Reflecting for Learning

I f this is your first time keeping an ePortfolio, you might think that learning to use the software will be the most daunting task.  Technology is the easy part!  

Digication is a relatively easy tool to use. If you add items and edit your ePortfolio on a regular basis, you will become accustomed to the interface.  Over time you may also want to expand the types of work samples that you save in your ePortfolio, for example video and presentations in addition to written assignments.  You might also want to personalize the look-and-feel, including colors and icons.

Using an ePortfolio to reflect on your learning is much more challenging than the technical component, but it is also the most rewarding because reflection contributes to your personal and professional development.  The suggestions and links below will help guide you in that process.

What's the difference between a course assignment and an ePortfolio reflection?

When you're doing a course assignment, the goal is to engage with the course concepts and material, and to demonstrate what you are learning in relation to the course topic.  

When you write or record an ePortfolio reflection, the purpose is to

• take a step back from the work that you have done, and from the individual courses that you have taken;
• examine your work see how what you have learned so far contributes to your overall understanding and capabilities;
• consider how your program-based growth connects with your work and other life experiences; and
• use this expanded self-understanding to set and refine life goals, and to decide next steps to take.

This is a tall order and something that no individual reflection can accomplish, but over time -- and with practice -- this larger picture will begin to emerge.

What steps should I take in composing a reflection?

There is no "right" way to reflect, but the suggestions below will help you get started.

Work samples are often referred to as "artifacts" of learning because they provide evidence.  In the same way that a scientist analyzes experiment results, or that a sleuth looks for clues to solve a mystery, your reflective process begins with an examination of evidence of your learning.   Start by looking at a sample of your work or a specific experience.  This will help you develop a reflection that has in grounded in reality and has substance. 

Evidence: Course assignments are a type of evidence, as are the written or recorded discussions in an online class.  Any item you created that can be saved and uploaded or linked into your ePortfolio is "evidence," including papers, images, audio, video, and multimedia presentations.  It doesn't have to be individual work, it can also be a product of group work.  For example, you might want to look at

• a "traditional" assignment such as a paper or a discussion board message
• the experience of making a multimedia presentation, the substance of the presentation itself, or both
• a story about a time that you put your program-based learning into action at work, in written format or a multimedia "digital" story
• a document that you created at work that reflects your growing abilities in relationship to course- or program-based learning (e.g., lesson plan and/or materials for a course you will teach, interoffice memo, grant or project proposal, budget, annual or quarterly report, website or wiki  that you have created)

Please note that it will be easier for you to select an artifact if you have saved a number of examples of your work in your ePortfolio.  The more items you save, the more options you will have as you progress through the program.  This is why we refer to the ePortfolio process as "Collect, Select, and Reflect."

Questions: Review the list of questions below and select 3-4 that seem most appropriate to your reflection process.  Keeping these questions in mind as you examine your artifact(s), compose each reflection, and revise your ePortfolio as a whole:

• What are you proud of? What are you satisfied with? What do you wish you had done differently?
• If you received feedback from classmates, co-workers, or course instructors, what did you decide to act upon, what advice did you reject, and why?
• How does the quality of the work that you did at the beginning of a course differ from the work that you did at the end of the course?
• What does this artifact tell you about your development? What does the artifact tell you about your capabilities?  What does the artifact tell you about the big "take home" from the course -- ideas and abilities that are likely to stick with you for years to come?
• What opportunities do you see for putting this learning into action in your life?
• How does your learning in this course connect with, or even contradict, your learning from other courses?  What does this mean to you?
• How does the quality of the work that you did in your first course differ from the work that you did in your second, third, and fourth, etc.?
• If you are not seeing improvement, specific things that you can point out, what can you do to address this concern?
• What experiences have been most engaging and eye-opening for you so far?  How might this inform your decisions about electives to take, or additional experiences to seek out?  What does this tell you about future directions that you might want to take, personally and professionally?
• What experiences have been the most problematic so far?  Does this difficulty indicate that you need to do more work in this area, to improve your capabilities, or does it indicate that this is not an area that you want to pursue in more depth?  If the latter, what implications does this insight have for your current and future life plans?
• What thoughts do you have for putting your program-based learning into action at work, and your work-based learning into action within the program?
• How does your work within the ePortfolio change or enhance they way that you would describe yourself and your abilities? 
  
• How might the interests and ideas you've formed, and the work you've accomplished, inform your interactions with friends and family, coworkers, prospective employers, and your community at large?

Write or Record: After you've done your analysis, write or record a reflection and post it alongside the work sample in yor ePortfolio.  There is no set length for a reflection, but they are usually about 3-5 paragraphs in length. 

For more ideas on how to compose a reflection, see:

https://stonybrook.digication.com/sbu_eportfolio/Prompts
https://sites.google.com/site/eportfoliohow/reflection
http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/art/artedportfolios/reflection/page2.html