Linda Ralston’s electronic portfolio as a demonstration for my students

Planning a Developmental e-Portfolio

12/28/2012

What should you consider including in an developmental or formative e-portfolio? Perhaps the most important difference between a standard eportfolio and an developmental eportfolio is the electronic repository of a student’s papers over the length of a course or curriculum and the student's self-reflection. A developmental eportfolio is a work in progress, an on-going composing and revising process. I will review the recommended contents of a developmental portfolio dividing the elements into 2 sections: Structural elements and In-progress Elements.

Structural Elements:

Student Information: name, contact information, major, minor, graduation date, etc. The student's name and email should be available on each and every page of a well-designed eportfolio regardless of the purpose of the document.
Navigation (Table of Contents) and/or index: You need to ensure that viewers of your eportfolio can find the information they seek with as few as 3 -5 clicks of their mouse. Every page should have a navigation bar either across the top of the page or along the either the left or right side of the page.
An introductory or personal statement: The home page or landing page should include include a well-written statement describing the purpose of the eportfolio.
Curricular standards and/or criteria: Include learning outcomes, accreditation standards, and/or general education requirements for the respective course or courses. Reference the course or curriculum requirements as you add documents and reflect on the learning achieved.

In-progress Elements:

Self-reflection/self assessment Blog: This is a critical and essential aspect of the developmental eportfolio. The self-reflection should occur across the duration of the course and/or curriculum that is the focus of the eportfolio. Include the learning outcomes, standards, and/or requirements that are relevant to the topic and/or assignment, particularly when you are reflecting.
Rubrics: Many instructors now utilize rubrics to inform students of expectations and to analyze the student's assignment submission. Rubrics include a criteria-rating scale, which not only evaluate student performance they provide students with the information necessary to complete an effective self-assessment.
Artifacts: Depending on the purpose of the developmental eportfolio, the student should provide a series of examples to illustrate their progression over time. The developmental or formative eportfolio stresses indications of growth and/or improvement. Therefore, students should be encouraged to revise and improve documents following peer or instructor reviews. The examples of student work (artifacts) might include word processing documents, images, illustrations, charts, spreadsheets, video, audio, etc. stresses “symptoms of growth,” For example, a first draft or outline for an essay would be followed by the instructor's and/or peer feedback. After revision, a second draft would be posted followed by the instructor's review and graded rubric. The final document would include the revised essay demonstrating your ability to argue a claim or position supported by citations and references.
Instructor and Peer Feedback: When a student posts their eportfolio on the web, the eportfolio will be accessible to a much wider audience than a traditional assignment. An online survey (an abreviated rubric) can be utilized to provide peers and the instructor an opportunity to share insight and comments on documents. In the formative or developmental eportfolio, it is important the instructor fosters a student-friendly “positive learning environment” rather than a “grading environment.” Since the focus is on development, peer and instructor's feedback can serve to motivate a student to improve their documents to showcase their growth and improvement.

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Need a graphic? Look for Creative Commons

12/24/2012

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Creative Commons - Graphics, music and videos increase the visual interest of your website. It is important that you ensure that the items you include on any website either are your own works, have been purchased for display on the web, and/or obtained from Creative Commons. Use Creative Commons to find music, images, and movies you can use to build your e-portfolio, as well as, a place to license your own work.

One caveat that you should be aware of regarding the use of Creative Commons images, music, and movies. They may not be used for a commercial purpose. If you need items to use an image, music, or video to market a commercial website, a brochure or poster to promote a commercial event or product, or any other for "profit purpose" should purchase a license.

Activities, Content, Books, Articles

Videos, Images, and Other Multimedia

References
http://creativecommons.org/about
http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter8/8-a.html

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Planning a Showcase Portfolio

12/23/2012

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When a retail business or department store wishes to entice shoppers into their store to shop, they commonly prepare displays that showcase their feature items.

Showcase or Presentation Portfolios are a compilation of exemplary work and student skills that demonstrate a student's knowledge, skill, and/or abilities. A well designed and executed showcase portfolio will be a powerful marketing tool conveying to potential employers detailed information and illustrating examples of their completed work. Electronic portfolios are becoming increasingly instrumental for students making the successful transition from life as a college student to a professional career.

Your resume not only reflects you, your achievements, skills, and abilities, but your professionalism and personality. What is professionalism? Many people mistake professionalism as dressing in a suit and carrying a briefcase. Rather, Merriam-Webster defines professionalism as "the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person." Professionalism is not one item but rather a combination of qualities. Regardless of the industry or job, there are common qualities that are recognized as professional in nature. Employers expect new employees to conduct themselves with responsibility, integrity, accountability, and responsible, ethical, and team
oriented, and to possess strong communication, interpersonal,
and problem solving skills.

