The design of eportfolios in Australian universities has traditionally been focussed in the social sciences and liberal arts, leading to a legacy of language within eportfolio systems that is specific to these fields. This enforced language can act to discourage academic staff members from alternative fields taking eportfolios on board. This presentation shows how this issue may be resolved and implemented to effectively support student learning outcomes in a first-year engineering unit and suggests how language can be adjusted to allow eportfolios to be more readily introduced. We will show how higher-order learning activities specific for engineering may be integrated into the design of eportfolios to demonstrate reflective process. It is concluded that the language of eportfolios must be adapted to suit the needs of the discipline.

1. Legacy of Language
Introducing ePortfolios to an
engineering program
Heather Pate

2. ePortfolios – a reflective tool
An ePortfolio provides a scaffolded opportunity for
students to achieve higher order thinking:
 Allow and encourage student autonomy
 Empower students to take responsibility for their own
learning
Use of an ePortfolio system requires a “considerable
level of learner autonomy and initiative, of learner
responsibility for their learning and of opportunities to
refine their learning based on feedback from the
teacher.” (Stefani, Mason & Pegler, p.12)

3. ePortfolios at ECU: PebblePad
 Reflection is an intrinsic part of
PebblePad

4. Perceptions in engineering
 Negative attitude towards writing (Beer, 2002)
 Engineering is a practical “real world” skill, not in a
classroom (Dunsmore, 2011)
 Disregard of perceived reflective tasks:
“I really don’t see how writing a blog will make me
an engineer.” (Faulkner & Azin, 2011, p.13)

5. Mismatched expectations
Potential mismatch between the technology and the
needs of the discipline:
 Must an ePortfolio be used for reflection?
 Is an ePortfolio the right tool for engineers?
 How do we make the students’ use of it
worthwhile?

6. ePortfolios for ECU Engineering students
PebblePad was used to introduced to first year
students to:
 Improve writing skills
 Present work
 Improve employability skills
Where does reflection fit into this and how do we
approach the task from an engineering perspective?

7. First year engineering ePortfolio
Task:
• Introduce yourself from a professional perspective;
• Introduce your practical project;
• Show evidence of the skills you have developed in sustainability, safety
and team work.

8. Reflection for engineers
Bloom’s
Taxonomy Action
Verbs.
Clemson University. (n.d.)

9. Text analysis using Bloom’s taxonomy
1st year engineering students – feedback from tutors
1.2000%
1.0000%
0.8000%
0.6000%
0.4000%
0.2000%
0.0000%
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Feedback
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation

10. Text analysis of EA Professional competencies
1.2000%
STAGE 1 COMPETENCY STANDARD FOR PROFESSIONAL
1.0000%
ENGINEER
ROLE DESCRIPTION - THE MATURE, PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER
The following characterises the senior practice role that the mature, Professional Engineer may be expected to fulfil and has been extracted from the role portrayed in the Engineers Australia 0.8000%
Chartered Status Handbook.
Professional Engineers are required to take responsibility for engineering projects and programs in the most far-reaching sense. This includes the reliable functioning of all
materials, components, sub-systems and technologies used; their integration to form a complete, sustainable and self-consistent system; and all interactions between the technical system and
the context within which it functions. The latter includes understanding the requirements of clients, wide ranging stakeholders and of society as a whole; working to optimise
social, environmental and economic outcomes over the full lifetime of the engineering product or program; interacting effectively with other disciplines, professions and people; and ensuring
0.6000%
that the engineering contribution is properly integrated into the totality of the undertaking. Professional Engineers are responsible for interpreting technological possibilities to society, business
and government; and for ensuring as far as possible that policy decisions are properly informed by such possibilities and consequences, and that costs, risks and limitations are properly
understood as the desirable outcomes.
Professional Engineers are responsible for bringing knowledge to bear from multiple sources to develop solutions to complex problems and issues, for ensuring that technical and nontechnical considerations are properly integrated, and for managing risk as well as sustainability issues. While the outcomes of engineering have physical forms, the work of Professional
0.4000%
Engineers is predominantly intellectual in nature. In a technical sense, Professional Engineers are primarily concerned with the advancement of technologies and with the development of new
technologies and their applications through innovation, creativity and change. Professional Engineers may conduct research concerned with advancing the science of engineering and with
developing new principles and technologies within a broad engineering discipline. Alternatively, they may contribute to continual improvement in the practice of engineering, and in devising
and updating the codes and standards that govern it.
Professional Engineers have a particular responsibility for ensuring that all aspects of a project are soundly based in theory and fundamental principle, and for understanding clearly how new
0.2000%
developments relate to established practice and experience and to other disciplines with which they may interact. One hallmark of a professional is the capacity to break new ground in an
informed, responsible and sustainable fashion.
Professional Engineers may lead or manage teams appropriate to these activities, and may establish their own companies or move into senior management roles in engineering and related
enterprises.
0.0000%
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Feedback
Analysis
EA Competencies
Synthesis
Evaluation

