Introduction and background

My action research plan is two-fold, the first is to measure and reflect on my innovation plan to enhance the learning experience of students working at the University Press (UP) incorporating e-Portfolios and the documentation of the Maestro Method and COVA as instructional foundations.

The plan draws on the process that systems must implement disruptive practices in order to change and keep pace with the world that surrounds them (Christensen, 1997).

The second aspect of my research plan is the documentation of data to serve as a departmental model for modernizing instruction and to strengthen the significant learning environment for all communication majors at Lamar University.

The e-Portfolio implementation is currently an ongoing learning and instructional device for UP students with two semesters of use completed and data documented.

I shared my innovation plan in Fall 2016 with my departmental chair and college dean and was appointed to the communication department’s improvement committee that same semester. My directive is assist the department in modernizing curriculum and I’m emphasizing a student-centered approach to instruction and course content by developing a degree plan e-Portfolio plan.

In addition, implementing Choice, Ownership, Voice and Authenticity (Thibodeaux, Cummings and Harapnuik, 2017) and the Maestro Method into instructional methodology for faculty and staff will further enhance the department’s learning environment for students and the e-Portfolio initiative.

Purpose

There are challenges that are outlined in varying degrees for my innovation plan. For the UP component of my plan all of the pieces have been in place for decades and it has been a process of formalizing, structuring and documenting the process to create consistency for e-Portfolio activity.

There are several challenges to component I’m developing for the Lamar University Department of Communication.

The first challenge is that it is an e-Portfolio is an innovation and new concept for the department and deviants of change. There are faculty and staff that simply don’t want to change. My influencer model has been to engage colleagues individually and in small groups and basically interview them about their concerns (Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan, Switzler, 2008).

I conducted interviews in two ways – in formal, overt settings within directives set forth by the dean and department chair, and informally and independently of directives in social settings such as individual lunches or office visits with those same colleagues.

I also did not always tell my subjects that I was conducting an interview with them, but rather having a conversation with them (Patterson 2012).

The second challenge, and it is connected to the first, is why individuals are resistant to change and the result fall into different categories – philosophical and personal (Hubbell, Pearson 2009).

Philosophical differences are one reason for faculty and staff to resist change – the discussion breaks into whether the department should focus on qualitative or quantitative discipline.

Personal reasons for resisting change falls into individuals being close to retirement and not wanting to do anything, change taking too much time and effort and not being confident in their teacher persona and technology.

The over-arching purpose of my research plan is to determine if e-Portfolios better prepare student ability to be employed in journalism or media-related jobs after graduation as supporting data as to why the plan should be implemented department-wide (Okoro, Washington, Cardon 2011).

Research findings

Portfolios are not a new concept in education, nor in journalism and communication. Portfolios have been a decades-long established employment tool for many career field, especially in media and the arts (Graves, Epstein 2011).

In addition, contemporary social media and branding identity concepts are an integral component to career development and networking.

Prior to my action plan, informal research and data tracking has shown the strength of UP alumni securing employment through the use of traditional portfolios and e-Portfolios. Professional organizations have emphasized portfolios and e-portfolios for decades as a measure to determine professional competence (ASNE 2015).

The data collected from my action research plan is to support and reinforce well-documented profession and career standards as a legitimizing criteria for the Lamar University Department of Communication.

The action plan research will also document overcoming objections of change deviants and model methods to potentially be used for other organizations to follow or adapt (Patterson, 2012).

Data collection

I’ve chosen to primarily use qualitative collection for the data because so much of what our students do is individualized and subjective that it oftentimes requires explanation and elaboration with a student’s voice (Frand, 2000). Also because a predominate amount of student work is authentic there is not always a comparable body of work or experience to measure it with.

The form I will use is an interview with individual students or in small groups. The interviewing process provides a more in-depth and robust commentary on the functionality of the e-portfolio initiative and feedback for improvement or adaptation (McWhorter, Delello, Roberts, Raisor, Fowler, 2013).

I plan to also provide an anonymous questionnaire via Google Forms. Students will have the option to self-identify and the questionnaire will be structured using a Likert scale. The form will also have an optional commentary space for students to elaborate on any component they choose or maybe have not previously answered.

