ePortfolio Explorations Task Force Report, May 2015, p. 1

1. Background

ePortfolio Explorations Task Force

An ePortfolio Explorations Task Force was formed in Spring 2014 by the University Assessment Committee to conduct a consultative process and systematically explore the role of ePortfolios in teaching, learning and assessment at SOU. The Task Force has worked with a broad range of constituents (students, faculty, staff and the broader community) to identify needs, determine the functional requirements of potential ePortfolio software applications that would meet those needs, choose tools for piloting, design formal pilots, report to the Assessment Committee periodically concerning the status of the project and lessons learned, and make recommendations in Spring 2015. Test pilots were initiated beginning Spring term 2014 and rolled out each subsequent term to encompass eight courses representing disparate disciplines and academic career status, from first-year experience through capstone. See ePortfolio Explorations Task Force website for details.

Pilots

The following six pilots were initiated, with 116 students participating:

●Sociology Capstone - (Clint Nichols) (Google Sites) - completed end of Spring term 2014

●Environmental Studies - (Google Sites) - to be completed end of Spring term

●Art 260 (WordPress) - completed

●EMDA299 Digital Portfolios class for Innovation & Leadership Program (Tumblr) - completed

○Note: Online version of class is being pilot tested this summer

●MindBody House - to be completed end of Spring term

●Music Capstone - to be completed end of Spring term

●Early Childhood Development Capstone (fully online program) - to be completed end of Spring term

●Skeptic House – analysis underway, to be completed end of June 2015

2. Conclusions and Recommendations

Needs (Pedagogical, administrative, and professional)

The pilots are demonstrating that the following needs can be met by ePortfolios, depending on the design of the ePortfolio, which artifacts are included, and how artifacts are organized and presented, especially for various audiences:

●Reflection

●Program/institutional assessment

●Personal and post-graduate/professional promotion

Note that another recognized use for ePortfolios is the awarding of credit for prior learning. Such portfolios are not the same as a general ePortfolio; they are a special, limited class of portfolio with a strictly structured format and content totally focused on evaluating prior work against the learning outcomes for the course(s) for which the student is applying for credit. The Innovation and Leadership program has implemented credit for prior learning. Currently, INL students are working with LearningCounts to learn how to create a CPL ePortfolio. The program coordinator will be working with the Center for Instructional Support to create an in-house course. The Credit for Prior Learning program is currently limited to INL students, per policy approved by Academic Senate.

Conclusions

●Audiences. The ideal would be one ePortfolio for all uses and audiences. While web applications designed specifically for ePortfolios support both inward-facing and outward-facing presentations of artifacts, they also have a cost (a typical cost is $89/student). Given current budget constraints, the use of free ePortfolio application(s) is advisable and will be sufficient for our current basic needs.

●Inward vs. Outward. ePortfolios have the capacity to fulfill the critical need of supporting assessment both at the program and institutional levels (inward-looking content), but realistically, it’s has become clear that an outward-facing ePortfolio designed for potential employers has very different functional requirements. Due to these differences, for AY 2015-2016 the Task Force recommends testing the use of two different student ePortfolios: one required ePortfolio dedicated to University Studies, another optional professional ePortfolio, either required by the major, the capstone instructor, or at the student’s discretion. The latter could be used by programs as part of their assessment processes if they wished.

●Value as a Reflective Tool. Reflection and deeper understanding of the value of ePortfolios develops in students over time (and may not develop at all). How reflection prompts are designed is a critical factor in facilitating this meta-cognitive development. The Task Force recommends that a standard set of prompts be identified for all of the University Studies strands, for use by students to be posted with the associated artifact, as part of their ePortfolio. For faculty who want to test the use of ePortfolios in a major, the Task Force recommends using reflective prompts appropriate to the major, as well as scaffolding the connections between what they have learned in University Studies with what they learn in their major.

●Value in Skill Building. One of the primary values in the use of ePortfolios is facilitating reflection and developing an understanding of using different tools for different purposes: a well-designed process is what is critical, not a particular platform or given ePortfolio. Learning to curate their work to tell their own unique story and doing it with technology that allows them to share their work broadly are key skills for 21st century literacy. Therefore, the use of two different ePortfolio systems (if required by the major or capstone) doesn’t represent wasted time. Note also that the platforms recommended can support more than one site - a student can create an ePortfolio for University Studies, and (unless required by their major) use the same platform to create as many separate sites for specialized purposes as they need.

3. Detailed Recommendations

University Studies ePortfolios

  1. Students initiate an inward-facing University Studies (US) ePortfolio in USEM/HSEM/Honors. (Note: The University Studies ePortfolio does NOT replace the portfolios currently in use by USEM, HSEM and Honors.)
  2. Initial content of ePortfolio is developed with specific required (embedded) assignments (along with reflections) for Strands A, B & C.
  3. US ePortfolios will utilize Google Sites with a basic template (students can modify appearance, but the basic structure and reflection prompts remain the same).
  4. The US ePortfolio includes a page for each University Studies strand, with definition of learning outcome(s) and reflective prompt.
  5. While the student owns the ePortfolio, it is also accessible to the Director of Assessment and to USEM/HSEM/Honors instructors for program assessment.
  6. Students maintain their University Studies ePortfolio throughout their time at SOU.
  7. By senior year, each student’s US ePortfolio will include ten artifacts, as follows:
  8. At least one artifact for each of University Studies strands A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J (ten artifacts), in addition to a reflection (based on structured reflective prompts) on how each artifact provides evidence of attainment of the learning outcomes associated with its strand.
  9. Final reflection on the goals and competencies they’ve gained - drawing connections across the strands - and completes their ePortfolio.
  10. For Strands D-J, students choose their own artifacts (one each per strand) to provide evidence they have achieved the learning outcome for each strand.