11. Comparison with Teaching Competencies
1.2000%
1.0000%
0.8000%
0.6000%
0.4000%
0.2000%
0.0000%
Knowledge
Comprehension
Feedback
Application
EA Competencies
Analysis
Teacher Competencies
Synthesis
Evaluation

12. “Reflection” in Teaching Competency
1.2000%
1.0000%
0.8000%
0.6000%
0.4000%
0.2000%
0.0000%
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Feedback
Analysis
EA Competencies
Synthesis
Teacher Competencies
Evaluation
"Reflect"

13. What does this tell us?
The field of engineering:
 Specific language for reflective skills
plan
 evaluate
 interpret
 justify

 Require increasingly complex reflective tasks as they
move towards graduation.

14. Where to from here?
 Find the language of the discipline
 Build it into the ePortfolio task
The Design Cycle
Dowling, Carew & Hadgraft, 2012
Alternative Design Process
Arulampalam, ECU, 2013

15. Build it into the unit and course

16. Supporting the process
To successfully integrate an ePortfolio system into a
new discipline:
 Be aware of the language of the field
 Bend the tool, not the people.

17. Thank you
Thank you
Thank you

18. References
Beer, D.F., "Reflections on why engineering students don't like to write - and what we can do about it," Professional
Communication Conference, 2002. IPCC 2002. Proceedings. IEEE International , pp.364-368, 2002. Retrieved from
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1049119&isnumber=22469
Department of Education and Training (2004). Comptency framework for teachers. Retrieved from
http://det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/guidelines/competency-frameworkfor-teachers.en?oid=com.arsdigita.cms.contenttypes.guideline-id-3738620
Clemson University (n.d.) Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs. Retrieved from
http://www.clemson.edu/assessment/assessmentpractices/referencematerials/documents/Blooms%20Taxonomy%20Action%
20Verbs.pdf
Dunsmore, K., Turns, J. and Yellin, J. M. (2011), Looking Toward the Real World: Student Conceptions of Engineering. Journal of
Engineering Education, 100: 329–348.
Engineer Australia (n.d.) Stage 1 competency standard for professional engineer. Retrieved from
http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/shado/Education/Program%20Accreditation/110318%20Stage%201%
20Professional%20Engineer.pdf
Faulkner, M. and Azin, S. M. (2011). Stimulating self assessment and reflection in first year engineering using ePortfolios. Ergo.
2(2), 5-17. Retrieved from www.adelaide.edu.au/herga/ergo/0202/ergo_v2n2_p5-17.pdf
Prince, M. Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research. Journal of Engineering Education. 93(3), 223-231
Stefani, L., Manson, R. & Pegler, C. (2007). The educational potential of eportfolios: Supporting personal development and
reflective learning. New York: Routledge.
Sutherland, S. Brotchie, J. and Chesney, S. Pebblegogy: Ideas and activities to inspire and engage learners. Pebble Learning Ltd:
Telford, UK.