The goal of this course is to support reflective practice and integration of research, theory, and practice across all M.Ed. program courses through the creation of an ePortfolio. Through this digital portfolio, students will strategically and systematically reflect on their learning within and across each of the M.Ed. courses in relation to the four program learning outcomes.
To prepare for the various stages of this process, students will:
- Collect work from all courses across the two years in the program
- Reflect on the documents as evidence of learning
- Select pieces that highlight turning points and changes in thinking
- Connect by sharing with a variety of audiences for feedback
According to Rogers (2001), reflection is defined as, "a cognitive and affective process or activity that (1) requires active engagement on the part of the individual; (2) is triggered by an unusual or perplexing situation or experience; (3) involves examining one's own responses, beliefs, and premises in light of the situation at hand; and (4) results in integration of the new understanding into one's experience." (p.41).
By integrating the ePortfolio reflective experience into the M.Ed. program, student learning will be explored through the lens of the delivered classroom curriculum and the lived curriculum as experienced beyond the walls and campus of SGU (Yancey, 2004) as students cycle through the four stages of Kolb's Learning Cycle (1984):
- having a concrete experience followed by...
- observation of and reflection on that experience which leads to...
- the formation of abstract concepts (analysis) & generalizations (conclusions) which are then...
- used to test hypothesis in future situations, resulting in new experiences.
The ePortfolio should be considered both the process through which students engage in this systemic and intentional reflection, as well as the product of this work.