Kolb`s Learning Cycle Kolb`s Learning Cycle Kolb`s Learning Cycle

Kolb’s Learning Cycle
observ
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Re f inquiry, C al reflect on
e experie
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nc g places and nce
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— Cr
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Workplace learning
internships
virtual placements
clinical placements
informal learning
volunteer projects
formal learning
Lynn McAllister and Kim Hauville
Queensland University of Technology | eLearning Services | Brisbane, Australia
studenteportfolio@qut.edu.au
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
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•
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l
se
iv
tice
rac
ep
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°
°
°
°
°
°
ce
s
—
Le
° Reviewing and
reflecting on
experiences
° recognising learning
moments
° identifying
significant aspects
of practice
supports pedagogies across places and spaces
travels with the learner to future learning places and spaces
promotes ‘real world’ assessment
supports pedagogic innovation
centres the student in evidencing unit/course learning outcomes
Assessment citeria: Students need a clear understanding of the purpose for
compiling a professional ePortfolio. The CRA rubric is one means of clarifying
expectations. Criteria underpinning current ePortfolio assessments at QUT
suggest the degree to which students should:
•
•
‘… it allows you to bring together all
the learnings, to see what you got
from university and also your work
experiences and to relate
them to each other.’
3rd year Engineering
•
•
•
identify, describe and analyse critical incidents
relate the incident to their own skills, professional experience, and
discipline knowledge
detail significant factors underlying the incident/issue
reframe or reconstruct future practice or professional understanding
evidence their awareness of the depth and breadth of the profession/industry
‘When you’re going through university some
things seem irrelevant … then when you come
to learning through ePortfolio you see they
really do relate to each other.’
3rd year Education
Place and spaces — ePortfolio in the curriculum
Master of Information Technology (Library and Information Studies) students
undertake a course-long Professional Practice unit developing their professional
ePortfolios as the major assessment in the unit. Students develop critical reflections
and gather artefacts to evidence learning from a range of spaces and places such as
prior experiences, work placements, mentorships as well as formal unit-based
learning and professional industry events. Students are supported by the ALIA
professional standards, the basis for job seeking and ongoing professional development.
Bachelor and Master of Social Work — students use the QUT Student ePortfolio to
undertake assessment components across their courses. These tasks challenge
students to understand their profession and to recognise both their formal learning and
informal and work-based learning as they develop the skills and abilities to
meet the Australian Social Work (AASW) practice standards, and to show how they
have met the unit/course learning objectives. In this way, the unit and course
coordinators can clearly see student achievement.
Bachelor of Laws — 3rd year Virtual work placement unit. The QUT Student
ePortfolio has enabled innovation in assessment. Students evidence their
learning through ePortfolio development. The CRA rubric for grading has
developed over a number of years to best support students’ understanding of the
assessment requirements. The task recognises the diverse ways in which learning
objectives may be evidenced. This has informed the revision of unit learning
objectives to explicate both generic and discipline-specific skills.
‘By doing the critical
reflection you are actually
learning from your
experience’
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onceptual
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Final year Education students undertake ‘real world’ interview assessment. The
ePortfolio process is introduced early in the Bachelor of Education. Students compile
their ePortfolios across the course, drawing together theory-based learning and
classroom practica, to evidence the Queensland Standards for Teachers. The
Portfolio/ePortfolio then fulfils the assessment requirement and can be used to
support formal employment-seeking processes.
ab
Bachelor of Information Technology — students undertake core foundational studies in
the first semester where they reflect on curriculum activities progressively over the
semester. The ePortfolio underpins three assessment activities that challenge students
to make connections between their existing skills, their understanding and
expectations of working in the IT industry and the discipline topics covered; to explore
the IT industry and identify workplace or industry skill requirements; and to develop a
sophisticated, critical approach to reflection by using assessment feedback and
reflective frameworks to focus their reflective writing.
2nd year Engineering
ni
n
a
Nursing unit coordinator
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Nurse Practitioner students are experienced nurses returning to off-campus
postgraduate study to formalise their experience. At QUT, the course coordinator
has reinvigorated existing assessment through ePortfolio. Students compile a
professional ePortfolio of critical reflections and supporting artefacts, drawn from
prior experience, clinical practice and the ‘classroom’, to show how they meet the
ANMC Nurse Practitioner Competencies. Lecturers have seen enhanced reflective
capacity and meta-learning in students undertaking this type of assessment.
‘... these exercises (critical
reflections) have assisted students
to develop more critical reflection
and gain more understanding of the
ANMC competencies ... It’s
definitely helped meet that first
goal.’
° analysing
experiences and
learning moments
° relating theory and
practice
° meta-learning
° Future practice
° planning for
further learning
and development
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.