Lynette Olson Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

1. The Call for Transparency and Accountability: The Impact of Electronic Environments and Multimedia on Accreditation Processes Lynette Olson Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Cathleen Barczys Simons Capella University November 2008 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

3. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities sponsors and manages eFolioWorld, a unique electronic portfolio infrastructure system that affords higher education institutions the opportunity to create, maintain, and publish a unique Web-based portfolio.

4. eFolioWorld New Strategies learning organization Digital Storytelling Accreditation Stakeholders knowledge bank Artifacts of Learning, Processes, Data & Analysis Program Review learning Competency Tools Outcomes & Assessment IMS Tools, Web 2.0 Social Networking planning Advising, Grad Planner Program Planning GPS LifePlan, 1st Year Student me High School, College, & Work Tools about me (eFolio, Facebook, etc.) eFolioMinnesota Team

5. Items that you might select (often called artifacts or evidence of learning) can be… wiki Electronic Portfolio Content what you post is what will others will see …each electronic portfolio (site) displays selected items & reflections based on the owner’s choices.

6. eFolio Tools • The success of the individual eFolio inspired the development of • ToolKit • Link Builder • Next generation development activities will move toward “roll-up” efforts among the eFolio tools

7. Linking Portfolio Content to Criteria/Standards

8. Accountability & Transparency • Institutions must devise efficient and effective methods to respond to governing boards, accrediting agencies and federal and state education departments, need for data andinformation.

9. One Institution’s Story An institutional electronic portfoliocan help to build a college or university’s “story” and community. It can provide a depth and breadth of connections among institutions as well as within the institution itself, its programs, and its constituents.

10. Capella University - Institutional Electronic Portfolio • Institutional Electronic Portfolio – an example of utilizing multi media http://portfolio.project.mnscu.edu

11. Why multimedia? • 2006 AQIP Check-up Visit, feedback from reviewers:Capture the “spirit” of Capella in the next Portfolio

12. How Multimedia was Chosen • Leverage to advance key initiatives: • Assessment – Learning Outcomes Transparency • Faculty – Capella’s Educational Philosophy • Focus on multimedia strengths: • Complex content • Multiple audiences • Offsite audience • Capturing spontaneity, spirit • Dynamic speaker • Multiple key individuals, or group

13. Types of Multimedia 28 Multimedia Elements Created

14. Multimedia – Animated Audio

15. Multimedia - Video

16. Multimedia – Animated Timeline with Videos

17. Multimedia – Animated Timeline with Videos

18. Multimedia– Animated Timeline with Videos

19. Multimedia – Video plus Animation

20. Additional Benefits of Multimedia • Impact of multimedia on accreditation • Engaging way to highlight key accomplishments • Powerful way to capture spirit, uniqueness • Effective way to communicate difficult concepts • Presenters become enthusiastic supporters • Engenders deeper understanding of AQIP • Other impacts: • Multimedia leveraged for other purposes: advancing initiatives, regulatory, training, marketing • New tools now available for online courses • Cost savings

21. Key Learnings – Multimedia Selection How to go beyond mere “bells and whistles”: • Tip #1: Clarify what unique advantages/purposes multimedia will provide/address • Tip #2: Determine how the multimedia can be leveraged to address other institutional needs • Tip #3: Choose topics that capitalize on multimedia’s strengths: • Complex content • Multiple and/or offsite audiences • Capturing spontaneity, spirit of a dynamic speaker or group of people

22. Key Findings – Technical • Why one type of multimedia over another: • Video vs. audio • Complexity of material, and graphics • To script or not to script • Purpose of multimedia • Advantages and disadvantages • Getting content into the site • Copy deck • Positioning graphics for launching multimedia • Handbook of entire site, with quick-reference materials

23. Conclusion • Multimedia enhanced Portfolio, for both AQIP and Capella audiences. • Multimedia were leveraged to advance key initiatives and simplify complex content. • Careful targeting of multimedia is important for effectiveness, for going beyond “bells and whistles”.

24. …an overview

25. System Overview eFolio Search Portal Basic & AdvancedSearch Controls eFolio Repository StudentProfile ProfessionalProfile Your eFolio SearchResults SummaryReports Public Sites(views) Private(secured views)

26. Keeping Up with Standards 2.3.3 Learning ePortfolios • Learning ePortfolios are used to document, guide, and advance learning over time. They often have a prominent reflective component and may be used to promote metacognition, to plan learning, or for the integration of diverse learning experiences. Learning ePortfolios are most often developed in formal curricular contexts. For example: • FYE students might be asked to develop a learning ePortfolio that invites them to reflect upon how their information literacy skills improve over the course of a year. • LPN/RN students might be asked to develop a learning ePortfolio to track learning reflections from clinical experience. source: http://www.imsglobal.org/ep/

27. ePortfolio Elements • tags… both searchable & collectible • data types… moving us beyond simple text • multiplesites… re-purposing existing pages • feedback… including Blog/Wiki-like messaging • activities • affiliations • artifacts • career objectives • certifications • competencies/outcomes • contacts • course work • education • employment history • events • forms • media • publications/presentations • skills • uploaded LOs • web 2.0

28. sitecontrols ManageSites & Pages eFolio Page Workspace xFolioscreen overview ManageContent Panels ContextSensitive Help Common Icons Create To-do Properties Add Trash Restore Date Picker Collector Build RemoveEdit Delete

29. xFolio Features • Beginner Features • Placeholder site content (OR structure) • Step-by-step prompted tour of the administration tool • “Fall off a log” easy, intuitive, convenient, and encourages repeated & frequent use • Core Features • Manage and organize content • Forms-based content entry • Free-form content entry • Image and File uploads • Create & maintain web sites • Account management • Content import & export • Advanced Features • Multiple sites from single repository of content • Custom page layout/formatting within a site • Management of large amounts of content, files, images and other artifacts • Tagging functionality • “Collector” is a powerful, query-based tool for site builds

30. Chancellor’s Initiative 2009 • Focus our attention on the development of “portfolio thinking” • How does it contribute to the learning organization? • Gap…in addressing results & change

31. For more information contact: Lynette Olson, Ed.D. Assessment & Effectiveness Director, Academic Innovations, Office of the Chancellor, Minnesota State Colleges & Universities Phone: 651-649-5957 lynette.olson@csu.mnscu.edu http://eassessment.project.mnscu.edu