Professional ePortfolios

  1. After declaring their major, students may develop a separate, outward-facingePortfolio, either on their own, or because the department requires it.
  2. The department chooses the platform (if the department does not use ePortfolios, the student may create their own professional/outward-facing ePortfolio). This may be:
  3. A separate Google Site (supported by SOU)
  4. A WordPress site (supported by SOU)
  5. Other platform (up to the department or individual student to support)

(Note: we do recommend that departments and majors use another Google Site for their ePortfolio, unless the design, audience or other need calls for another platform.)

  1. This ePortfolio concentrates on discipline-specific competencies, as defined by the department (or student, if not set by program).
  1. Students’ major ePortfolio will likely include a section dedicated to their capstone experience.
  2. Enthusiastic students with well-developed ePortfolios will serve as the best models for other students.
  3. Enthusiastic faculty with successful experiences with ePortfolios will serve as evangelists for other faculty.

4. Proposed Pilots AY 2015-16

Goals for next round of pilots (total: n*)

●Ensure that all USEM/HSEM and Honors students have established a University Studies ePortfolio by [target date to be determined by results of Fall pilots]

●Work with interested departments on developing major-based ePortfolios.

●Carry out capstone pilots to understand the needs associated with fully outward-facing ePortfolios.

●Evaluate the University Studies ePortfolio template for use at beginning and end of student’s time at SOU.

●Develop rubrics designed to evaluate ePortfolios.

●Experiment with program and institutional assessment through a combination of ePortfolio and work sample review.

Group 1

University Studies ePortfolios—Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016 (total n* pilots, n* per term)

●MICRO:

○ePortfolios focus on collecting artifacts (work samples) for illustrating mastery of A, B and C Strand learning outcomes and reflections, plus personal values/passions/ mission (see MindBodyePortfolios as example)

○Students can maintain separate “Personal ePortfolio” at any point

●MACRO:

○Set up University Seminar Program Assessment folder on Provost’s S drive for program assessment artifact(s) (work samples—FUSE plus two others)

○Process: Faculty create related assignment link in their Moodle course, download files in zip format, and then upload into University Seminar Program Assessment folder

●TEST: Template, program assessment of both work samples and reflections

●FACULTY INVOLVED: USEM, HSem and Honors faculty

Group 2

“Bookend”—Capstone/Senior Writing—Winter 2016 and Spring 2016 (total pilots n* per term - note, number depends on faculty interest)

●MICRO:

○Students in n capstone/senior writing courses create a University Studies ePortfolio

○Focus is on learning outcomes for Strands A, B and C

○Students collect artifacts—including writing work samples—for attaining A, B and C Strand learning outcomes and reflections (addressing growth from first year to last year)

○Students can include artifacts for the other University Studies strands, but are not required to do so

○Students can create a separate “Personal ePortfolio” focused on personal and post-graduate/professional promotion (might use some of the same artifacts, but frame them for different audiences)

●MACRO:

○Set up Senior Writing Assessment folder on Provost’s S drive for program assessment artifacts (work samples—embedded assignments identified by department )

○Process: [use current process] Faculty collect files in Moodle then forward to S drive

●TEST: Template at beginning and end, program assessment of both work samples and reflections, institutional assessment

●FACULTY INVOLVED: At micro level, n* faculty teaching capstone (or teaching course with embedded senior writing assignment); for macro-level, all departments submit senior writing work samples to Provost’s S drive

Group 3

Other University Study strands—Winter 2016 (prep: work with faculty to develop embedded assignment, three 2-hour sessions?), Spring 2016 (pilot ePortfolios, total pilots n for Spring term - number depends on faculty interest)

●MICRO:

○Students in n* higher division courses meeting H, I or J strands create a University Studies ePortfolio (if they don’t already have one) focused on learning outcomes for Strands H, I, or J

○Students collect artifacts from departmentally-identified embedded assignments that are designed to achieve H, I or J learning outcomes

○Students can include artifacts for the other University Studies strands, but are not required to do so

○Students can create a separate “Personal ePortfolio” focused on personal and post-graduate/professional promotion (might use some of the same artifacts, but frame them for different audiences)

●MACRO:

○Set up designated folder on Provost’s S drive for H-J Strand courses

○Process: Faculty zip files in their own course for selected embedded assignment, download, and then upload to designated folder on S drive

●TEST: Program assessment of implementation of University Strands H, I and J, as identified by departments, against both work samples and reflections

*Note: the number of pilots in each area is to be determined through the piloting process in AY 2015-2016 and through consultation with faculty and departments.

5. Implementation Questions

  1. What incentives are available for students to complete their University Studies ePortfolios (continue posting artifacts beyond required USEM ePortfolio)?
  2. What are the logistics for ensuring they do so (additional “anchor points” to USEM and capstone)?
  3. How will students be supported in the use of ePortfolio applications (Google Sites and WordPress)?
  4. In addition to an orientation in students’ USEM/HSEM/Honors courses, would it make sense to provide a course for credit on how to create and maintain an ePortfolio for those students who want to create an outward-facing, professional ePortfolio?
  5. How will faculty be supported in the use of ePortfolios(technology and pedagogy)?
  6. What is appropriate scaffolding for reflection?
  7. How do we ensure that students collect all of the artifacts they may want to use (proposing use of Google drive)?
  8. How do we maintain a directory of student ePortfolios, and manage access?
  9. What existing programs use iWebfolio, and how/when will they be converted?

6. Graphic Overview

5/29/15