success starts at the top eportfolios – an integrating framework bob sproule school of accountancy...

success starts at the top

ePortfolios – An Integrating Framework

Bob SprouleSchool of Accountancy

Brown Bag Session

July 7, 2005


Why were we interested in ePortfolios -1?• AFM students take courses with other undergraduates,

have some specialized courses • AFM students have strong professional drive and focus

on accomplishment of professional syllabus – (ie, “I need my 51 credit hours….”)

• Need for an integrating technology for an otherwise disjointed undergraduate program– Students often claim to not have studied pre-req content in

advanced courses• Need to distinguish our high quality students from others

in recruiting activities


Why were we interested in ePortfolios -2?

• Have distinctive program elements– (working on both “soft” and “hard” skills) both

within and between courses

• Where do these program elements fit?– What organizing framework would apply?

• Funding was available from the University of Waterloo Learning Initiatives Fund


What we did

• Learning about ePortfolios– Got support from Carnegie Foundation – use of KEEP toolkit for ePortfolios– Got advice from others

• Start small


So we started small…..


Choice of Courses• AFM 131 (Introduction to Business)- 820 students

– (offered university wide – approximately 137 AFM students – balance were from other programs)

• AFM 481 (Advanced Cost Accounting) – 130 students– These two courses were at the 1st year and 4th year of the

program.

• Wanted to see differences between student acceptance• But the real reason…..

• We were teaching these courses during the fall 2004 term


Choice of Competency for fall, 2004

• We chose team skills for the following reasons:– common between first and fourth year courses– common pedagogy for team work skills– Largely assumed in both courses prior to this exercise– Vital skill for profession– Necessary for efficiencies in teaching (large class

sizes necessitate student teams)


Pieces of the Puzzle:Team Work Competencies

Individual

Skills

Collaborative Skills

Collective Intelligence

Individual Learning


Components of Team Work Competency

• Preflection– Personal assessment of previously learned team

skills– Includes Individual Skills Worksheet

• Team Contract• Peer Feedback Form• Team Mid-Point Reflection• Team Summary Form


These are the situations when I have worked with teams in the past.

As part of numerous clubs and organizations, I have worked with a variety of people. As President of our DECA School Chapter, I was responsible for spearheading our annual Krispy Kreme Fundraising Sale. As Newspaper Editor, it was my job to organize, direct, and oversee all activities within the committee, making sure that deadlines were met and articles were submitted and proofread. As President of the Music Council, I helped organize our first Christmas Dinner in 2003 and also assisted in planning a trip to Chicago. Furthermore, as an executive member for the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee (MYAC) of Mississauga, I was part of a dynamic group of young adults that organized city-wide events, including the annual Mississauga Youth Week.

I have also fundraised, along with three of my peers, for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation by selling Nestle chocolate bars around the school. Our efforts raised $600, and all funds directly went to the Foundation.

Lastly, as a Senior Concert and Jazz Band member, it was my responsibility to work with my colleagues, attending weekly practices and fostering a great social environment as well. Along with our conductors, the band performed and placed in various festivals and competitions throughout the year. These are the positives I have taken from my past experiences with teams.

It is definitely important to establish good communication between team members. The Krispy Kreme Fundraising Sale was truly a remarkable experience for all DECA members. Organization among the members was apparent, and we successfully sold out 1200 doughnuts. I also learned that it is important to delegate the duties between members, and that commitment is crucial in the success of any endeavour.

Fundraising for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation also made me realize that it is important to look for projects that satisfy goals beyond my own. In other words, working in a team to benefit the community-at-large is a good source of motivation to accomplish a task. It is equally important, then, to keep this motivation going, all the while having fun and doing something that everyone enjoys. These are the negatives I have taken from my past experiences with teams.

Of course, not every project works out. There are always obstacles along the way, such as differences of opinion, changes in schedules, and a lack of communication. For example, our band trip to Chicago was cancelled due to a lack of interest and commitment. On several occasions, band members failed to attend rehearsals without valid excuses. This led to a loss of motivation and spirit among the students, causing indifference and division.

