Jamie Fulcher: Portfolio boot camp for educators

Kristina Hoeppner 00:05

Welcome to 'Create. Share. Engage.' This is the podcast about portfolios for learning and more for educators, learning designers, and managers keen on integrating portfolios with their education and professional development practices. 'Create. Share. Engage.' is brought to you by the Mahara team at Catalyst IT. My name is Kristina Hoeppner. 

Kristina Hoeppner 00:29

Today I'm talking with Jamie Fulcher, Senior Learning Designer at the University of Newcastle in Australia. I met Jamie when she worked at Monash University in Melbourne. There, she developed a portfolio boot camp for lecturers, which is going to be the focus of our conversation today because I want to learn more about this playful idea of providing support for educators that she had told us about at a Mahara Hui a few years ago. Thank you for your time, Jamie, it's good to chat with you.

Jamie Fulcher 01:00

Thank you much, Kristina. I'm looking forward to it.

Kristina Hoeppner 01:02

Jamie, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? What do you do? 

Jamie Fulcher 01:06

Well, I have been involved in the adult education sector since 2000. I started as a retail teacher in the vocational sector. So that's here the TAFE sector, and I transitioned into the higher education sector in 2015. So my roles throughout the entire time have been teaching, education, and learning design, but I have a keen interest in understanding how people learn. So I have studied extensively in that space, and that's my passion. 

Kristina Hoeppner 01:34

That's wonderful to help other people learn better. You developed that portfolio boot camp for your lecturers at the university. Why did you do that?

Jamie Fulcher 01:44

Quite simply, I wanted educators to experience portfolios as a student. And so I decided to develop a boot camp as a way of getting them just as excited about portfolios as I was.

Kristina Hoeppner 01:56

Why did you want them to experience the portfolio themselves? Because when we are thinking about eLearning, not every educator who's teaching a course online would have probably studied online, but why do you think it is so important to do that, for the portfolio? 

Jamie Fulcher 02:12

Look, I think it's really important for educators to feel like the students feel. I think it's really important for them to imagine that process of when you're learning something new or embracing something new, and the best way to do that is just be involved. So the boot camp was an idea that I had as a way of getting people on board really quickly. And to experience it, but not just as the student, but as a reflective practitioner as well. And along the way, they would learn the skills and be able to help students implement a portfolio themselves.

Kristina Hoeppner 02:42

How does the boot camp then work? Is it something like I can imagine if you're going to a fitness boot camp that you then have a drill sergeant there, or what were the components of your boot camp?

Jamie Fulcher 02:53

Yeah [laughs], I like that. Well, I did consider the boot camp. And the boot camp analogy, if you would ask Oxford, for example, they tell us that it's "a short, intensive, rigorous training course." And that's exactly what I wanted. I wanted something short, sharp, and sweet, and fun, of course, to get people excited about the portfolio. I hoped that they would understand that, and I think they did. They got it, which is great. 

Kristina Hoeppner 03:16

Can you tell us some of the ideas that you had for the boot camp to make it those fun, sharp training sessions that your colleagues participated in?

Jamie Fulcher 03:25

The boot camp was a four weeks. I just decided, you know, four weeks was probably the best at the time that I put it together. And I wanted to make it so that week one was sort of the warm up, getting people on board, and then they move into sort of like a little bit more, I think, I called a cross training or cross fitness and the share, and then I wanted to go a bit deeper. Then the last week I wanted them to reflect. 

Jamie Fulcher 03:47

So I needed it to be a blended model because educators are super busy, and so what I did was did a recording and put together sort of a PDF on learning, and then I set them some tasks to do. The tasks were self paced. So I would encourage them to make time in their diary, any time around 45 minutes throughout that week to get those things done, and then I would check in. So midweek, on Wednesday, hump day, I would send them a funny email just sort of asking them to get a wriggle on or if they had any problems, they could pop into sort of a virtual catch-up session on Thursday as a way of us being there just to support them. That seemed to work really well. And then I'd send them and sort of a reminder one on the Friday, just saying, you know, "looking forward to seeing you again on Monday, if you can. If you can't, this is what you're going to be achieving." So sort of like that hand holding process, but enough flexibility for them to go away and do everything on their own.

Kristina Hoeppner 04:37

Did they also work together or was it more of a one to many conversation that you had as the trainer in that case? 

Jamie Fulcher 04:45

Sure. Well, they did to start with because the first activity that I had was a video presentation that they put together. So that was their sort of introduction because they were virtual. They had another opportunity to work together in the week where it was cross collaboration or CrossFit. So that was where they were sort of looking each other up and sending each other that, you know, find someone in the portfolio group and send them an email. And they also needed to reflect on the activities that they did. So talk about their portfolio and may add to it or reflect or just say 'Hi'. And then of course, as I said, we had the Thursday open session around sort of that three or four o'clock in the afternoon where they could jump on and have a bit of a chat or just talk to me really about how they were going or what questions they might have. 

Kristina Hoeppner 05:26

It sounds like you went through the entire portfolio process or portfolio cycle with them of how to think about what they want to reflect on, create the portfolio, then have the reflection, but also sharing it with others. 

