Pepperdine University
Portfolio Assessment
Background
Research
Recommendations
Outcomes
Background
Created in 1994 by Faculty Members Don Thompson
(Mathematics & Great Books) & Lee Carroll (English)
Comprehensive Longitudinal Portfolio Assessment of
Undergraduate Student Work
– 50-150 Student Participants per year: 1994-2004
– Portfolios Contain Papers, Assignments, Syllabi,
Exams, & Self-Reflective Audio Interviews
Portfolios Reviewed by Faculty to Measure Mission
Critical Student Learning & Experience
Research
Faculty Participate In Summer Workshops to
Analyze Portfolios
– Inductive Reading
– Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis
– Curricular Recommendations
Portfolio Analysis Focuses on Mission Goals
– Critical Thinking, Moral & Ethical
Development, Multicultural Perspective,
Service Learning, Christian Mission
Critical Thinking Exemplar
Mission Statement Excerpt:
– “the ability to think clearly, logically,
independently, and critically – to synthesize
and integrate knowledge, not simply to
accumulate it.”
Faculty Research Questions
What does critical thinking mean in each
discipline?
How do we evaluate portfolios across
disciplines?
What constitutes evidence of critical
thinking?
Critical Thinking
Assessment Model
Syllabus
10
Self-Assessment
5
All Assignments
0
Student Feedback
Instructor Feedback
Portfolio
Model Components 1,2
Spoke 1--Syllabus
– Is there language reflecting critical thinking goals?
– How will these be demonstrated in the course?
Spoke 2 --Assignment
– What kind of critical thinking is asked for by the
professor in written form, e.g. assigned papers,
tests, quizzes, assigned homework,assigned
reports, labs, . . . ?
Model Components 3,4
Spoke 3-- Instructor Feedback
– What evidence of critical thinking goals &
expectations exists in the professor’s• Grading rubric?
• Written marginal comments?
Spoke 4-- Portfolio
– What evidence of critical thinking is present in
written form in the student portfolio?
Model Components 5,6
Spoke 5--Student Feedback
– Is there evidence that the student has been asked to do
self-evaluation about acquired skills or about the way the
professor evaluated the assignment?
Spoke 6--Self-Assessment
– In the student's semester-end academic selfassessment, what evidence is there of reflection on the
quality of critical thinking this course?
– Is there any mention of critical thinking enhancement?
CRITICAL THINKING RUBRIC BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
COGNITIVE LEVELS
AFFECTIVE LEVELS
Evaluation
Characterizing value
Synthesis
or value complex
Analysis
Organizing
Application
Valuing
Comprehension
Responding
Knowledge
Receiving
SYLLABUS
ASSIGNMENTS
PROFESSOR FEEDBACK
STUDENT WORK (PORT)
STUDENT FEEDBACK
STUDENT SELF-EVAL
(WRITTEN/ORAL)
English 101 Portfolio Analysis
Syllabus
10
Self-Assessment
5
All Assignments
0
Student Feedback
Instructor Feedback
Portfolio
Recommendations
Design assignments that are directly linked to syllabus
Write course syllabi to promote critical thinking/reasoning
Require assignments that ask students to think critically at
multiple levels
Require that students engage in multiple self-assessments
Design a multifaceted program for information literacy
(including workbooks, tours and faculty development).
Presentations
"Shared Learning: CD-ROM Student Portfolio Project,"
a concurrent session presented at the 11th AAHE
Conference on Assessment & Quality, Washington D.C.,
June 8-12, 1996, Don Thompson.
"Digital Assessment on the World Wide Web," a
presentation made at the NCTLA What Works II
National Conference on Postsecondary Education in the
21st Century, Penn State University, June 21-23, 1996,
Don Thompson.
Publications
"CD-ROM Student Portfolio Project at Pepperdine
University," Adult Assessment Forum Journal of Quality
in Adult-Centered Education, Volume V, Number 4,
Winter 1995-96, Don Thompson & Charles Manning.
"A Change in Culture: Pepperdine University’s CD-ROM
Student Portfolio Project," Assessment Update, JulyAugust 1997, Don Thompson & Cynthia Cornell Novak.
Rehearsing New Roles: How College Students Develop
as Writers, Lee Carroll, SIU Press, 2002.
Campus Impact
General Education Reform
– Junior Writing Portfolio Requirement
– Writing Intensive Major Course Requirement
– Cultural Diversity Requirement
Irvine Foundation Grant Assessment Protocol
Diversity Statement in Strategic Planning
Process