Moving Towards an Integrated Learning ePortfolio as an "Educational Passport"

Assessment InstituteOctober 25, 2010Linda Anstendig

Beth Gordon Klingner

How do you define ePortfolios?

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

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

Teaching and Learning

Assessment Career

ePortfolio

Integrated Learning

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

6 Months to Start and1 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, students and

staff get accounts

Develop webpage

Train faculty & staff

0-6 months

• Moving from scattered ePortfolio ideas to unified ePortfolio thinking

• Getting faculty support• Seeking student interest• Achieving administrator (stakeholder)

buy-in

Previous Experiences With ePortfolios

• Isolated courses using varied platforms• Technological challenges• Low faculty/student participation• Searching for the perfect platform . . .

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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?

What is Reflective Writing?

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

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

• 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:

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:

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.eduwww.pace.edu/eportfolio