Using ePortfolios to Improve
Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
Debra Dunlap Runshe
Instructional Development Specialist
University Information Technology Services - Learning Technologies
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis
Webinar Objectives
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
• describe a variety of purposes for eportfolios
• explain the process of “folio” thinking.
• articulate why reflection is important to deep learning.
• understand how to use eportfolios for assessment
purposes.
• access resources that will help them begin to use
eportfolios to improve teaching and learning.
How are ePortfolios Used?
Teaching & Learning
Self-Representation &
Identity Development
Accountability &
Assessment
What is an ePortfolio?
“A digitized collection of artifacts, including demonstrations,
resources, and accomplishments that represent an
individual, group, or institution.” (Reese & Levy, 2009)
“Created by the three principal activities of collection,
selection, and reflection, student portfolios can be
succinctly defined as collections of work selected from a
larger archive of work, upon which the student has
reflected. Portfolios can be created in many different
contexts, serve various purposes, and speak to multiple
audiences.” (Yancey, 2001)
Balancing the Two Faces
(Barrett, H. 2010)
Learning or Reflection
Focused on process, students:
• learn to self assess through the reflection process.
• increase their depth of knowledge through the reflection
process.
• take control of their own learning leading to greater selfconfidence.
• develop life long learning skills.
… a series of events, the journey
(Barrett, H. 2010)
Showcase or Accountability
Focused on product, students:
• have a tool for personal development.
• create a personal learning record.
• develop a direction for career planning.
• showcase their strengths and accomplishments.
… the outcomes/results, the destination
(Barrett, H. 2010)
Student Development
• Personal development plan;
academic/career planning
• Personal academic web site
(take ownership of learning)
• Capstone (integrate learning
in expanded range of media;
through reflection, articulate
learning and
accomplishments)
• Resume-building
Michigan State’s ePortfolio
La Guardia’s ePortfolio
Florida State’s Career Portfolio
Typical Guided Portfolio Workflow
• Student uploads artifacts, fills
out forms and/or writes a
reflection
• Student requests and receives
formative feedback from
assigned or student-selected
reviewers
• Student submits for evaluation
• Evaluator rates and comments
on work
IUPUI’s English Capstone Portfolio
Rubric for Reflective Thinking
(Cambridge, B., Cambridge, D. & Yancey, K., 2009)
English Capstone Portfolio
(Kahn, S. & Ramsey, K., 2011)
Reflective Portfolio
(Cambridge, D., 2010)
What is reflection?
• Metacognition
• Re-processing ideas to support understanding
• Questioning assumptions
• Seeing in multiple contexts
• Self-examination
• Integration
• Self-assessment
(Kahn, S. & Ramsey, K., 2011)
Forms of Reflection
• Account/analysis of a process
• Analysis of an experience
• Analysis that connects a series
of experiences
• Analysis of an artifact
• Analysis that connects a series
of artifacts
• Review of progress
• Goal-setting
• Synthesis
(Kahn, S. & Ramsey, K., 2011)
Some Issues To Consider
• How can we teach students to reflect?
• What kinds of scaffolding/support
do students need at different
levels and in different
contexts?
• When and how often
should students reflect?
• How can we assess
reflection?
(Kahn, S. & Ramsey, K., 2011)
Preparing for Reflection
• Evaluation of sample reflections
• Written and oral peer review of rough drafts
• Final reflection
• Importance of:
−Thoughtful,
appropriate prompts
−The “right” amount of
reflection to assign
(Kahn, S. & Ramsey, K., 2011)
A Taxonomy of Reflection
Value of Reflection
• Helps students make knowledge by
articulating connections
• Introduces students to new
kinds of self-assessment
that they carry into the rest
of their lives
• Helps develop habits of
reflective practice
• Supports deeper engagement in learning
• Provides evidence of learning not available by
other means
(Kahn, S. & Ramsey, K., 2011)
Integrative Learning
“Portfolios are inherently integrative, being composed of
heterogeneous artifacts, the connections between which
are explored through reflection” (D. Cambridge, 2009)
“As students go through the process of collection,
selection, and reflection, they show the ability to identify the
larger design that informs their college experience”
(T.S. Edwards & C. Burnham, 2009)
“Folio” Thinking
“’Folio’ thinking enables students to become aware
of, document, and track their learning and develop an
integrated, coherent picture of their personal learning
experiences from both inside and outside of the
classroom."
~Helen Chen
ePortfolios for Accountability
• Catalyst for more deliberate
integration of general education
and disciplinary outcomes into the
curricula
• Supports guided learning
experiences
• Develops authentic evidence for
documenting and assessing
student attainment of general
education and/or discipline-specific
outcomes
• Aggregates assessment data for
improvement and accountability
Implementation Issues
• How will the portfolio be designed to fulfill the institution’s
or department’s purposes?
• How will the portfolio be integrated into program
curricula? What changes will this require?
• Who will read and evaluate student portfolios? When?
• What are the infrastructure needs? What resources are
needed?
• What faculty development is needed? What skills will
students need to develop?
