Crossing professional thresholds with networked learning? An analysis of student e-portfolios using the threshold concept perspective. Patricia Arnold1 /Swapna Kumar2

1Munich University of Applied Sciences, Germany 2 School of Teaching & Learning, University of Florida, USA Networked Learning Conference 2014, Edinburgh

Partially funded by

Slide 2 Networked Learning Conference 2014 Patricia Arnold, arnold@hm.edu

1. Research Aims

2. Context – Online BA Degree Program Social Work

3. Threshold Concepts as Analytical Framework

4. Methodology - E-Portfolio Analysis

5. Findings – Threshold Crossings & Refinement of Methodology?

6. Conclusions

Overview

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1. To gain evidence whether or not professional students

“cross professional thresholds” in an online degree program in

social work

2. To develop a method for regular impact studies in this setting

(explorative pilot study)

Research Aims

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Context - Online Degree Program BA Social Work

Context

75% online modules, 25% on-site seminars Requirements: minimum of 3 years work

experience in the social field, working in the social field alongside the study program

Networked cooperation with 7 universities across Germany

www.basa-online.de

Learning environment Learning Management System OLAT Live Classroom Adobe Connect Peer-to-peer counseling Kokom.net Mahara for e-portfolios On-site seminars a week-end per month

BA Social Work

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Context - Module Scientific Theory & Practice Transfer Content Task

1 peer-to-peer counselling

Discuss real-life challenge, using -peer-to-peer counselling

2 Key concepts of social work (inclusion, empowerment etc.)

Produce guidelines, resource website for practitioners

3 Professional identity

Discuss role-conflict, using -peer-to-peer counselling

4 “Reflection-on-action”

Create e-portfolio : look back, reflect and evaluate personal learning trajectory

Assessment

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Figure 1: Structure of e-portfolios

***************Comprehensive narrative on personal learning trajectory across the module************ Learning Product A Learning Product B Learning Product C Student's comments as to selection, significance, production process and context, etc.

Student's comments as to selection, significance, production process and context, etc.

Student's comments as to selection, significance, production process and context, etc.

Feedback by peers, lecturers or retrospective self-evaluation

Feedback by peers, lecturers or retrospective self-evaluation

Feedback by peers, lecturers or retrospective self-evaluation

Context - Structure of E-Portfolios

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Image: Land / Meyer 2010

pax intrantibus, salus exeuntibus (1609)

Threshold Concepts as Analytical Framework

Threshold concepts …like a „portal“

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Image: Land / Meyer 2010

(Meyer & Land, 2003)

Threshold Concepts as Analytical Framework

Threshold concept

“a new and previously inaccessible way of thinking”

“a transformed way of understanding, or interpreting,

or viewing something”

Transformative – Integrative – Troublesome -

Irreversible

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Image: Land / Meyer 2010

Threshold Concepts as Analytical Framework

Threshold crossings

“as students’ changed way of thinking, perceiving or

behaving in their practice, the field of social work”

(in alignment with Hays 2008)

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Do students cross thresholds during the online degree program in social work?

Connection to Content : Relating content to one’s own person (C1)

Relating content to one’s professional experience (C2)

Academic Knowledge & Social Work Profession : Commenting on relationship between theories and practice in social work (A1)

Describing the significance of scientific knowledge for profession (A2)

Transformation (T 1): Changed way of thinking (T1)

Changed way of acting (T2)

Qualitative content analysis, unit of analysis a sentence or an image, mutual reviewing to enhance trustworthiness, open for emergent categories (Carley, 1993)

Methodology - E-Portfolio Analysis

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Findings – Overview of E-Portfolio Analysis

Indicator # EP (n=21)

Example( P = e-portfolio)

C 1 one’s own person 12 “Method of 'reframing' applied to myself: 'perfectionist' then becomes 'target-oriented‘ ”(P19)

C 2 professional experience 18 “Team leading skills applied to the team I manage at work” (P6)

A 1relationship between T & P 12 “Theory and practice 'feed' each other mutually” (P17)

A 2 significance of T for P 14 “Only with theory-based knowledge is possible to negotiate with authorities for funding” (P15)

T 1 changed ways of thinking 17 “(I realized that) social work does not only happen face-to-face but also behind desks and within online platforms”(P9)

T 2 changed way of acting 15 “Deep change: I tend to ask for the sources of any information presented to me, regardless of the context, even at a party” (P2)

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Findings - Threshold Crossings (Cont.)

Changed attitudes towards their role as social workers – new ways of thinking, reframing and questioning their professional work: “my aspirations for the social work profession changed from being a

„Lichtgestalt“ (all mighty angel“) to a competent human being” (P17)

“I will not let myself instrumentalized as a buffer zone” (P2)

Student included an online petition in e-portfolio to document her grown awareness of the importance of social workers to engage themselves in socio-political issues (P14)

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Findings - Limitations & Refinement of Methodology

16/21 e-portfolios at least one research memo documenting coding issues: e-portfolios part of the educational design, with many degrees of freedom in

producing it, not produced as research data

Only identifies threshold crossings manifested in e-portfolios

Challenge 1 : diverse language and writing styles - impersonal styles, only alluding to points, non native speakers, etc.

Challenge 2: coding multimedia elements - strong visual effects by images with snappy captions possible distortions?

Extending set of indicators – emergent category troublesomeness of new knowledge Conflicts with colleagues at work due to changed insights Struggle to come to terms with concepts – reducing self-assertiveness at work

for a while

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Findings - Limitations & Refinement of Methodology

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Conclusions

Impact of networked learning programs in social work education:

evidence of threshold crossings in professional development

Methodology for impact assessment

With further refinements methodology can provide a way to

analyze impact on a regular basis

Further research :

Which elements of the educational design contribute to the crossings?

How to integrate method into quality management for networked learning?

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Carley, C. (1993). Coding Choices for Textual Analysis. A comparison of content analysis and map analysis. Sociological Methodology, 23, 75-126.

Hays, M. (2008). Thresholds and transformation. European Journal of Management, 8(3), 24-46. Meyer, J., & Land, R. (2003). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: linkages to ways

of thinking and practising within the disciplines. Occasional Report 4, ETL Project, Universities of Edinburgh, Coventry and Durham, 2003.

Land, R. , Meyer, J. & Baillie, C. (2010). Editors' preface. Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning. In: J. Meyer, R. Land & C. Baillie (Eds). Threshold concepts and transformational learning, ix-xlv.

Meyer, J., Land, R. & Baillie, C. (2010). Threshold concepts and transformational learning. Netherlands: Sense Publishers.

Image source Land, R. and Meyer, J.H.F. (2010) Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge,

Keynote Presentation at issotl10 (International Society for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) Conference, Liverpool, UK, October 19-20, 2010: http://issotl10.indiana.edu/pres/tc.ppt

References & Image sources

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Thank you very much…

…..for your attention!

Contact: Patricia Arnold, Professor of Socio-Informatics

Munich University of Applied Sciences

arnold@hm.edu http://patriciaarnold.wikispaces.com/

Partially funded by