Showcase Elements:

Student Information: name, contact information, major, minor, graduation date, etc. The student's name and email should be available on each and every page of a well-designed eportfolio regardless of the purpose of the document.
Navigation (Table of Contents) and/or index: You need to ensure that viewers of your eportfolio can find the information they seek with as few as 3 -5 clicks of their mouse. Every page should have a navigation bar either across the top of the page or along the either the left or right side of the page.
An introductory or personal statement: The home page or landing page should include include a well-written statement describing the purpose of the eportfolio. This statement should be a balance between professionalism and personal style.
Resume: Similar to the classic one page resume, an online resume should be prepared with simple, clean typefaces (fonts). The online presentation should include an Adobe PDF version that includes a cover letter and the resume. A standard PDF version will enable a prospective employer to print a professional copy of your materials for review offline. Remember to place your most important achievements near the top of the page to draw immediate attention.

Artifacts: Depending on the purpose of the showcase eportfolio, the student should provide a series of top-quality examples to illustrate the capabilities with software applications, leadership skills, and computer skills. The examples of student work (artifacts) might include word processing documents, images, illustrations, charts, spreadsheets, video, audio, etc.

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Planning an Assessment ePortfolio

12/21/2012

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What should you consider including in an assessment e-portfolio? The key difference between an online multimedia resume and an assessment eportfolio is a student's self-reflection. An assessment portfolio should include the following elements:

Student Information: name, contact information, major, minor, graduation date, etc. The student's name and email should be available on each and every page of a well-designed eportfolio.
Navigation (Table of Contents) or index: You need to ensure that viewers of your eportfolio can find the information they seek with as few as 3 -5 clicks of their mouse.
An introductory or personal statement: The home page or landing page should include include a well-written statement describing the purpose of the eportfolio and the guidelines you will be using to select appropriate artifacts to keep the collection organized and succinct.
Learner Goals/Career Goals: Similar to a career goal statement in a resume, you should be specific and to the point. Unless you have been requested to write a lengthy career statement, limit your career goal statement to 2 or 3 lines. Whereas you should be succinct, try not to eliminate job opportunities. Although, you may be seeking a challenging position in a major hotel, try not to limit that to a specific company.
Curricular standards and/or criteria: Include learning outcomes, accreditation standards, or general education requirements for the respective course or courses. This will enable you to align the eportfolio with the university, departmental or course curriculum.
Rubrics: Many instructors now utilize rubrics to inform students of expectations and to analyze the student's assignment submission. Rubrics include a criteria-rating scale, which not only evaluate student performance they provide students with the information necessary to complete an effective self-assessment.
Self-reflection/self assessment: This is a critical and essential aspect of the assessment eportfolio. This assessment should address each of the standards, criteria, and/or learning outcomes indicated for the applicable course or curriculum.
Artifacts: A top quality work sample representing each of the standards, criteria, and/or learning outcome lends credibility for the student's reflective statements. The examples of student work (artifacts) might include word processing documents, images, illustrations, charts, spreadsheets, video, audio, etc.
Instructor feedback: The inclusion of the instructor's evaluation statement or completed rubric will provide increased value to the included artifact. For example, the inclusion of a writing sample will demonstrate a student's ability to communicate in a suitable manner when the viewer can see the assignment instructions and subsequent evaluation rubric.

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Are all ePortfolios the same?

12/20/2012

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Gone are the days of collecting your notebooks and books in a school locker or backpack. Smart phones, e-readers, tablets and thumb drives are common-place in our increasingly digital society. It is not unusual for us to carry a wealth of information on small thumb drives (USB) in our pockets or in my case, on a leash around my neck. I have left a USB drive attached to the instructor's computer in the classroom and every semester a student comes to me reporting a lost drive. Unfortunately, these tiny digital "luggage" are frequently lost, stolen, or corrupted by exposure to heat or electricity. I utilize eportfolios in my electronic marketing course to document a student's fulfillment of the learning outcomes. The frequent loss of USB drives is one of the reasons that I have know switched to an online repository via Weebly.com similar to this eportfolio. Not only are they useful for a course, an electronic portfolio can serve as a repository of an individual's entire academic career. Just as students are not all alike, electronic portfolios are not all alike. There are several different types of eportfolios:

Assessment
Developmental
Showcase
Hybrid

Assessment Portfolios are useful for evaluating student performance in a course or academic programs. A key facet of an assessment portfolio requires students to reflect on learning outcomes and/or program standards. The reflective process facilitates an evaluation of student competency as identified by program standards and outcomes.

