Mapping

This diagram (created by Kevin Kelly at SF State, click to enlarge) shows how ePortfolios can be used to map individual student work to the overarching campus goals. Campuses can build on the process from the top down during program review cycles by helping departments align their program objectives with university strategic plan goals and/or graduation requirements. These graduation requirements often include General Education (GE) content objectives, campus student learning outcomes (SLOs), or both. At the same time, campuses can promote the use of ePortfolios to assess students' achievement of program objectives. Academic technology units and faculty development centers can work with departments and instructors from the bottom up to map course objectives to program objectives. Next, staff and faculty-in-residence can work with individual instructors to identify student projects that would generate appropriate artifacts to demonstrate student competencies. When these two approaches meet in the middle, it is then possible to show the connections between student work and institutional goals.

We will be sharing more ideas about how to use ePortfolios at the course, dept.,and campus levels...

The DEBATE

At SF State, we are approaching assessment with a multiple strategies.
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion re: an article: The Limitations of Portfolios (10/16/09)
October 16, 2009
Inside Higher Ed

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2009/10/16/shavelson

Richard Shavelson, Stephen Klein and Roger Benjamin write that "Electronic collections help show the range of students' work, but are not standardized or scalable enough to be used for broad assessment purposes."

The reactions to the article are really worth reading as are AAC&U President's Carol Schneider's response here: http://blog.aacu.org/index.php/2009/10/19/the-proof-is-in-the-portfolio/

Our response? Assessment need not be an "either/or" between testing or portfolios. We are addressing the "scalability" issue through the use of "tagging", wherein students can tag artifacts that map to course, dept., institutional and national learning outcome/goals. We no longer feel that there need be a dicotomy between ePortfolio and Assessment systems, as tagging can address both needs.

ePortfolio Conference, August, 09, CSU/Merlot

ePortfolio Day of Planning August 13, 2009 ~~ San Jose, California

A great post-conference website has been set up as a source of information and support:
Videos of presentations are available and cover these topics:
Day of Planning Home
Orientation
Mapping
Creating an ePortfolio Culture

ePortfolio Overview Video

Here is a great overview PPT movie about ePortfolios made by a student at BCIT.
I especially like the emphasis on developing a positive online "reputation". With employers now checking social media before hiring candidates, having an ePortfolio will be an important distiction for students.

We've continued to build out our ePortfolio clearinghouse website at SF State--
http://eportfolio.sfsu.edu
Our Gallery includes new examples of student sites, department archives and information on the 2 "build options" or approaches we are supporting on our campus.

This year we are focusing on assisting faculty and students with reflective writing as a core element in the creation of a meaningful portfolio. A recent essay in Wired by Clive Thompson on the "New Literacy" underscores our understanding of the relevance of student writing tied directly to projects/artifacts/evidence.

ePortfolios are a direct way to educate students on the larger discipline specific competencies that they are required to demonstrate.
Reflective writing with links from coursework to goals for a student's major empower students to publicly demonstrate their growing expertise.
Here is an undergraduate example from a Child and Adolescent Development student: http://elinagonzalez.sfsucad.efolioworld.com/
and an example of a Master in Public Health student among many others in the Gallery: http://ingridochoa.sfsu.efolioworld.com/

Thompson writes: "We think of writing as either good or bad. What today's young people know is that knowing who you're writing for and why you're writing might be the most crucial factor of all."
We couldn't agree more!

AAC & U: VALUE Leadership Campus Activity

SF State has enjoyed participating in AAC&U’s Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) initiative through our work on the VALUE project--which "seeks to contribute to the national dialogue on assessment of college student learning," through the development of "meta-rubrics" for national use.

Maggie Beers, our Director of Academic Technology will represent the project in DC in June and address questions related to ePortfolio use at SF State. We've learned a lot since our first needs assessment in 2005 and look forward to sharing and learning from other leadership campuses.

California State University ePortfolio Project

The CSU ePortfolio Project is a community of members – CSU faculty, staff, administrators – that share a common interest in enhancing the quality of teaching and learning through the use of ePortfolios. Lots of good links and information on this site and also on MERLOT:
http://teachingcommons.cdl.edu/eportfolio/

Feb. 25, 2009 ePortfolio Day of Dialogue in San Francisco

We are gearing up to host a day long conference this month on Feb.25th in San Francisco. Co-sponsored by the CSU Chancellor's office (CDL), SF and San Jose State Universities: http://conference.csuprojects.org/eportfolios

This all-day event is designed to bring together K- 20 and workforce organizations who use or who are interested in using ePortfolios. Attendees will have opportunities to hear students, faculty, and experts address issues of teaching, learning, assessment, and tools. We will share successes, lessons learned, tips, and strategies using the latest electronic portfolio technology.
This event is open to the public and anyone interested in the use of ePortfolios in K-20 educational settings. The conference will be held at SF State's new, beautiful downtown campus, 835 Market Street.
http:eportfolio.sfsu.edu
We are also hosting the NCEPR (National Coalition of Electronic Portfolio Research) Our campus along with San Jose State have been members of a research cohort for 2 years, http://ncepr.org/cohort3.html
This week we will be joining with a new cohort (V) to share our results--the successes, failures, and challenges ahead in developing ePortfolio practices in higher education.
Update: Many of the presentations from this event are now archived at:
http://teachingcommons.cdl.edu/eportfolio/resources/eportdodgrid.html