Matthew Robert Hitchcock

Electronic portfolios and learner identity: an ePortfolio case study in music and writing

Although the employability of graduates is of concern across further and higher education it is particularly problematic in the arts disciplines, from which few students transition to a traditional, full-time position. Arts graduates shape their work to meet personal and professional needs, and the successful negotiation of this type of career requires a strong sense of identity and an awareness of diverse opportunities. The challenge for educators is how we might develop these capacities whilst being mindful of students’ dreams, which are often focused on artistic excellence and recognition. This paper reports findings from a collaborative study undertaken at four Australian universities. With a focus on developing an electronic portfolio (eP), the study involved students in classical and contemporary music, music education, music technology, creative writing and professional writing. The combination of music and writing provided points of comparison to identify issues specific to music, and those that might apply more generally. This paper reports findings related to learner identity, drawing evidence from survey and interview data. The study, which was driven by the learning process rather than the technological tool, revealed that students’ use of eP transitions from archive to self-portrait. Moreover, the eP emerged as a vehicle through which identity is negotiated and constructed. Indeed, the process of developing of an eP prompted students to adopt future-oriented thinking as they began to redefine their learning in relation to their future lives and careers. These findings were common to all students, regardless of discipline or technological platform.

Making music or gaining grades? Assessment practices in tertiary music ensembles

Participation in an ensemble is a significant aspect of tertiary music experience. Learning and assessment practices within ensembles have rarely been investigated in Australia and the perceptions of staff and students as to how they learn and are assessed within ensembles remain largely unexplored. This paper reports on part of a larger project that investigated learning and assessment practices within ensembles at an Australian Conservatorium of Music. Ensembles contribute to approximately 25% of student work in each semester, and the assessment contributes to a final grade for the semester. Using a case study methodology, four music ensembles were studied. The data generated were coded into themes including assessment practices and processes; collaborative learning practices; the development of the professional musician; and communication and transparency between participants and the institution. Findings revealed that both staff and student participants in this study perceived ensemble participation to be valuable to the development of a professional musician, but that assessment procedures did not always support this goal. Institutional demands were found to be an inhibiting factor in the assessment of ensembles, and both students and teachers had problems with current assessment procedures, resulting in confusion and lack of transparency about how ensembles are assessed. Approaches to the development of the professional musician became a dominant discussion point and a substantial finding of the research. By examining dominant and subjugated knowledge in this domain, institutional power relations were interrogated, existing practices were challenged, and assessment practices rethought.

Perceived Usefulness and Relevance of ePortfolios in the Creative Arts: Investigating Student Views

While research into ePortfolios in educational environments has increased in the past 15 years, the focus has been most strongly on the views of academics, those instigating use, and rarely on students (the users). This chapter intentionally draws out the views of three cohorts of undergraduate music students in two Australian universities, seeking their responses on use of a variety of ePortfolios approaches. These range from a proprietary ePortfolio platform chosen by one university, to self-selected systems leveraging cloud-based and social media platforms at another. In doing so, the study not only adds to a growing literature about ePortfolio use in the creative arts, it also offers student views across the self-selected/non-selected platform issue and longer term and short term use of the ePortfolio. The study sought responses on students’ perceived usefulness of the ePortfolio platform for their current and future career post-graduation needs. Shaping the discussion is a perceived usefulness of ePortfolios and technology acceptance model drawn from other new technologies in contexts beyond universities, but tailored by our findings, into a creative arts version of the model.