Learner engagement by design in Mahara
Presentation licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0+ excluding the line drawings and background by Evonne Cheung, Mahara Project at Catalyst IT
Kristina Hoeppner // Catalyst IT
Pukunui Webinar // 21 August 2026
How do you know your students are engaged in learning?
Personally meaningful
Value beyond the classroom
Sparking curiosity
Fun
Good challenging
Sense of control
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Portfolios support engagement
L
A
W
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Learning
Professional certification
Assessment
Work-integra-ted learning
Showcase
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A
W
S
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Learning
Professional certification
Assessment
Work-integrated learning
Showcase
Folio thinking
... is a process of engaging in the collection, organization, reflection and connection that leads to a person’s ability to speak intelligently and concisely (i.e. tell stories) about one’s learning experiences, what they mean and their value, and how the experiences relate one to each other.
Mahara activities: 5 Cs
Create
Collect
Curate
Converse
Collaborate
Which activity is most challenging?
Create
Collect
Curate
Converse
Collaborate
Visualise growth
Build self-awareness
Improve decisions
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Why build reflective habits?
Deal with emotions
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Personalise learning
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10 minutes at end of class
Once a week
Share insights with others
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How do you build reflective habits?
Built into activities
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Human reflection partner
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What are some tools to use?
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Log CPD activities
Write journal entries
Self-assess experience
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Reflection support in Mahara
Peer assess experience
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Templates
Portfolio completion
SmartEvidence
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Scaffold portfolio creation
Portfolio completion
SmartEvidence
Portfolio implementation cycle
Adapted from Shari Bowker; a more detailed option is the planning and decision-making guide by the DiKuLe project
Request
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conversation
Discuss readiness
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Decide: Yes/No
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Confirm pedagogy
settings
Setup
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Teach
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Review
Support
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exercise
Train
Monthly newsletter
Podcast 'Create. Share. Engage.'
Mahara Ask Me Anything
Eportfolio Forum
Sydney and online, 23-24 September 2026
Contact
Kristina Hoeppner
Mahara Project Lead
forward_to_inbox kristina@catalyst.net.nz
@anitsirk@cloudisland.nz
khoeppner
language catalyst.net.nz