Jamie Fulcher 05:38

Definitely. I really wanted them to experience exactly the same thing that a student would experience. So what was it like for them to build? What were all the tools and things that were at their disposal in the portfolio? How that might look if they wanted to communicate with others in the portfolio land, if you're like. I wanted them to reflect, and of course, I wanted them to reflect deeply. But I also wanted to be able to see what they were doing. And that was the beauty of ePortfolios or what sets Mahara apart, I think is that, you know, you're getting to actually see what's under the hood and watch people progress and build and make mistakes and collaborate. So I really liked that. Because I think in a learning management system, people go off, and you really can't see a lot of the time what it is they're doing, where they're up to, you just know that they're in there. You can see page clicks and things like that. And that's really it. That's all you get.

Kristina Hoeppner 06:29

How did the staff that participated in your boot camp take it on? Did they buy into that analogy? Were they keen players in it?

Jamie Fulcher 06:38

They certainly were. The first time I ran it was really just with some of the senior staff within the university and also other educational designers. So we had a community of practice, and I invited them all in because they were the best people I knew of that could tell me and provide me feedback around what it was that was designed and how they know engaged with it. That was fantastic. That was really, really good. So the second time I offered it was more open to teaching staff in general, the ones that we're going to use it every day with their students. That was quite successful, and in the faculty that I was in the uptake for ePortfolios was quite extensive at the time. 

Kristina Hoeppner 07:20

Jamie, if you were to run your boot camp at another time, is there anything that you'd like to change, things that you have learned from your previous ones?

Jamie Fulcher 07:28

Look, to be really honest with you, Kristina, I think the sort of blueprint that I put together still holds true today. If anything, I'm one of those people that likes to meet the cohort where they're at. So I'm always taking into consideration how long they have, how much time they have, and who they are,. I would start with the blueprint. Four weeks was great because there's enough time to build the knowledge, give people enough spacing, but you know, I think you could do it in a week if you wanted to. You could probably do it in a day. You could modify and take on board where that group cohort is in their learning journey and then just modify it to that. 

Kristina Hoeppner 08:05

Yeah because you mentioned that it was about 45 minutes per week that they would invest, and so yes, you could make it a very intense crash course in just a day or two days or shorten some of the activities or maybe even get some more collaboration if you can get them all together in one room. 

Jamie Fulcher 08:21

Exactly. Yeah, there's plenty of ways to do it. I think the main thing is just to get people involved. You know, with a tool like Mahara, it's so easy, and I think that any new technology, people will possibly balk a little bit. You know, we all get a little bit fearful of 'Oh no, not something else I have to learn.' But I think if you've been in social media or, and dare say, there's not going to be one that haven't these days, you come to it like a duck to water. So it's just providing people a space, a collaborative space, and in this regard, I just wanted it to be fun. I wanted it to be a little bit gamified. I think that's really important to people these days. I didn't want it to feel like a stifled sort of professional development activity where it was like, 'Oh, god, what else do I have to do?' I wanted people to have fun with it, and have a bit of a laugh, if anything, and have something that they could show people at the end and say, 'Look what I've done [laughs].' That becomes useful PD as well. 

Kristina Hoeppner 09:14

Yeah. Is there a particular activity that stuck in your mind that everybody just really, really enjoyed?

Jamie Fulcher 09:21

Just trying to think. I created sort of like a portfolio four pages, which was almost sort of like a little bit of a book, and I put in markers for them, and they needed to fill that out. I think that was probably the most enjoyable because they had something to show at the end. So they put in funny pictures and GIFs and a recipe that they really liked, you know, things that were personal to them. 

Jamie Fulcher 09:44

I think that just showed them that there really is an element of their own personal touch or something they really thought that was unique. And I think that's again, an important facet of learning and something that sets portfolios apart because in learning management systems we know students really the only time they engage is when they upload something or put something in a forum post, and that's it. Creativity sort of stops at that point [laughs]. So to actually have students be able to be the designer, for the first time, is really exciting, and I think when they see that, they realise just how powerful that is.

Kristina Hoeppner 10:19

Mh, and being able to tell their own story, in their own words, or with images or other media. 

Jamie Fulcher 10:24

Definitely. 

Kristina Hoeppner 10:25

Jamie, you've now been in the portfolio world for quite some time. Are there any trends that you have seen, either with your students or as learning designer with your staff that have come back, that maybe vanished very quickly, or things you'd like to see, again?

Jamie Fulcher 10:41

Look, I think there's the ever increasing complexity, if you like, at the moment around artificial intelligence and how we actually design for authentic assessment. That's something that hasn't changed. I've been using portfolios, or the first time I engaged with Mahara was back, I think, in 2008. I used it with a group of students that were in a virtual enterprise environment. They could either do it a traditional way, sort of, you know, with pen and paper type thing, or they could do it as a portfolio. And I think the first time I ran it, there might have been about 30% of the students choose the electronic, but I quickly saw that shift to 70%. 

Jamie Fulcher 11:19

I think, in today's world, when we're looking at authentic assessment, we're looking at how do we actually watch how students develop and grow, portfolios, you know, it's a no brainer to actually have this as part of our work. So I see it just as critical today, as I did back in 2008 when I first embraced it.