(Kahn, S., 2010)
IUPUI’s DNP Curriculum to ePortfolio
Our DNP ePortfolio matrices mirror the DNP curriculum waterfall
from accreditation essentials that informed IUSON’s program
outcomes that then led to curriculum course/competency choices.
(Meek, J.A., Riner, M.E. & Runshe, D., 2012)
IUPUI’s DNP Guided ePortfolio
• Define and link student artifacts
• Artifacts can be papers, media, PowerPoints, reflective
activities, or any other student learning product
(Meek, J.A., Riner, M.E. & Runshe, D., 2012)
IUPUI’s DNP Matrices
(Meek, J.A., Riner, M.E. & Runshe, D., 2012)
IUPUI’s DNP Program Evaluation
• Faculty need an ongoing program evaluation process using
student artifacts in each matrix cell. These artifacts are
evaluated for degree to which they provide evidence that
student has accomplished the designated learning
competencies.
• Scoring rubric developed e.g., artifacts reflect minimal,
moderate, extensive levels of evidence for designated
learning competency.
• Faculty will receive ongoing training to use scoring rubric;
developed efficient process where program level
assessment can be completed in a 3-hour session once
per semester
(Meek, J.A., Riner, M.E. & Runshe, D., 2012)
Rubrics and ePortfolios
Rubrics have been identified as the
ideal means for portfolio
assessment
(Buzzetto-More & Alade, 2006)
Rubrics are also particularly useful
in assessing complex and
subjective skills
(Dodge & Pickette, 2001)
Advantages of Rubrics
• Makes expectations clear
• Prepares students to use detailed feedback
• Encourages critical thinking
• Facilitates communications with others
• Helps students self-assess
eTOOLS FOR RUBRIC CONSTRUCTION
Rubistar http://rubistar.4teachers.org
iRubric http://www.rcampus.com/indexrubric.cfm
AAC&U’s VALUE Rubrics
Learning Outcomes for the development of VALUE Rubrics
Intellectual and Practical Skills
• Inquiry and analysis
• Critical thinking
• Creative thinking
• Written communication
• Oral communication
• Reading
• Quantitative literacy
• Information literacy
• Teamwork
• Problem solving
Personal and Social Responsibility
 Civic knowledge and engagementlocal and global
 Intercultural knowledge and
competence
 Ethical reasoning
 Foundations and skills for lifelong
learning
Integrative and Applied Learning
 Integrative and applied learning
(Retrieved from www.aacu.org/value/metarubrics.cfm October 23, 2010)
Advantages for Assessment
“Authentic assessment-using actual student work products
that reveal their responses to the learning opportunities
they are experiencing - is the best type of measurement for
suggesting directions for improvement. For a decade I have
argued that student electronic portfolios evaluated with
rubrics provide our best hope for assessing what students
actually know and can do (validity). Portfolios can provide
dramatic and convincing evidence of learning over time
(value added) and there is evidence that multiple
evaluators can achieve levels of agreement (reliability)
exceeding 0.90.”
(Banta, T., 2012)
ePortfolio Research Projects
Making Connections: http://www.laguardia.edu/connections/
Inter/National Coalitions for Electronic Portfolio Research: http://ncepr.org/
ePortfolio Associations
AAEEBL: http://www.aaeebl.org/
EPAC: http://eportfolioca.org/
EIfEL: http://www.eife-l.org/
AAEEBL Webinar Series
(Retrieved from http://www.aaeebl.org/eport-webinar on August 2012)
AAEEBL Conference Resources
(Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/choosingeportsoftware/home on August 2012)
Choosing ePortfolio Software
• Identify primary and secondary purposes
• Who are your users and stakeholders?
• What is the value proposition for each?
• What are their needs and expectations?
• Focus on functional needs (what they need to do), not
technical (how they need/want to do it)
• Create a needs matrix and prioritize (must have, should
have, nice to have) and use it to evaluate solutions
PUT THE USERS’ NEEDS FIRST!
(Ward, L., 2011)
Software Options
BUY: commercial packages
TaskStream, LiveText, Chalk&Wire, etc.
BORROW: open/community source
OSP, Mahara, Elgg
BUILD: develop a custom application
Career Portfolio (Florida State University)
STEPS for Assessment (CSU Chico State)
ADAPT: use and combine generic tools
Google sites, Blogs, Wikis, survey software
(Ward, L., 2011)
ePortfolio Galleries
Bowling Green State University:
http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/studentsuccess/page31296.html
Clemson University:
http://www.clemson.edu/academics/programs/eportfolio/
IUPUI Personal Development Plan:
http://pdp.uc.iupui.edu/Home.aspx/
LaGuardia Community College ePortfolio:
http://www.eportfolio.lagcc.cuny.edu/
Portland State University:
http://sites.google.com/site/eportfolioresources/Home/ePortfolioShowcase
San Francisco State University:
http://eportfolio.sfsu.edu/
University of Michigan:
http://mportfolio.umich.edu/index.html
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University:
http://eportfolio.vt.edu/
In Summary: Uses of ePortfolios
• Support/document academic and professional
development
• Increase student engagement and achievement
• Help students become more intentional, integrative
learners
• Support reflective practice
• Support curricular development
• Support authentic assessment for improvement and
accountability
• Support academic and career advising
Why Use ePortfolios?
