The e-portfolio implementation journey: 

Mahara was introduced using the successful model adopted for implementation of Moodle in 2005. It was installed in 2008 for experimentation, and the first formal pilot started in Autumn 2009 in the Business School on a module entitled Personal Development involving 500 plus students in 19 groups with 14 tutors. The lead tutor was an established Learning and Teaching Fellow. Presentations to Learning and Teaching Committee, at workshops and within faculties developed interest and further volunteer tutors for pilots. Feedback about Mahara was gathered from these early adopters, and in March 2010 it was agreed to pay developers to enhance 'core' Mahara for the following academic year. In Autumn 2010 Mahara was being used in all but one faculty, and university-wide for staff development (PG Certificate in Education):

Governance: The Centre for Enhancing Learning and Teaching (CELT) (previously known as the Staff and Student Development Department, and and before that the Learning Methods Unit) is responsible for supporting the professional development of academic staff in using effective pedagogies (including the use of learning technologies). It runs the Post Graduate Certificate in Education for all new lecturers, and further modues leading to an MA Education qualification. It also develops the University Learning and Teaching Strategy, although each faculty develops its own interpretation of this with more detailed plans. Within CELT there is a small Learning Technology Development team headed by the Professor of Learning Technology. The team now comprises of just one Tutor for Learning Technology and two Multimedia Designers. The team is responsible for promoting the introduction and embedding of appropriate new learning technologies such as Moodle, WIMBA, Mahara, and Shareville (a locally developed 3D virtual town hosting video enacted problem-based learning triggers). The two Multimedia Designers (who are currently on short term contracts) focus exclusively on Shareville. The Professor of Learning Technlogy, Director of Learning & Teaching, PVC (academic) and senior staff representing the faculities are members of the Learning and Teaching Committee which is a key forum for discussing and promoting effective practice. Each faculty also has its own Learning & Teaching Committee. The approach used in implementation of e-portfolios fits within this professional development of staff model using an established network of Learning and Teaching Fellows, learning technology champions, and early adopters. The Learning and Teaching Committee receives reports/ demonstrations of practice from practitioners and this is then shared within their faculties. This approach supports innovative staff and enables their practice to be shared quickly. Formal evaluations, benchmarking, business plans are not part of this professional development model for implementation.

Technology intergration:- seamless to Moodle and LDAP. From Moodle students simply select 'Mahara ePortfolio' and they are automaticaly logged in. The first time this happens the Mahara profile is automatically populated with the data from Moodle.

Funding :

Influential projects led by institution staff (internal and externally funded):

HEFCE E-Learning Strategy and Capital Investment Funding (2005): Moodle was introduced into Birmingham City University in 2004 in a phased and organic approach. The plans can be seen in detail in the this edition of Digital Future (an internal newsletter produced by the Professor of Learning Technology). This edition also reveals how HEFCE E-Learning Strategy and Capital Investment Funding (2005) was used in part to establish a network of faculty secondees, faculty Moodle administrators, and departmental 'Moodlers' in each department within the faculties. They were all seconded one day per week to promote and support Moodle. This funding was for two years, so by 2007 this 'pump priming' came to an end. However, the decision was made to continue a similar style of engagement (but more generalised) with CELT funding one Senior Learning and Teaching Fellow and one Learning Technology Champion in each of the six faculties one day per week.

JISC BID 2007/8: BCU successful in a bid to the Joint Information Systems Committee under a call entitled 'Institutional Approaches to Curriculum Design'. The bid - 'Technology-Supported Processes for Agile and Responsive Curricula' (T-SPARC) had a small element that utilised Mahara to help staff reflect on their experiences of course re-design - the first evidence of senior management 'buy-in' to Mahara.

Internal funding 2010: Mahara was introduced into Birmingham City University in 2008, and early experimentation and a more formal pilot led to new requirements being established. A Statement of Work was agreed in March 2010 with Catalyst IT Ltd to add new functionality and improve some existing functionality of 'core Mahara'. Agreeing (and paying for) changes to core Mahara would mean that we would not become 'stranded' with a unique version of Mahara that we could not support in the future. This new functionality was to be released to the public as a new version (1.3) in September 2010.

References made to e-portfolios in institutional strategy docs:

There is a central Learning & Teaching Strategy with broad statements developed by the Centre for Enhancing Learning and Teaching , the 2007 one is shown here. Each faculty develops its own interpretation of this with more detailed plans. e-Portfolios are not specifically mentioned in the strategies at the moment.

Implementation journey milestones