Carolyn Rogers,

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Using ePortfolios for Assessment

• Carolyn Rogers,
• Coordinator, Online Student Services
• Kevin Corcoran,
• Sr. Director, Technology Services
• NERCOMP Workshop
• ePortfolios Learning from Experience
• Vassar College
• November 3rd, 2005

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Student-centered Development Assessing Student
Learning Program Assessment Building Assessment
Tools into an ePortfolio Development and
Implementation Challenges
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Why ePortfolios?
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Who Owns It?
STUDENT
Content
Who Sees It
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Who Owns It?
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Collect

• Allows students and institutions to collect work
• Exemplars of best work (summative)
• Variety of work
• Over Time (formative)

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Reflect

• The Essence of Portfolios much more than a
  collection of objects
• Mindful Engagement with
• work, education, goals
• A thoughtful collection an annotated collection
  of work

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Present

• Presentation of work is student controlled,
  student centered
• ePortfolios facilitate sharing of, and access to
  student work
• Student Work is readily available for assessment
  over time

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Assessment

• Portfolios allow a focus on
• What we want students to learn
• What we want them to be able to do with this
  learning
• How well they demonstrate what theyve learned
• How we can do a better job of helping them learn

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Levels of Assessment

• Using ePortfolios to Assess
• Student Learning
• Courses
• Projects
• General Education Objectives
• Departments
• Institutions

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AssessmentTools

• Developed Tools to Facilitate All forms of
  Assessment
• Project Builder
• Assessment Module

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Project Builder
Scoring Rubrics For Portfolio and artifacts
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Project Builder

• For Instructors
• Encourage selection
• Encourage reflection
• Encourage holistic view
• Rubrics can provide guidance on expectations of
  quality
• Comment

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Project Builder

• For Departments
• Create master project which can be copied by many
  instructors
• Grading rubrics can be aggregated for assessment
  purposes.

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Project Builder

• For Students
• Access Project requirements from eportfolio
• Submit to instructor with one click
• View their comments and rubric scores
• Create job search portfolios by copying work to
  employment portfolio

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Assessment Module
Assessment Module Collect Work Random Selection
Committee Review Anonymity
Reports and/or Raw Data
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Examples Assessing Student Learning

• Formative and Summative
• Writing Assessment- going beyond the grade
• Use ePortfolios as part of a capstone course to
  demonstrate competencies

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For Athletics

• Pioneers win Gold in Australia!!!
• SHU earned gold
• with 2-1 win.
• July 8, 2005

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Study Abroad

• Students keep a portfolio while abroad reflecting
  on their experiences

On their return they will use the ePortfolio to
integrate their learning into their education.
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Assessing Critical Thinking

• ePortfolio.org Projects
• Improve Student Learning in First Year
  Seminar/Orientation Courses
• Use ePortfolios as part of learning communities
• Emphasize peer review in English Composition
  classes
• Use ePortfolio to develop critical thinking and
  communication skills of students in the nursing
  program

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Program Assessment

• Overall assessment of
• General Education Requirements
• Nursing Program- measure program outcomes
• Use ePortfolios as part of articulation
  agreements (course assessment)

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The Challenges
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Change

• Moving to portfolios or ePortfolios requires a
  culture shift at the institution.
• Change can be difficult or can be embraced
  eagerly by faculty and staff who are engaged
  across the institution in a process of discovery
  and problem solving
• Mellow, G. and Talmadge, R. Creating the
  Resilient Community College in Change May/June
  2005

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It Takes an Institution

• or at least a program or major.
• ePortfolios are software packages which require
  new ways of thinking and practice.

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Work Load

• ePortfolios create work for both faculty and
  students, especially at the beginning because it
  requires planning and change.
• Both need to believe that the extra work has
  benefits.
• Success breeds success.

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Build in Assistance

• For Faculty and Students
• Technical How do I use the software?
• Pedagogical How do I use portfolios?

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Assessment Issues

• Few of our institutions had a well thought-out
  robust Assessment strategy that used portfolios.
• Requires Planning- identifying Learning
  Objectives, Rubrics,
• Long and Short term Goals

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Where to Begin?

• First-Year Seminars, Orientation Programs,
  Student Development Courses
• Dilemma of self-assessment
• Students want to know why?

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Who Is In the Room?

• Faculty Driven
• Assessment Infused
• Leadership around Change

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QA

• Carolyn Rogers
• crogers_at_ctdlc.org
• 860 832 3894
• Kevin Corcoran
• kcorcoran_at_ctdlc.org
• 860-832-3889
• www.eportfolio.org