A university-wide ePortfolio implementation is a major undertaking and requires support of all key stakeholders. At Griffith University a university-wide implementation occurring throughout 2017. One group of key stakeholders are the Blended Learning Advisors (BLAs) and the Educational Designers (EDs), who work specifically with the academics in various ways across the university. The BLAs and EDs, both centrally and in each academic group thus had a major role to play throughout the implementation. This paper will describe this important role and will also present data collected from interviews with 11 BLAs and EDs. Data was coded for emerging themes and will be presented. Findings include that the BLAs and EDs were well supported throughout the implementation and this then allowed them to work confidently and successfully with academics across the four academic groups.

1. Chris Campbell
Heidi Blair
The role of professional
staff in the implementation
of an ePortfolio system

2. Enterprise Wide

3. Systematic implementation
Embedding within the curriculum by
academics
Enhancing employability strategies
Engaging students via extra-curricular
connections
Embedding the ePortfolio platform into
professional activities

4. ● Develop program-level assessments
● Map assessments with portfolio touchpoints
● Embed reflection opportunities throughout
program
● Evaluate program level learning outcomes
● Developing sense of professional identity
from first term
● Evidence gathering aligned with professional
competencies and transferable skills
Considerations & Benefits of a
Program-wide Approach

5. Overview of the Innovator
Program
● Offered to support university-wide
implementation
● Supported by central teaching unit and
academic group learning and teaching
professional staff
● Dedicated LF resourcing
● 60 academics representing over 30 courses
● All four faculty/academic groups represented
● Evaluation and data-gathering

6. ● Allowing easy evidencing of employability skills
● Evidence of knowledge gathered across courses
and programs
● Evidence of tasks completed for course
assessment
● Evidence of tasks completed in co-curricular
programs
● Course level assessment
● Reflective practice including process reflection
● Collaborative projects
Aims of the Innovator
Program

7. ● Course-by-course implementation
○ Adding course(s) each term
● Cohort/Year-by-year
○ Adding sets of courses by cohort year
○ Program-level evidence collection
● Employability programs
○ University wide initiatives
○ Group/School/Program initiatives
Think
Programmatically,
Implement
Incrementally
Curriculum Transformation in
Practice

8. ● What professional development did the
BLAs and EDs receive in order to
implement the use of the ePortfolio
platform in their teaching?
● What role did the BLAs and EDs play
in supporting academics to implement
the use of the ePortfolio platform in
their teaching?
Research Questions

9. • Interviews with Blended Learning
Advisors and Educational Designers
(now called L&T Consultants (Design)
• Eleven staff interviews (40-60 min
each)
• Member checking of the interview
transcripts
• Transcribed and coded for themes
Methodology

10. • Representatives travel to user
conference
• Implementation planning workshop
• Advanced training
• On-going development and problem
solving
Professional Development

11. Types of activities engaged
• Educational design consultations
• Use case evaluation
• Sharing of challenges and solutions
• Developing discipline specific
workshops and materials
• Implementation support
• Scholarly activity support
• Presentations sharing practice

12. • Griffith Sciences Blended Learning Model
https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/exlnt/entry/6405/view
• Arts Education and Law Faculty
Professional Learning blog posts. For
example:
https://aelprofessionallearning.wordpress.com/2017/06/19
/pebblepad-for-student-collaborative-projects/
• Webinar creation:
https://au-lti.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback
• ExLNT entries created by academics
across the groups for others.
• https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/exlnt/#o=trending
Example of resources created in
the groups

13. • BLAs and Eds commented student
uptake of the L&T activities was
good:
A lot of the activities that we’ve been
designing, the ownership has been
more on the students, which has been
pretty good.
• More support needed for some
student cohorts.
Interviewee Quotes

14. Usage Improvement Over time
Account Statistics 1-Jun-17 1 Jul 17 1 Aug 17 1 Sep 17 1 Oct 17 30 Oct 17 01 Mar 18
Total Logins 80468 87351 112240 141697 163738 168812 205532
Average Login
Duration
86 min 84 min 84 min 86 min 88 min 87 min 82 min
Total Users 11797 13420 15374 16525 16884 22769 36167
Active Users 5136 5288 7303 8510 8887 9020 14416
Inactive Users 6526 7980 7863 7764 7735 13482 21443

15. Asset usage
Asset usage 1 Jul 17 1 Aug 17 1 Sep 17 1 Oct 17 30 Oct 17 1 Apr 18
Activity Log 1526 1653 1744 1821 1872 3151
Asset Collection 2405 2734 3275 3491 3652 7689
Blog 2526 3020 3327 3448 3470 4506
File 81823 106062 159019 198766 201906 269430
Folio Page 31656 39673 55345 60993 62382 81552
Other 517 613 930 1117 1129 2341
Post 7516 8788 10230 11472 11500 13271
Record 74675 91721 107002 122035 124242 193486
Template 20467 27720 41308 42415 43372 108727
Webfolio 10981 13327 17791 18545 18938 26648
Workbook 16453 22265 25344 29395 30455 55699

16. Discussion
● BLAs and EDs attended a variety of
training and were supported
throughout the implementation.
● BLAs and Eds were instrumental in
the university-wide implementation.
● Academic staff were thus well
supported within the groups.

17. Conclusion
● The project funding ends in 2018.
● Moves from being a project and into
operational status.
● Still have support through the IT Help
Desk.

18. Chris Campbell: chris.campbell@griffith.edu.au
Heidi Blair: heidi.blair@griffith.edu.au