Developmental Portfolios are often used to facilitate communication between students and faculty. Similar to a reflective journal, a developmental portfolio documents the development of student skills over a specific time period. For example, a writing portfolio may require a series of written projects which are reviewed by the student, their peers, and the faculty member. The writing portfolio demonstrates the student's development of writing skill over the course of the semester.

Showcase Portfolios are a compilation of exemplary work and student skills over the course of a student's academic career. The purpose of this type of portfolio is to exhibit artifacts demonstrating a student's knowledge, skill, and/or talent. This type of portfolio can play a significant role in marketing a student's capabilities to potential employers upon graduation with a degree or certification.

Hybrid Portfolios are a combination of two or all three types of portfolios listed above. Rarely will you find a portfolio that is strictly used for assessment, development or showcase purposes. Occasionally, you may come across showcase portfolios that do not show evidence of self-reflection, rubrics for assessment or feedback, however, as Helen Barrett, an expert in the field of e-portfolios, would say "a portfolio without standards, goals and/or reflection is just a fancy resume, not an electronic portfolio."

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Planning & Designing an ePortfolio

12/20/2012

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Examining the Plan & Design Step to a dynamic ePortfolio

As you begin to plan your electronic portfolio, it is important that you outline the purpose of the e-portfolio, Identify your long-‐range career plans, goals, objectives, and audience for your e-portfolio? I suggest that you consider answering the following questions prior to embarking on this task:

What are your professional goals and objectives? Where do wish to work in the future? What do you envision doing in your career?
How will you utilize an e-Portfolio to achieve your professional goals and objectives? What information is necessary to support these goals and objectives?
Who is the audience for your e-Portfolio? Consider the demographics (age, culture, language, potential disabilities, socioeconomic status, internet access speed, technology comfort, etc.) and their expectations for an e-Portfolio. How can you design your e-Portfolio to meet their expectations?
Review existing e-Portfolios for individuals seeking similar careers as yourself. Research using Google or other search engines, ask your peers to share their portfolios or insights, and contact the career and placement office on your campus, Identify the elements of an e-Portfolio that you feel will reflect your personality and career goals.
What type of e-portfolio will you be preparing? Review my previous blog reviewing the 4 types of e-portfolios and select the type that best serves your needs: Assessment, Developmental, Showcase, Hybrid. Outline the key elements needed for inclusion in your electronic portfolio and standards to be followed as you develop your online documents.

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Step 1: Reflection for Action

12/16/2012

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"Active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it, and the further conclusions to which it tends, constitutes reflective thought" (John Dewey, 1933, p. 9)

Why reflect before developing the portfolio? Integral to your production of an effective electronic portfolio is the process of reflection. Reflection provides clarity and direction for the development of the portfolio. As illustrated in the diagram above, Norman Jackson identifies 3 points of reflection: before beginning the project (reflection for action), during the project (reflection in action), and after the project is completed (reflection on action). Reflecting before initiating the portfolio informs you regarding what you have learned, your strengths and weaknesses, your personal style, and your goals/objectives.

What is Reflection? John Dewey's work is often used to help define reflection, and many contemporary writers on reflection point to How We Think (1933) as a modern basis for defining reflection. Successful reflection enables self-awareness, personal and professional growth and improved practices.

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Why have an ePortfolio?

12/15/2012

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Portfolios can be used for a variety of purposes by students, faculty, staff, and employers. Today, I will begin this blog by considering the benefits of having an ePortfolio for students.

The reflective process of developing an ePortfolio provides an excellent opportunity to increase self-awareness of newly acquired knowledge and skills,
increases self-confidence,
a public display of self-expression and showcases their achievements,

and motivates students to modify their learning goals and objectives in an effort to strengthen areas of weakness.
This reflective process establishes a behavioral pattern (habit) that they may continue upon graduation.

