Developing criticality using a

Mahara digital portfolio

Orna Farrell @orna_farrell

orna.farrell@dcu.ie

About meAcademic Coordinator/Digital Learning Specialist- Humanities Programmes, Open Education Unit, NIDL, DCU

Phd candidate TCD- dissertation title “An exploration of the development of criticality and the nature of learning with an eportfolio among flexible learners

”under supervision of Dr. Aidan Seery

My first eportfolio May 2009

Background• Slow pace of adoption of eportfolios in Irish HE

• pockets of engagement as module assessment none at programme level (Eportfoliohub, 2016)

The case studyThe project adopts a case study approach, following 24 flexible learners over the course of one academic year in DCU

The research question for the study is:

How can eportfolios enhance the nature of the learning experience and the development of

criticality among flexible learners?

Theoretical framework-critical thinkingcritical thinking is a judgement process. Its

goal is to decide what to believe and/or what to do in relation to the available evidence, using appropriate conceptualizations and methods and evaluated by the appropriate criteria.”(Facione & Facione, 2008)

Theoretical framework-eportfolio

“An eportfolio is the product created by the learner, a collection of digital artefacts articulating experiences, achievements and learning.”(Jisc, 2008)

Research Wahlberg@ResearchMark

Design of the study

Critical questions template

Examples of student work

Examples of student work“So far, my study in this module has encouraged a deeper reflection into my view of how society functions. As a student of sociology I try to find ways of looking at subjects from a variety of medium and discussions with people around me.”

“The reflective journal platform does bring me to muse about some of my earlier studies within the Humanities fields. The Philosopher; Plato, thought that everybody was born with all the knowledge in the universe, and learning is actually remembering a half-remembered shadow of the true concept which we knew before we were born.”

Data Analysis

Thank You