1.
For students
• Track and document own growth and development
• Increase engagement in learning
• Integrate and apply learning
• Develop capacities for reflection and metacognition
2. For faculty
• Track development of abilities over time
• Enable assessment of broader set of abilities and skills
• Support active learning aimed at promoting deeper learning
• Support integrative, reflective learning
3. For programs and institutions
• Support academic and career advising
• Enable authentic and psychometrically rigorous assessment for
admissions, improvement and effectiveness, accreditation
• Provide richer, more contextualized information to guide
curriculum/program development and improvement
(Adapted from Kahn, S., 2010)
Questions?
Thank You for Your Participation!
Debra Dunlap Runshe, Instructional Development Specialist
University Information Technology Services – Learning Technologies
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Information Technology and Communications Complex (IT 342H)
535 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: 317-278-0589
Email: drunshe@iupui.edu
Resources
ALTEC at University of Kansas. RubiStar. Web site:
http://rubistar.4teachers.org
Association for Authentic, Experiential, and Evidence-Based Learning.
Web site: http://www.aaeebl.org/
Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2009, Winter).
Peer review: Emerging trends and key debates in undergraduate
education, 11 (1).
Association of American Colleges & Universities: VALUE Project. Web
site: http://www.aacu.org/value/
Banta, T. W. & S. J. Hamilton. (2007). Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis: General education case study. In M. J.
Bresciani (Ed.). Assessing student learning in general education:
Good practice case studies. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Banta, T.W. (Ed.). (2003). Portfolio assessment: Uses, cases, scoring,
and impact. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Resources
Banta, T. (2012). “Our primitive art of measurement”. Peer review (Vol.
1, No. 4/Vol. 14, No. 1; Fall 2011/Winter 2012). Association of
American Colleges Universities.
Barrett, H. (2010.) Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios. Educação,
Formação & Tecnologias, 3(1), 6-14. [Online], Available online:
http://eft.educom.pt
Barrett, H. Web site: http://electronicportfolios.org
Buzzetto-More, N. A., & Alade, A. J. (2006) Best practices in eassessment. Journal of Information Technology Education.
5:251-269.
Cambridge, B., Cambridge, D. & Yancey, K. (Eds.). (2009). Electronic
portfolios 2.0: Emergent research on implementation and impact.
Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
Resources
Cambridge, B. L., Kahn, S. ,Tompkins, D. P. & Yancey, K. B. (Eds.).
(2001). Electronic portfolios: Emerging practices in student, faculty,
and institutional learning. Washington, DC: American Association for
Higher Education.
Cambridge, D. (2010). E-portfolios for lifelong learning and
assessment. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Dodge, B., & Pickett, N. (2001). Rubrics for web lessons. Retrieved
10/23/2010 from http://webquest.sdsu.edu/rubrics/weblessons.htm
Kahn, S. (2010). An introduction to eportfolios. Presentation at
European Association for Institutional Research Annual Conference,
Barcelona, Spain
Kahn, S., Cooney, E. & Runshe, D. (2009) ePortfolios and Integrative
Department Grants as an Implementation Strategy. Presentation at
The Assessment Institute, Indianapolis, IN.
.
Resources
Kahn, S. & Ramsey, K. (2011). Improving reflection for effective
portfolios. Presentation at AAEEBL ePortfolio World Summit 2011,
Boston, MA.
Lorenzo, G, & Ittelson, J. (2005b, October). Demonstrating and
assessing student learning with eportfolios. Educause Learning
Initiative Paper 3: 2005.
Meek, J.A., Riner, M.A. & Runshe, D. (2012). Using eportfolios to
support knowledge development and reflection. Presentation at 2012
AAEEBL Annual Conference, Boston, MA.
Reazon System, Inc. iRubric. Web site:
http://www.rcampus.com/indexrubric.cfm
Reese, M., and R. Levy (2009). Assessing the future: E-portfolio trends,
uses, and options in higher education. (Research Bulletin, Issue 4).
EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research. Retrieved from
http://www.educause.edu/ecar
.
Resources
Reeves, T. C. (2000). Alternative assessment approaches for online
Learning environments in higher education. Journal of Educational
Computing Research, 23, 101-111 Stevens, D. D. & Levi, A. J.
(2005). Introduction to rubrics. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Ward, L. (2011). Choosing eportfolio software. Presentation at AAEEBL
ePortfolio World Summit 2011, Boston, MA.
Yancey, K. B. (2001). Digitized Student Portfolios. In Electronic
portfolios: emerging practices in student, faculty, and institutional
learning (pp. 15-30). Washington, D.C: American Association for
Higher Education.
Zubizaretta, J. (2009). The learning portfolio: Reflective practice for
improving student learning (2nd ed.). Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing
Company, Inc.