1. Moving Towards an Integrated Learning
ePortfolio as an "Educational Passport"
Assessment Institute
October 25, 2010
Linda Anstendig
Beth Gordon Klingner

2. How do you define ePortfolios?

3. I Integrated Learning Approach to ePortfolios
II From Pilot to University Implementation
III Building a Culture of Evidence
IV Reflective Writing as Developmental Process
V Rubric

4. What does integrated learning mean to you
or your course, or your university?

5. Teaching and Learning
Assessment Career
ePortfolio
Integrated Learning

6. Getting Students to Make Connections
• Help them see ePortfolios
as an “educational passport”
for their journey through
Higher Ed.
• Help them to begin to think reflectively
• Utilize blogs and forums

7. 6 Months to Start and
1 Year of Progress For ePortfolios!
08.09 09.09 10.09 11.09 12.09 1.10 2.10 3.10 4.10 5.10 6.10 7.10 8.10
Advisory
Board
established
Template
created
Launch Pilot
Program
All
faculty, stud
ents and
staff get
accounts
Develop
webpage
Train
faculty
& staff

8. 0-6 months
• Moving from scattered ePortfolio ideas
to unified ePortfolio thinking
• Getting faculty support
• Seeking student interest
• Achieving administrator (stakeholder)
buy-in

9. Previous Experiences With ePortfolios
• Isolated courses using varied platforms
• Technological challenges
• Low faculty/student participation
• Searching for the perfect platform . . .

10. Turning Point
• New IT leadership
• Creation of University-wide template
• Advisory Board: bringing together
staff/faculty across disciplines and
support areas
• Grants: Making Connections and internal
Thinkfinity grant

11. Building Pace’s “Culture of Evidence”
• Building it into the culture through teaching
circles, curriculum, student leadership programs
• ePortfolio’s effects on curriculum and student
life
• Coordinating with Student Life

12. Why
• Other tools considered
• How we discovered Mahara
• Why Mahara is different
• Advantages of Mahara
– masquerade feature
– customizability
– user friendly
– Web 2.0 look and feel
• Challenges of Mahara
– upgrading process
– Template vs flexibility

13. Introducing ePortfolios to the Pace
Community
• Spring 2010 pilot (20 Sections, 230 students)
• Faculty Development Day-Trent Batson, keynote
speaker
• Student focus groups
• Training staff/faculty/student groups—focus on
pedagogy and reflection in addition to technology
• Coordinated with Career Services on resume
section
• Held student contest

14. ePortfolio Resources For The Pace
Community
• ePortfolios
– www.pace.edu/eportfolio
– Tutorials, news, student samples
• ePortfolio Resource/Information Group
on http://eportfolio.pace.edu
– Troubleshooting, feedback, forums
– Useful files (tips, guides, news)

15. Keeping the Momentum
• PR – Blogs, logos and promos
• Increased outreach to major stakeholders
• Accounts for all, link to Bb, lifelong access
• Faculty/staff/student workshops
• IT helpdesk support
• Teaching circles for Fall 2010

16. What’s next
• Building a student “army”
• Training Student Leaders, RAs
• Co-hosting programs with Career Services
• Developing Assessment plans with faculty
reviewers
• Keeping up with Mahara – adding servers,
storage space and developing
theme/design
• Student Showcase
• Using Google Analytics

17. 2010-2011 Timeline
September October November December January February March April May
Reach out to
UNV101
classes
Train library
staff and
advisors
Expand
Pilot
Program
Redesign
Theme
Create
Rubrics
Student
Showcase

18. The Reflective Process
• What pedagogical techniques best
support reflection?
• How does eP web 2.0 interfaces promote student
reflectiveness?
• What do students actually do with the discrete
reflections that accompany course-based artifacts?
• How can faculty provide feedback on student
reflection that will nudge students toward higher
order thinking and integration of learning?

19. What is Reflective Writing?

20. Reflective Writing IS:
•Your response to
experiences, opinions, events, new information
•A way of thinking to explore your learning
•An opportunity to gain self-knowledge and self-
awareness
•A way to achieve clarity and better
understanding of what you are learning
•A chance to develop and reinforce writing and
thinking skills
•A way of making meaning out of what you study

21. Reflective Writing is NOT:
•Just conveying facts, information or an
argument
•Pure description, though describing and
observing are a part of any good reflection
•Straightforward decision or judgment about
whether something is right or wrong
•Simple problem-solving
•A summary of course notes
•A standard university essay

22. • Perceptions, experiences, ideas, and observations of course and content
• What you found confusing, interesting, inspiring, and why
• Conclusions you have drawn from your observations, descriptions, and
perceptions, questions you still have that need to be addressed
• Your processes of solving a problem, reaching a conclusion, finding an answer or
reaching a new understanding
• Interpretations, alternative perspectives
• Comparisons and connections between what you are learning and your prior
knowledge and experience, prior assumptions, and/or what you know from other
courses or disciplines
What To Include in Reflective Writing:

23. 1. Writer gives brief description – who, what, where, when questions; specific
evidence and examples
2. Writer explains process of learning – through reading, research, doing, talking to
others, from lectures, experimenting, making mistakes
3. Writer begins to analyze and interpret learning – by inquiring into why things
happened, why choices made, what factors were significant; by making
connections between theory and practice; showing confusing parts and how they
have been clarified (and/or what confusions remain)
4. Writing explains consequences – answers So What questions; demonstrates
what has been learned; explains new knowledge and concepts gained and how
these fit in with old; what changes may occur because of new knowledge; what is
major significance
5. Writing is clear, coherent and organized, correct grammar and mechanics
used, strong voice that is appropriate for content and audience
Criteria For Effective Reflective Writing:

29. Thanks for joining us!
Beth Gordon Klingner bklingner@pace.edu
Linda Anstendig lanstendig@pace.edu
Don’t forget to visit our websites:
https://eportfolio.pace.edu
www.pace.edu/eportfolio