Kristina Hoeppner 11:40

Is there though anything that you'd like to be able to do with portfolios that you currently can't?

Jamie Fulcher 11:46

The one part of portfolios that I hadn't really embraced was around that mapping and being able to map the assessment back to the learning outcomes. And for me, I think, as a designer, because so much of my work is connected to constructive alignment, although I'm not in a vocational sector any more, so I'm, you know, not mapping assessments, I still need to be really mindful that what it is that we're designing around assessments isn't really back to learning outcomes. So wherever I can create connections and show people how those things are being assessed and being assessed in a really authentic way, that's really important for me.

Kristina Hoeppner 12:22

So that the portfolio really becomes part of the regular learning and is not that add on. 

Jamie Fulcher 12:27

Correct. Definitely. 

Kristina Hoeppner 12:29

Now we are already at our last three questions. If you were to briefly say how you are describing portfolio work, say in three words or three short phrases, which ones would you use?

Jamie Fulcher 12:42

Okay, so three words that I would use. Okay, let's see what is coming to mind. Rewarding, satisfying, and authentic. 

Kristina Hoeppner 12:53

Wonderful. What tips do you have for your fellow learning designers or instructors who create portfolio activities?

Jamie Fulcher 13:01

What I've learned or what I would pass on would be keep your instructions simple and short. Wherever possible, put together quick video explanations if your time permits, and also build in time for reflection. So that could be around offering support, but definitely around having that pause, allow people time to reflect on what it is that they're doing before jumping in to fix things.

Kristina Hoeppner 13:26

Why do you think the short video intro is so important?

Jamie Fulcher 13:31

I think that we live in a society where we do see things. We watch videos all the time. I don't think it's that we don't read, I just think that when you're in a hurry, sometimes seeing visual things, especially when you're looking at technology just makes it sort of sink when you say 'Ah, there's the bottom and I press that and it's left or right.' And it's really hard to create those markers and have that visual image when you're reading in in a text when you're talking about technology.

Kristina Hoeppner 14:00

Right. So really have a short description of what you want people to do for a particular activity rather than only a 'Hello, my name is Jamie and here is the activity for today.' 

Jamie Fulcher 14:11

Yeah, definitely. Always a quick video, and I don't think they need to be, you know, particularly fancy or go off to the multimedia team. You can just record something quickly on your computer. I think people really appreciate it. Because I think we live in a world where we're consuming content really quickly. So you might only use it with that cohort. That's absolutely fine. The main thing is they will do it.

Kristina Hoeppner 14:30

Nice. So last question, Jamie. What advice do you have for the people who create portfolios? 

Jamie Fulcher 14:37

Okay, so, portfolios are quite simple, but doesn't mean that getting your head around the whole thing is easy. So what comes to mind there is a friend of mine always talks about this to me is Desmond Tutu once said that "the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time." But what they basically mean is that if you just jump in, things can seem really overwhelming and daunting or even a little impossible to accomplish. So I think it's about just taking your time and developing the material as you go along, and before you know it, it quickly builds. That's to the educators themselves and also to students. So if you're working with students, you certainly don't want them to be building their entire portfolio the night before it's due to be handed in. You want them to each way progressively be building, reflecting, building, reflecting. And that's what makes it a really wonderful piece of work at the end.

Kristina Hoeppner 15:30

That's where probably your boot camp also helped because they would have seen from week to week, they built onto their portfolio, it was not just one activity they do and then forget about it, but that it continues throughout a course of time.

Jamie Fulcher 15:44

Yeah. And I'd planned that in, you know. It was designed so just like what you're saying that each week, they had tasks, and I was watching them complete, and then I knew whether they did or didn't because that's how the portfolio is set up. I certainly didn't want it to get to week four and there'd be people in the cohort that hadn't actually done anything or engaged by week four. I think there's always a danger when we're setting up, you know, just assignments, or those types of assessments, we really don't know what it is they're off doing. This way you really are seeing that build, and you can jump in and offer support and say, here's some help. At the moment. I've just noticed things are sort of moving here. It could be all fine, can be absolutely fine, but it gives you that opportunity because otherwise you just live in the dark.

Kristina Hoeppner 16:28

That's a wonderful. Thank you, Jamie, for taking us through your boot camp idea and how to get educators to experience portfolios themselves in order to have a better understanding of what it means when they're giving portfolio tasks to their learners.

Jamie Fulcher 16:43

Fantastic. Thank you very much for having me. It was a pleasure.

Kristina Hoeppner 16:47

Now over to our listeners. What do you want to try in your own portfolio practice? This was 'Create. Share. Engage.' with Jamie Fulcher. Head to our website podcast.mahara.org where you can find links and the transcript for this episode. 

Kristina Hoeppner 17:05

This podcast is produced by Catalyst IT, and I'm your host Kristina Hoeppner, Project Lead and Product Manager of the portfolio platform Mahara. Our next episode will air in two weeks. I hope you listen again and tell a colleague about it so they can subscribe. Until then, create, share, and engage.