EPortfolio Rationales: Format Can Make a Difference

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E-Portfolio Rationales Format Can Make a
Difference

• R. L Erion, Loye Romereim-Holmes Al Whitlatch
• South Dakota State University
• Available at http//learn.sdstate.edu/erionr/eport
  /

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Background

• End of Program Portfolios for Graduate Programs
  in CI and EdAD
• Switched to electronic portfolios about 4 years
  ago
• Organized by program goals
• Students provide artifacts and rationales
• Until Summer 2007 the portfolio was used as part
  of the oral exam. It is now assessed separately
  as a prerequisite for graduate oral exams.

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Background continued

• Change in usage led to discussions on changes in
  purpose.
• In part as an artifact of the way portfolios
  developed we had multiple visions on purpose
• Program Assessment
• Student Assessment
• Reflection
• Learning Experience
• We also had issues with the quality of student
  rationales.

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A Simple Change

• Students have been providing a rationale for each
  artifact in terms of the goal area for a long
  time (a carry over from paper portfolios)
• We decided that we evaluated in terms of goals,
  so the rationale should be for the entire goal,
  addressing the sum of the artifacts for the goal.

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Before
A perfunctory rationale. Note that this is a one
of multiple rationales. There were those with
better, but despite efforts during the capstone
seminar the quality tended to be low.
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After
One overall rationale with much more attention to
the goal!
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Small Change, Good Return

• Change in format was really quite minor, but the
  quality of portfolios for Summer 2007 and Fall
  2007 was evident
• Less overt emphasis on reflection, but rationales
  became more reflective
• Added bonus in that the portfolio became less
  cumbersome. Significantly fewer pages to link.
  Less effort on mechanics may have contributed to
  change in quality.