_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina
Vol. 24, No.8
February 16, 2012
Special Edition!
eBriefcase Fact and Fiction
By Nory Prochaska
Chair, eBriefcase Implementation Team
Director, Math Tutoring Center
The Education Briefcase (eBriefcase or eB) is an on-line portfolio tool intended to support implementation of the
University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). As with any new campus-wide initiative, the implementation of the
eBriefcase has generated its share of rumors, myths and misunderstandings of the sort that can stand in the way of a
smooth and efficient introduction.
At the time that the QEP was adopted, there was no commercial software that met the eBriefcase ideal to provide a
collection point for evidence of student engagement and intentional learning. The first attempt to implement the
eBriefcase involved custom-developed software and was piloted in a few first-year seminars and transition courses in the
Fall of 2008 and 2009. Unfortunately, it met with very limited success—students found it uninspired and not userfriendly. Just as this first version was about to begin major revisions, the Blackboard Learning Management System
(LMS) was adopted. The Blackboard system offered a fairly well developed portfolio system as an additional function.
Many characteristics of this system, including operational similarity to the Blackboard LMS and greater flexibility in the
appearance, made this a better choice for the eBriefcase. The Blackboard portfolio system was adopted by the eBriefcase
Implementation Team (eBIT) in the summer of 2010 and piloted in the fall of 2010 with English 101 classes. Since that
time, about a dozen other units have begun to integrate the eBriefcase into QEP implementations, including transition
courses, first courses in the major, senior capstone courses, and pre-internship courses. Being on the cutting edge of both
software evolution and accreditation creativity has its drawbacks; this implementation has been a true learning experience.
Currently, the eBriefcase Implementation Team is reviewing progress to date, which includes addressing misconceptions
and promoting healthy campus discussion about the eBriefcase. A number of these misconceptions are represented by the
bulleted statements below.
•
“The University’s QEP is the eBriefcase”
No, this misconception results from looking at the eBriefcase’s role in the QEP from the wrong end. The Quality
Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a model of experiential (hands-on, applied) and integrated (inter- and multidisciplinary)
education that promotes self-directed learning in our students. The QEP initiates new connections, and enhances current
connections among existing programs, to create a more holistic approach to educating our students. It fosters an
understanding of the outside world through civic and community engagement experiences. The eBriefcase is nothing
more than a tool to help students accumulate evidence of engagement and integration activities, and to provide a place to
reflect on the educational benefit of activities. Later, it provides students with an electronic format in which they can
demonstrate the value-added to their education by the QEP’s emphasis on integration and synthesis. These evidences can
be easily shared in electronic format with potential employers, and graduate and professional school admission
committees.
“eBriefcase will increase my advising responsibilities”
It’s up to departments and programs to decide how the eBriefcase will be used and monitored within the department’s
QEP. Because the eBriefcase is not intended to be course-specific, but is intended to encompass a student’s entire
educational experience, the advising role is one logical place to utilize what students accumulate in their eBriefcase. The
eBriefcase could be helpful to an advisor to get a pre-advising-visit look at what a student has been up to, both in classes
and in the rest of the student’s experience. Specific program benchmarks could be placed in the eBriefcase and used to
give an advisor a reading on students’ progress through the major. Course work, reflections, or documentation of service
activity should provide an indication of a student’s level of engagement in university life or in the major. In short, the
eBriefcase could actually streamline and enrich the advising process, allowing advisors to make better use of their time
with advisees.
•
•
“Everyone says that the eBriefcase is cumbersome and not user-friendly”
The current eBriefcase is based on the portfolio system within the Blackboard LMS, and operates in a similar way to
Blackboard. It is a rich system, so new users may, indeed, find it complicated. However, students who are introduced to
the overall structure of the eBriefcase portfolio system and then have a little hands-on experience, including some
coaching by the Technology Commons, quickly become comfortable with it. When students begin to develop more
complex artifacts, they will begin to appreciate the scope and flexibility of the system.
There are some conflicts between other popular, IT-supported software, and Blackboard. These conflicts are not the fault
of the eBriefcase system; the eBriefcase is as much a victim of these issues as anyone. Blackboard continues to work on
upgrades, fixes, and patches to make its software work well with other software, including Microsoft. As always, support
is available to both students (Technology Commons) and faculty (Coulter Faculty Commons).
•
“My program already mandates a paper portfolio; why should we use the eBriefcase too? What are the
benefits of using the eBriefcase?”
Ten years ago, the majority of faculty did not have their own cell phones; later this year, the new Health Sciences building
will open with a state-of-the-art “voice over internet protocol” phone system. Things change, especially in technology;
who’s to say that when today’s first year students graduate, that disciplines won’t have shifted to mandating an on-line
portfolio? Then, eBriefcase veterans can say “been there, done that”!