The development of a well-designed ePortfolio provides students with:

a central location for students to compile their academic projects, service,and learning outcomes from each of their courses completed at the university This serves to document past achievements and course work. A student's eportfolio becomes a catalog of their growth and achievements over the course of several years to demonstrate their competency and learning at the end of their college career.
increased interactivity and accessibility will be the result of a well-designed eportfolio. Visitors to the eportfolio will be able to interact with the dynamic elements and elect the elements of most interest to them.
a visual representation of their academic achievements that showcases their strengths for future teachers and potential employers.
a portable tool that can edited by the student from anywhere in the world where they have access to the Internet.
the integration of technology demonstrates the student's skill with current media and Internet related software applications.
an opportunity to integrate peer/group projects and peer interaction demonstrating ability to work in teams.
an opportunity to reflect on the application of new found knowledge during service-learning experiences.
provides tangible evidence of learning achieved during prior work and/or volunteer service.
evidence of assignments completed and goals achieved that may be used to demonstration of the fulfillment of prerequisites for courses.
a global audience to market your capabilities and availability in color with minimal expense.
an opportunity to integrate social media with the resume, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
document the quality and quantity of your professional development.
document volunteer experiences, study abroad activities, and past work experiences to qualify for educational credit.
a concurrent presentation of examples of your completed works including writing, creative applications, audio visual presentations, and even dynamic animations demonstrating your own personal style without the cost of duplication typical of a printed portfolio.
an opportunity to receive feedback from your audience if you include an online survey.

Regardless of purpose, portfolios document skills, knowledge and accomplishments through examples of work and reflection on learning outcomes. Every student should start an ePortfolio during their first semester in college and build upon it throughout their academic career. Contributing to your ePortfolio throughout your college experience will distinguish you among your peers. Why? Your ePortfolio will demonstrate your skills, knowledge, talent, and progressive improvement over your academic preparation and set you apart from the typical applicant. A resume and cover letter provides an introduction and generates curiosity regarding your potential as an employee. If you have developed an effective ePortfolio and provide the URL in the cover letter and resume, interested employers can view samples of your completed work and review your reflections concerning the learning outcomes you have accomplished in your academic preparation.

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What is an ePortfolio?

12/14/2012

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Electronic portfolios or digital portfolios have been utilized for over 20 years. Today, you may find students at all academic levels developing an eportfolio to document their improvements across their academic career. Students may utilize an eportfolio within a specific area, such as, to document their improvement in writing, journal their observations during a study abroad experience, track the progress in a research experiment or evidence their ability to utilize a new software application.

"A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas. The collection must include student participation in selecting contents, the criteria for selection; the criteria for judging merit, and evidence of student self-reflection." (Northwest Evaluation Association, 1990, http://www.nwea.org/),

Instructors may ask students in their courses to develop an electronic portfolio to document their progress and improvement over the duration of the semester, a year, or longer. Colleges are incorporating eportfolios to evaluate the student's learning across the entire academic experience. The eportfolio provides each student an opportunity to reflect on learning outcomes achieved. The university can drive an internal and external assessment of the effectiveness of a curriculum or general education to meet standards. I utilize an eportfolio in my PRT 5460/6460 Electronic Marketing to evaluate the effectiveness of a course's learning activities to facilitate student learning. The very dynamic nature of electronic portfolios have contributed to their increasing popularity as an alternative to traditional paper-based portfolios.

An electronic portfolio provides faculty and peers an opportunity to review, evaluate and share ideas across the Internet.
An electronic portfolio may be presented in a dynamic, full color format at a tremendous savings over the cost of the traditional paper-based portfolios. Additionally, electronic portfolios do not require being mailed to a prospective employer.
Electronic portfolios can be updated frequently and immediately upon the development of a new project, assignment, or experience.
Prospective employers can review and submit questions to a candidate regarding their portfolio as they review the electronic documents.

A critical difference between a resume and an electronic portfolio is the reflective process that a student engages in during the development of an electronic portfolio. As Helen Barrett, an expert in the field of e-portfolios, would say a portfolio without reflection on learning outcomes, standards, and/or goals is "just a fancy resume, not an electronic portfolio." The first step in the development of an eportfolio requires the student to reflect on the learning outcomes, goals, or academic standards that are the focus of the eportfolio. In upcoming blog posts I will examine the 6 steps to a dynamic electronic portfolio. Check back soon!

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Linda Ralston

Dr. Ralston is an Associate Professor at the University of Utah. The students in her electronic marketing course design and create an electronic portfolio to reflect their accomplishments during the course.

Check out my other blogs:
eLearning Blog
eMarketing Blog
Responsible Tourism Blog
Sabbatical Blog (2009)

Latest News RE: ePortfolios

Tweets about "#eportfolio"

Planning a Developmental e-Portfolio

Need a graphic? Look for Creative Commons

Planning a Showcase Portfolio

Planning an Assessment ePortfolio

Are all ePortfolios the same?

Planning & Designing an ePortfolio

Step 1: Reflection for Action

Why have an ePortfolio?

What is an ePortfolio?

Linda Ralston

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