  And, like, I’m busy with eActivity three now and I really want to say what I feel but it’s not going to get me any marks, sort of thing, because I have to reflect in the right way that’s going to get me the marks.”

(students, focus group)

Where Are We Going?

• Use our research insights to modify course

content

• Ongoing industry collaboration

• Dialogue with international recruitment agencies

• Equipping students to be competitive graduates

in a global marketplace

Special Thanks To...

• Shanali Govender @CILT• Rian Carstens @c6consulting• Warwick Allan @mushroommedia• Nick Knuppe @hellocomputer• Melody Maker @anthropology

• The other 6 industry guest speakers!

Teach with Tech Seminar

• 6 November 2014 @ 13h00• CILT Seminar Room

• Why ePortfolios in your course for 2015?Are you teaching a course where students need to compile evidence and demonstrate engaged learning? Perhaps to showcase professional qualifications to stakeholders outside of the University?• Read more and sign up:

http://www.cilt.uct.ac.za/cilt/teaching-technology