Moreover, I have learned that there will be times when there are external factors that will hinder a team from accomplishing its goals and objectives. Our DECA School Chapter planned a fashion show for the Spring, but due to administrative policies, we were forced to abandon the idea. Despite our efforts to initiate another project, it became increasingly apparent that others chose not to get involved. Hence, I learned that,

Example of Preflection


TEAM CONTRACT

I. Goal(s) of the team: The shared goals of the team are…

a. Ensuring that all team members work together as a team so that all team members can develop valuable life skills

b. Ensuring all team members expand their knowledge of investing c. Finishing in the Top 10 of the Investment Challenge with a portfolio value of at least

$120,000 (20% Capital Gain). d. Developing long lasting friendships amongst all team members above and beyond the

AFM 131 course and our tasks as a team.

II. Code of conduct:

a. All team members shall have the freedom to voice their opinion provided it is done so in an appropriate and considerate manner.

b. Team members must come to meetings prepared at the scheduled meeting time, unless a valid explanation of your absence can be provided beforehand to another team member that plans on attending the meeting.

c. I f a team member agrees to take on a task, the task should be completed by the agreed upon deadline. I f the team member can foresee not being able to complete the task by the specified deadline, he/she should seek immediate help from other team members.

d. Should any decisions be made, there must be a consensus and agreement from at least 3 of the 4 team members in order for the decision to be considered accepted and agreed upon by the team.

e. The deadline for discussion postings will be Thursday night at 12:00 am. f. Any assignments being submitted as a team must be completed at least 24 hours in

advance of the prescribed due date to ensure all team members have a chance to review the assignment and make suggestions.

III. Roles:

1. Robert Hoare, CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is responsible for leading team discussions and resolving any conflicts that may arise amongst team members. The CEO is also the representative of the team for any in-class presentations or discussions.

2. Sonia Shantikumar, CIO (Chief Information Officer) is responsible for ensuring all tasks or assignments are completed and ensuring that all team members receive draft copies of any team assignments at least 24 hours before the prescribed due date to review the assignment. The CIO is also responsible for taking notes and minutes during team meetings.

3. Sarah Tyrer, COO (Chief Operating Officer) is responsible for scheduling group meetings and contacting group members to ensure that all members are aware of meeting times and places. The COO is also responsible for communications with the TA regarding assignment submission and marks.

4. David Lin, CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is responsible for trading transactions in the Investment Challenge provided that the transaction has been approved by at least three of the four team members. This position has been created to control chaos, confusion, and duplication of transactions in the game. All team members will have equal input in transactions and involvement in the game.


PEER FEEDBACK FORM Evaluator:____ Chi Lun Kitty Leung _____ Receiver:__Margarita de Guzman Team: ___82____

This form is used to give performance feedback to each team member, so you will need to complete as many forms as there are other team members. The assessment is grouped into two main categories: content / task accomplishment and process / leadership. Be sure your assignment of scores differentiates between the level of performance and behavior of individual team members. For example, differences in the listening ability should be reflected in different ratings. Rate the items using the following scale:

1 = Almost never 2 = Seldom 3 = Sometimes 4 = Often 5 = Almost always

Contribution to Content / Task Accomplishment 1 2 3 4 5 Shows initiative by doing research and analysis, takes on tasks

x

Prepares for and attends scheduled meetings

x

Makes positive contributions to meetings and helps team achieve objectives

x

Reliably fulfills assignments and work is of high quality

x

Contributes ideas to team’s analysis and to my learning of course concepts

x

Contribution to Process / Leadership 1 2 3 4 5 Keeps team focused on priorities

x

Supports / coaches / encourages team members

x

Listens carefully to contributions of others

x

Manages conflict effectively

x

Demonstrates effective leadership on the team x

I. Please provide specific example(s), supporting your Content / Task Accomplishment ratings. Margarita is willing to sacrifice her spare time onto assignments and discussions. For example, she has helped putting all of our thoughts together for our team contract and also the assignment 2. Besides, she always volunteer to do work and will complete them as soon as possible in order for the rest of the team to edit it. For example, she volunteered to do the first assignment that we have and then she sent it to us to go through and give comments about the assignment. She will also give comments and feedback for other team members or help edit our work. Besides, Margarita is a responsible member of the team; she will definitely finish every task that the team has assigned her to do. She has a positive attitude toward every team member and she has done a great job throughout. Having the role of CEO of the team, Margarita has done a really great job. She organizes teamwork effectively and she will also try to convince teammates to have their work done in advance by setting up specific team deadlines. This helps leading our team to achieve success and become more effective. I am pleased to have Margarita as my teammate this year!

