Briefly mention how e-portfolios are intentionally included in the general education requirements
These are the known platforms being used at UC: iWebfolio- Honors LiveText- Applied Science Apple- CCM e-Media Google- sporadic classes DAAP Space Blackboard- CECH Educational Leadership Of the platforms shown, iWebfolio and LiveText provides sufficient assessment tools and employs rubrics as the form of feedback and assessment. Blackboard may have been a viable option through Outcomes, but it was very cumbersome (this may greatly differ from campus to campus depending on the terms of the licensing agreement).
The overall vision of the Honors e-portfolio project is to “ Establish a best practice system that engages students in establishing a life-long digital identity that is actively reflective of their curricular, developmental, and professional learning in the University Honors Program at the University of Cincinnati “
Slides 7 and 9 are two portfolios developed by the same student. This is more to show what was initially developed.
Keep the vision in mind- What is driving the e-portfolio platform? There is a distinct difference between a portfolio system that could do assessment and an assessment system that could do portfolios. In support of the vision, we wanted a e-portfolio system. To open or not to open-source? Open-source may be the way to go if one is financially challenged. Should an institution go with open-sourcing, then it would have to realize the limitations and the possibility that assessment is not possible. More work would be needed to develop a system to link, collect, and aggregate the data. The “Swiss Army Knife” keeps changing; need to prioritize features and build partnerships With the growth of e-portfolios as a medium more and more companies are popping up, each offering a variety of features. It’s important to keep the features needed by the institution at the forefront when selecting a platform. UC is a good example of how an institution partners with e-portfolio vendors. Using iwebfolio and LiveText, we’ve built positive opportunities for feedback on how to build a better software environment and introduce new features. Striking the balance between administrative control and personal freedom Comparing the experience from Blackboard to iWebfolio, we realized that we needed to give students the template to grow from. The e-portfolio account is their own (i.e., they can create as many portfolios as they desire), but at some point we need to balance that their their need to fulfill programmatic requirements.
Developing new ways of assessment (e.g., tagging) Can one tag artifacts to show what students can accomplish. This shouldn’t be the primary point of assessment, but an additional data point to triangulate the story. Streamline communication for formative/ summative portfolios (i.e., e-mail, rss) If the portfolio is developed over a number of years, then how would the student communicate with his/her program that they have an artifact posted? How would the program/institution better aggregate the data? The need to further build reflection as a practice and culture During the first two years of implementation, getting students to reflect remains the challenge. More time is needed to build reflection into practice and institutional culture.
This slide is to mention the two sample portfolios regarding the UC Honors Prgram’s eportfolio assignment and selection process.