Mahara and
Professional Development
Andrew Csizmadia
a.p.csizmadia@newman.ac.uk
Newman University College
15/7/09

Content
• Newman University College
– Excellent reputation for teacher
training
– Grade 1 in recent Ofsted inspection
• Newman University College one
of 50 successful institutions to
secure TDA funded research
project to investigate the usage
of eportfolios to support trainee
teachers
• Usage of eportfolio is a TDA ICT
entitlement for teacher trainees

Content
• Purposeful sample group selected
• PGCE KS2/3 ICT
• Comply electronic Qualified to Teach Status
Standards folder
– 33 standards
– Each standards required at least 3 pieces of evidence
to demonstrate competence
• eportfolio to act as a repository for digital assets
for lesson plans and associated resources

Choice of e-Portfolio
• Repository for digital assets
• Collaborative tool
• Reflective tool
• Customisation
– Social network groups
– Different views for different audiences
• Hosted externally
• Incorporates newsfeeds
• Integrated with Moodle

Creation
Blank Page Template Page
& No Structure & Structure

Capture Learner’s Voice
Initial Final
Questionnaire Questionnaire
Blog Reflection
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
School School School
Experience I Experience 2 Experience 3
• Longitudinal study – over a nine month period
• Utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
• Grounded Theory used to analyse qualitative data
• Statistical Analysis used to analyse quantitative data

Communications

Collaboration
.. Resources can be
shared with colleagues
Tutors can check your
work and resources
can be shared
It’s good to share
resources and see what
your peers have done
and share ideas

Confidentially
• Created different views
– Student to student
– Student to tutor (Academic /
School based)
• Student determined who
they could invite as friends
to view their e-Portfolio
• Awareness of impact of
what is posted
One student .. blogs can be
excluded all from .. students need to misinterpreted
viewing their be aware that sometimes
e-Portfolio including people can and will
their tutors take action against
such issues

Culture
• Placements operate
Student
as a tripartite
partnership
– Student
– HEI
– School
• All require ‘buy in’ to
School HEI be successful
..excellent
intervention
support tool

Competence
• Ensure that students are able to:
– compress files & folders
– zip files & folders
– upload files
– navigate around Mahara
– invite friends and assign them the correct view

Curriculum Mapping
Evidence &
demonstration
Guidance
& support
Information Communication
& experience & interaction
Thinking
& reflection

Considerations
• The following are comments made by the
students:
.. allowing you to People need to be
upload multiple files aware of upload
speeds
Double clicking on
folders would result
in folders moving
around
.. Could set a root folder
A drag & drop action so when you are
would make it more uploading it looks at
simple that folder

Continuation
• Newman University College have decided to
continue to work with the system following the
pilot study
• All students and staff will have accounts

Other Research
• Potential other research includes:
– Investigating how trainee teachers develop as reflective
practitioner using an e-portfolio?
– What is the relationship between e-portfolio and assessment
– Defining a framework for e-portfolio
– How effective is an e-portfolio as a formative assessment tool
– Defining an e-portfolio culture

Recommendations
• New skill, takes time
• Integrate e-Portfolio into course from the start of the
academic year
• Integral assessment component of the course
• Induct students and staff in how to use an e-Portfolio
efficiently & effectively
• Inform students of issues of:
– confidentially
– copyright
• Information - produce paper based/video guidelines for
students on how to:
– compress work
– zip work
– unload work
– create views

Any Questions

Links
Mahara site
(http://sites.google.com/site/soundsgooduk/)
eportfolios – Newman
(http://kc-dev.cf.ac.uk/mahara)

References
• Console, G., De Laat, M., Dillon, T. & Darby, J. (2006). JISC LXP:
Student experiences of technologies, Final report of the JISC-funded
LXP project, Southampton: University of Southampton.
www.jisc.ac.uk/elp_learneroutcomes.html
• Creanor,L., Trinder, K., Gowan, D., Howells, C. (2006). LEX. The
learner experience of e-learning.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/LEX%20Final%20Report_A
ugugust06.pdf
• Hughes, J. (2008). Letting in the Trojan mouse: Using an eportfolio to
rethink pedagogy. In Hello! Where are you in the landscape of
educational technology? Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008.
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/huges.pdf
• Murray, C. (2006). E-portfolios Along the Lifelong Learning Cycle:
Difference Between Use, Pedagogy and Context.
www.elp.ac.uk/downloads/ieee%20ELP%20paper.pdf