In fact, most of what students produce for paper portfolios is already in the electronic format of their word processor or
similar software. While there are some minor issues with translating all of Word’s artistic capabilities to the Blackboard
eBriefcase (and these issues are being ironed out), there is a tremendous advantage to the secure, long-term storage that
Blackboard offers within the portfolio system. For example, suppose a senior decides to create an artifact using something
they produced in their first year, but—darn; they’ve replaced their computer since then, and then there was that time they
lost their thumb drive …. you get the picture. Having accumulated all of their significant work in a single, secure location
will be a bonus to students.
The eBriefcase is also designed around student reflections on their learning experiences. This reflection is an important
part of helping students to integrate all aspects of their education experience. The eBriefcase offers a chance to develop
the reflective habit early and to practice it often.
•
“My program has discipline-specific learning outcomes, so I can’t use the WCU Primary Portfolio because
it is organized on the QEP learning outcomes”
All programs have (or will soon have) a departmental QEP that demonstrates how discipline specific learning outcomes
map to the institutional QEP learning outcomes. The eBriefcase Primary Portfolio can be used as an aid to making that
connection for students.
Alternatively, programs can create a discipline or program-specific portfolio format. This takes some advanced planning
to develop a format, and a little extra work on the part of students to create the portfolio. The Coulter Faculty Commons
can help departments in developing this portfolio format, and the Technology Commons is ready to help students
implement it. As part of this portfolio, mapping artifacts to the QEP learning outcomes can become a synthesis exercise
for students.
•
“What good is the eBriefcase if the student can’t take it with them when they graduate?”
Students who graduate in good standing will continue to have access to their eBriefcase materials for two semesters
following graduation. At present, there is also a function within the eBriefcase system that allows a student to quickly
“package” their portfolio “to go”. It provides a zipped version of the whole portfolio collection that students can download
or burn to a CD. The zipped files are in a format that can be read and further manipulated by any HTML reader. In
addition, Blackboard is exploring the possibility of providing long-term storage for materials created with the portfolio
system (this may involve a small cost to students). The eBriefcase Implementation Team continues to explore ways to
assure that the eBriefcase remains a “living document” even after graduation.
•
“I understand that I don’t automatically have access to students’ eBriefcases. How can I use eBriefcase to
evaluate student work or my program’s learning outcomes?”
Any student work product that is evaluated has to be turned in to the instructor in some form. What happens if a student
fails to turn in a printed project or paper? There isn’t anything to evaluate when that happens, either. Students simply must
be required to “share” their eBriefcase with instructors, just as they are required to submit any other work to be evaluated.
It’s a simple step in the system that provides a link to the portfolio for evaluation of the student work or of the learning
outcomes that the work addresses.
•
“The Technology Commons provides a one-time in-class workshop that will teach my students everything
they need to know about the eBriefcase”
The Technology Commons offers a classroom visit designed to be a first technical exposure to the eBriefcase for new
students, or a review for former users. There is simply not enough time in one class period to explain how the eBriefcase
benefits students AND to cover the technical aspects. Instructors need to spend some time before the Technology
Commons visit explaining how the eBriefcase fits into students’ educational experience, and explaining how its use
enriches a particular course. The eBriefcase Implementation Team has found that students even appreciate hearing how
the QEP was developed—it gives them a little insight into how the university makes decisions about “big picture”
learning outcomes.
Anything worth learning takes time and practice. The eBriefcase is no different. The one-class workshop can get students
started by providing their first contact with eBriefcase in a structured and supportive environment. But creation of
substantial artifacts that are more than a box-checking exercise takes time, creativity, reflection and synthesis. Students
should expect to seek additional help outside of class in order to create meaningful artifacts, because they won’t be able to
learn everything they need in the one-class workshop.
•
“My department’s QEP does not mandate use of the eBriefcase”
You know what they say—timing is everything. Alas, timing was not in the eBriefcase’s favor as departments were asked
to develop their individual QEPs—the initial attempt to create a custom software package for the eBriefcase had just
crashed and burned, and the adoption of the Blackboard portfolio was in its infancy. So, many departments developed
QEPs that either did not include use of the eBriefcase, or referred to it only in very general terms.
But that was then. Now, there is a fairly robust implementation of the eBriefcase up and running. And the eBriefcase is a
creature of the QEP. It’s a good time for programs to look at how the eBriefcase might help in implementing QEPs, and
see how the new tool can enrich teaching and learning. The Coulter Faculty Commons is prepared to help departments
and programs enrich their QEPs and program assessment plans to include regular use of the eBriefcase.
•
“Does my department have any input into the level of involvement of our program with the eBriefcase? Is
every class required to have an eBriefcase assignment? Won’t grading eBriefcase assignments eat up a lot
of my time?”