II. Please provide specific example(s), supporting your Process / Leadership ratings.

Margarita always sends us e-mail telling us how are we doing and keeping track of our work. She will also encourages us in keeping up our work or improving when we got a not-so-good mark. She will listen to us carefully and will give us feedbacks or correct us where necessary. She has demonstrated leadership effectively by scheduling and planning things where necessary and supporting other team members. And the most important thing is that she treats every team member fairly and with respect. Margarita will also encourages us to improve when needed. One example is through sending e-mail to every team members and tells them how we’re doing. For the first two or three discussion, our group isn’t doing that well. Margarita then sends us e-mail telling us our problem (should be more focus and depth) and figure out a method (splitting the discussion into four parts and everyone of us has to post four times in order to answer each question thoroughly) that we can improve.


Example of team midpoint reflectionHow have the assignments gone?

• I believe the assignments have gone very well. Everyone has participated and contributed equally. For the first assignment we wrote up our team contract. We set our goals and we have worked hard to achieve those goals. Each member of the group has put in effort and has shown up to every meeting and we are very productive. We have learned to feed off each other’s opinions. A member of the group is designated to hand in the assignment and all of our assignments have been handed in on time.

• I am very happy with the group I am in. Everyone is responsible for doing

their own part of the work and there have been no conflicts. We work really well together and now that we have gotten to known each other more, I believe that the second half of the course can only be better


Example of midpoint reflectionWhat specific personal behaviour do I wish to improve most, and how will I accomplish this?

• The behaviour I will like to improve on the most is my impatience. I get very impatient when things are not done in the way and manner that I want. I often disregard the opinions of the other team members because they are not according to my principles. For example, during a meeting, we wanted to buy shares from companies and I suggested that we should buy some shares from companies that I thought were making huge profits such as Google. One of my team mates said that we should think properly before buying it and that we could not jump into buying shares like that. I was really getting impatient because I felt she was wasting so much time. I told her there was nothing to think about; so we made the purchase and at the end of the next day we made huge loss. I felt so bad because if we had thought about it before making that purchase, we would not have had such a huge loss. I realized that impatience has caused so many errors for me, not only in my academics, but in my personal life as well. I have decided to improve on this behaviour by trying to be calm and listen properly when others talk. Also, I plan to think before I talk because I realized that I usual act on impulse rather taking my time to think through. I should also try to be rational when it comes to the effects of the team such as giving others the chance to speak.


Student ePortfolios

• Margarita de Guzman

• Brooke Hancock

• David Lin

• Sylvia Przychodzki

• Kamen Sun


What have we learned -1?• Fourth year students were resistant to the use of

ePortfolios – Demonstrated by lower teaching rating and comments on

evaluations– are jaded on the subject of teamwork –resistance to discussion

(“we’ve been doing this for years……..”)– Relatively high level of anxiety because of uncertainty at 4th year

level and grade expectations– Concern about experimentation

• Don’t mention the idea of experimentation on them for the good of future students

– Lack of focus on professional accomplishments– Already placed in appropriate work venues


What have we learned -2?• More detail and enthusiasm at 1st year level

– Good students more aware of benefits to distinguish themselves in employment opportunities

– Incoming students see opportunity for distinguishing themselves in employment

– Need structure for reflections– Need examples from which to draw– Need direction about content

• Tremendous volume of work in marking individual ePortfolios (very expensive)– Immense task in providing quality feedback.

• ePortfolios have applications beyond our program


What do we do next? -1

• Working with incoming students:– Reduction in scale (only 250 this year)– Working with AFM students only, not service

teaching– Increase in feedback to students– Will continue to work on Teamwork, but

provide larger base


What do we do next? - 2

• Working with continuing (second year) students:– Continue to entice students to participate fully,

working with second year instructors– Development of “catchy cdrs” for co-op opportunities– Development of the academic base, along with the

personal skill developments– Experiment with use of ePortfolios in lieu of work

reports for co-ops

success starts at the top eportfolios – an integrating framework bob sproule school of accountancy...

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