ePortfoliosfor Higher Education

July 31, 2012

Don Presant

VideoePortfolio at LaGuardia

What is ePortfolio?

http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/e-portfolios

Personal Planning and LearningOnline Locker, Interactive Workbook

• Online archive– Personal & downloaded documents, links

• Resources for self-directed learning– Webinars, videos, self-assessment surveys

• Learning plans and tracking tools– Set goals and track progress to them (Learning Plans)– Keep records of learning activities over time (CPD)

• Personal journal– Reflect on goals and alternative futures– Keep ad hoc “notes to self”, prepare agendas, etc.

• Ongoing Personal Learning Environment (PLE)– “Continuous Learning Environment”

Employment & related purposesDemonstrate, assess & improve Human Capital

• Qualification Recognition– Initial, formative, summative assessment

• Academic recognition– PLAR/RPL for courses and programs

• Career Development– Gap analysis, exploration of alternatives, building pathways

• Employment (Web CV)– Hiring, career advancement, team building tool for employers

• Continuing Professional Development (CPD)– Tracking ongoing learning activities and reflection on practice– Recertification

ePortfolios & Higher EducationPoints of Convergence

• Institution/Program admission– Assessment, gap training

• Undergraduate learning– First year general studies– Course specific/program wide– Work experience, internships

• Capstone– Graduate Attributes– Employability (“School to work”)

• Continuing Education/ Professional Development• Personal Learning Environment

Benefits

• Supports undergraduate learning– Embedded learning activities

• Holistic view of the graduate– Diverse evidence aligned to graduate outcomes– Interdisciplinary, lifewide

• Supports professional identity development– Scaffolded reflection

• Ongoing professional development tool– Personal Learning Environment

Affordances of “e”• Information Management capabilities

– Collecting, archiving, making different versions• Easy sharing

– “One to many”, digital copies, links to specific pages• Collaboration

– Easy to add comments, edit, mentor, coach– Can integrate with other ICT systems

• Measurement– Link to frameworks, rubrics, track learning over time

• Easy to illustrate/demonstrate with multimedia– Pictures, PowerPoint, Audio, Video

• Integration with Internet skills– Online research: documents, networks– Internet literacy– Builds personal network, grooms digital identity

Evidence to demonstrate outcomes

• Authentic Evidence or Documentation– Artefacts: assignments, reports, presentations,

videos, images of objects, etc.

• Explanations or Reflections– Curation of evidence, learning journals, etc.

• Validation Entries or Observations (3rd party)– Evaluations, testimonials, etc.

…more than scanned documents – images, videos, audio clips, forum entries, newsfeeds, etc.

Success FactorsStudent perspective

• Watch the frame of reference– Emphasize “internal” (personal values & interests) over “external”

(expectations of employers & recruiters)

• Focus on learning, not just assessment– PLE, lifelong companion, personal narrative– Private, shared and public space

• Start early and monitor progress• Emphasize content over technology• Opportunities for peer interaction

– Peer review, brainstorming, portfolio buddies, presenting portfolios

• Take small steps with lots of scaffolding– Simple tasks to begin, provide examples– Provide technical and content support and feedback

• Eat your own dog food (i.e. build your own eportfolio)

Success FactorsOrganizational perspective

• Burning platform– Program outcomes, impact on accreditation

• Principles of change management– Accelerating vs. accepting the maxim: “change

happens one retirement at a time”

• Faculty portfolios (“eportfolio is good for you”)– Graduate portfolios– Hiring Portfolios– Continuing Professional Development

• Department portfolio to support accreditation

Constellation of Possible ePortfolio Stakeholders

Penny Light T., Chen H., Ittelson J. 2012. Documenting Learning with ePortfolios – A Guide for College Instructors. Jossey Bass

Don Presantdon@learningagents.ca

careerportfolio.mb.ca

Link to the support page for this presentation:

bit.ly/eP4HigherEd