Summary

The innovation plan coupled with the action research plan serves a multitude of purposes stated in the plan and several others beyond those specifically addressed in it.  Research findings will affirm the following:

• E-Portfolios, the Maestro Method and COVA provide students and instructors opportunities for regular and consistent reflection as a part of their learning experience (Ring, 2015).
• E-Portfolios provide opportunity for students to have ownership and voice in their learning environment and experience to achieve their learning goals (Phillips, McNaught, Kennedy, 2011).
• E-Portfolios allow students to develop a personal narrative to identify their strengths, enhance their professional development, and formulate a professional identity (ASNE, 2015).

The other items not specifically addressed in the action research plan that provides additional research opportunities include:

• Faculty and staff opportunities for self-reflection for instructional methodology.
• Creating opportunity to achieve directive goals from the Provost of Academic Affairs
  to improve departmental retention.
• Creating additional opportunity for faculty and staff to monitor student progress and
  achievement as directed by the dean and provost (Yancey, 2015).

The action research plan will be an ongoing effort for several years and will follow graduates for at least five years following their commencement.

References

ASNE Newsroom Census (2015). American Society of Newsroom Editors 28 June 2015. Retrieved February 2,  2017 from http://asne.org/content.asp?pl=140&sl=129&contentid=129

Christensen, C. M. (1997). The innovator’s dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms to fail. Boston, MA, USA: Harvard Business School Press, ISBN 978-0-87584-585-2.

Frand, J. L., (2000) The information age mindset: changes in students and Implications for higher education. EDUCAUSE September/October 2000, pp. 14-24. Retrieved ebscohost.com June 14, 2017.

Graves, N. and Epstein, M. (2011). E-porfolio: a tool for constructing a narrative professional identity. Business Communication Quarterly, Volume 74, Number 3, September 2011 342-346. DOI: 10.1177/1080569911414555

Hubball, H., Pearson, M. L. (2009). Curriculum leadership portfolios: enhancing scholarly approaches to undergraduate program reform. Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal Volume 3 Issue 2 November 2009.

McWhorter, R. R., Delello, J. A., Roberts, P. B., Raisor, C. M., & Fowler, D. A. (2013). A cross-case analysis of the use of web-based eportfolios in higher education. Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice, 12, 253-286. Retrieved from http://www.jite.org/documents/Vol12/JITEv12IIPp253-286McWhorter1238.pdf

Okoro, E. A., Washington, M. C., and Cardon, P. W. (2011). Eportfolios in business communication courses as tools for employment. Business Communication Quarterly, Volume 74, Number 3, September 2011 347-351. DOI: 10.1177/1080569911414554

Patterson, Kerry. (Eds.) (2012) Crucial conversations: tools for talking when stakes are high. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.

Patterson, K., Grenny, J., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., Switzler, A., (2008). Influencer: the power to change anything. McGraw-Hill, New York, New York. DOI: 10.1036/007148499X

Phillips, R., McNaught, C., & Kennedy, G. (2011). Evaluating e-learning: Guiding research and practice. New York, NY: Routledge.

Ring, G. L. (2015). Implementing a peer mentoring model in the Clemson e-portfolio program. ISSN: 0040-5841 print/1543-0421 online. DOI: 10.1080/00405841.2015.1077616. Published and retrieved ebscohost.com June 14, 2017, Theory Into Practice, 54:326–334, 2015, Changing Landscapes: The Impact of e-Portfolios on Teaching and Learning. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

Roberts, P., Maor, D., & Herrington, J. (2016). E-Portfolio-Based Learning Environments: Recommendations for Effective Scaffolding of Reflective Thinking in Higher Education. Educational Technology & Society, 19 (4), 22–33.

Thibodeaux, T., Cummings, C., and Harapnuik, D. (2017). Factors that Contribute to e-Portfolio Persistence, International Journal of e-Portfolio, Volume 7, Number 1, 1-12. http://www.theijep.com ISSN 2157-622X

Yancey, K.B. (2015). Grading e-Portfolios: tracing two approaches, their advantages, and their disadvantages. ISSN: 0040-5841 print/1543-0421 online. DOI:10.1080/00405841.2015.1076693. Published and retrieved ebscohost.com June 14, 2017, Theory Into Practice, 54:301–308, 2015, Changing Landscapes: The Impact of e-Portfolios on Teaching and Learning. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.