New state-of-the-art Learning Portfolio platform launching in 2016

McMaster instructors participate in a learning portfolio workshop held this summer to learn more and provide feedback about PebblePad, the University’s new Learning Portfolio platform.

McMaster instructors participate in a Learning Portfolio workshop held this summer to provide feedback and learn more about PebblePad, the University’s new Learning Portfolio platform.


McMaster students and faculty will soon have a new, more “user-friendly” learning portfolio technology available to them.

McMaster has licensed a learning portfolio platform called PebblePad for use across the University. The platform will be widely available to students and faculty starting in January 2016.

“McMaster has been a leader in the use of learning portfolios,” says Arshad Ahmad, Director of McMaster Institute for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (MIIETL), which oversees the Learning Portfolio. “They have the power to accelerate reflection and promote deep learning while allowing students to take charge of how they will assemble learning artifacts and milestones that are unique to their achievements.”

The decision to adopt the new platform, one of the most widely used systems of its kind, was made after months of extensive campus-wide consultations with faculty, staff and students.

“We felt it was critically important to listen to the needs of the McMaster community and involve them in this decision,” says Ahmad. “We are confident that users will find this platform more intuitive and user-friendly, while providing the capability for instructors to build on and incorporate advanced pedagogical processes, creating a richer learning experience for students.”

PebblePad features a simple interface and easy navigation, allowing students to create and share items, and more smoothly facilitate group work. PebblePad also provides faculty with pedagogical supports, templates and rubrics, as well as easier access to student work with opportunities for interactive feedback.

Susan Denburg, McMaster’s Acting Provost and Vice-President Academic, says she is pleased with the new platform and hopes it will lead to continued implementation of the Learning Portfolio, which helps students set goals, track their progress and reflect on a range of educational experiences.

“The pedagogical evidence strongly suggests that the Learning Portfolio can be a valuable tool to enhance student learning,” says Denburg. “Goal–setting and reflection, which are at the heart of the learning portfolio process, can help students cultivate the tools they need to succeed both academically and beyond and lay the groundwork for lifelong learning. I encourage faculty and students to try this new platform.”

PebblePad was implemented this term in more than 30 courses as well as in a number of programs across campus.

McMaster’s current Learning Portfolio platform will continue to be available to students and faculty, but will be phased out over the next three years.  Students and faculty will be able to access both Learning Portfolio platforms through Avenue to Learn.

For more information about PebblePad, contact kruithj@mcmaster.ca

McMaster faculty, staff and students are invited to explore PebblePad at the Learning Portfolio Institute taking place January 26-28, 2016.

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