Just as each department or program is responsible for developing its own plan for implementing the university’s QEP, so
must decisions about using the eBriefcase be made at the department level. The eBriefcase is not a burden added to
already over-flowing faculty plates; it’s an opportunity to make a small change in the way a program operates that has
potentially large payoffs in the observation and measurement of student engagement. It offers students a consistent,
secure, reliable platform on which to accumulate evidence of their best work at the university, to reflect on the learning
that results from that work, and to showcase that evidence upon graduation. It is up to the department to decide if this
evidence will be particular assignments, or if students will choose from the best of their completed and graded course
work.
Some instructors may choose to grade students on the quality of their artifact reflections. Programs that use the eBriefcase
in place of a printed portfolio will need to look at all or part of the completed eBriefcase portfolio in some detail. This
means doing on-line assessment, where it is not possible to give “comment in the margin” type feedback. The Coulter
Faculty Commons can help in development of external rubrics for these assessment strategies. As a trade-off, remember
that looking at portfolios on-line is easier than carrying around a giant carton of folders and binders!
•
“I don’t use Blackboard myself; can my students still use the eBriefcase? What do I have to learn?”
Instructors don’t have to use Blackboard in order for their students to use the eBriefcase. It might be frustrating when
students ask technical questions, but students can always be referred to the Technology Commons for technical
assistance—that’s one of the reasons it’s there! The easiest way for instructors to view student portfolios is for students to
“share” them with the instructor’s Blackboard account, but it isn’t necessary to learn a lot about Blackboard to use this
feature. It is also possible for students to “share” by sending an email containing a link to what is essentially a web page.
•
“Is help available to students outside of class or outside of the Technology Commons? I have distance
students, so I can’t have a classroom visit, and my students can’t get to the Technology Commons. How can
they get help with the eBriefcase?”
Within the eBriefcase there is a set of text and video tutorials that explain all of the basic parts of using the eBriefcase.
The Technology Commons can create new tutorials for any special applications that arise, including for distance classes.
Calls to the IT Help lines for eBriefcase help will be forwarded to technicians who are trained to provide assistance on the
eBriefcase, and there are eBriefcase email help accounts listed in Outlook, on publicity materials, and in links within
Blackboard and the eBriefcase. Technology Commons staff members can also set up “virtual appointments” using screen
sharing software.
•
“Okay, how can I get started using the eBriefcase in my department/program/class?”
To get started planning for eBriefcase use in your department, program or classes, start with a discussion with the
eBriefcase Implementation Team to find out what has and has not worked for others. Be aware that students close to
graduation might resist adding something new to their repertoire, and first-year students think graduation is another
lifetime away and can be hard to motivate toward saving their first-year work. A good approach is to make eBriefcase a
part of the program starting in the first courses in the major, with a thoughtful strategy to weave it throughout the
curriculum. Also, it seems to be best to start with a fairly straightforward first effort in which it is easy for students to see
the connection to learning outcomes. As more programs start to use the eBriefcase, more information will become
available to guide its use. The eBriefcase Implementation Team is the collection point for this guidance.
So, what questions do YOU have about the eBriefcase? Any facts or fictions that you want to check out? Let us know!
The eBriefcase Implementation Team steering committee:
Nory Prochaska, Chair (Director of the Mathematics Tutoring Center)
Laura DiNunzio (eBriefcase Student Support Specialist in the Technology Commons)
Chris Baxley (Applications Analyst in the IT Division)
Murat Yazan (Director of the Writing, Rhetoric and Critical Studies program, faculty member in the English Department)
Freya Kinner (Instructional Developer in the Coulter Faculty Commons, faculty contact for eBriefcase)
Erin McNelis (Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Chair of the Faculty)
Carol Burton (Assistant Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies, Office of the Provost).
____________
Editorial Notes
By Vera Holland Guise
Faculty Fellow, Coulter Faculty Commons
Well, again this month we have a special edition in order to publish all the really good articles that faculty are submitting.
We don’t mind; it’s a sign of the times, we think.
Also, we are premiering an altered masthead with this issue. Special thanks go to Jon Benton, in the Faculty Commons. It
is still a work in progress; we hope to have a final revision ready in time to premier it in the Fall in celebration of the
silver anniversary of The Faculty Forum. What do you think? The links at the top should be functional no later than
Monday of next week. It does take a few days to get everything through all the hoops and working. But everyone should
see an immediate improvement, especially in the capacity to respond and comment to feature articles.
And a special thanks for being such wonderful prolific writers! Let us hear from you! This special edition features an
article we know is on the forefront of a lot of faculty member’s minds. The Faculty Forum is the place to comment, ask
questions, or share your frustrations. As Nory says in her article, new technology is very hard for some of us (maybe most
of us!) to learn to use, on top of everything else on our plates. Reading back through the early issues of The Faculty
Forum, faculty was complaining that they were expected to go over to Hunter Library and learn how to use something
called a computer! And the rest is history. We have our ears on; let us hear from you!