December 16, 2023, by Laura Nicholson
Five things you can do in Mahara you might not have known about
🎄🌟 Today, on the 16th of December, a special shout-out to Claire Storr, our Learning Technology Consultant for Placements! Thanks for authoring this blog post and sharing your Mahara expertise with us all 🎅🎁
As 2023 comes to an end, it is time to celebrate the ePortfolio platform: Mahara. In the past year, there has a lot of change in Mahara as there was a big upgrade which brought a number of new features and developments. To celebrate this, I have I have compiled a list of five things you can do in Mahara that you might not have known about.
1. Ability to create and share ePortfolio templates
There is a really useful tool in Mahara that allows you to create an ePortfolio in Mahara and then make it a template. These templates can be used either by yourself on other portfolios so you can have a consistent layout or feel. Alternatively, it can be shared with others to use.
2. Use ePortfolios for peer assessment
Mahara boasts a range of assessment tools which you can use however did you know that it can be used for peer assessment? A peer assessment block can be added to a portfolio page and when it is shared with a peer, they can leave their feedback. A great way for students to collaborate in Mahara.
3. Creating multiple journals for different purposes
You might already know that you can use journals in Mahara, but did you know that you can set up multiple journals? When I say multiple journals, I mean you can set up more than one journal where you can post your journal entries. You might decide to have a journal to post your reflections on Professional Development and then another journal to post your reflections on a specific module.
4. Use SmartEvidence frameworks for self-assessment
One of the new features that has been introduced in Mahara this year is the ability to add competency frameworks. These are known as SmartEvidence frameworks. You may not have known this bit. However, when a SmartEvidence framework is set up, you can choose to make it a self-assessment. It is worth noting here, that you cannot set this up yourself and you will need to contact Learning Technology to assist you with this.
5. Attend a training session
Hopefully, this blog post has intrigued you to find out more about Mahara. Well, you are in luck. Firstly, there is a wide range of guidance on Mahara available on the Mahara Help and Guidance Moodle page including guidance on all the things mentioned in this blog post. There are also two separate training sessions which you can attend on Mahara which are Using ePortfolios in Mahara and Using Mahara for Assessment.
As I have said, 2023 has been a big year for Mahara however 2024 looks like it might be just as exciting with a lot of developments coming our way. Keep your eyes out for future developments.
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