Inter/National Coalition For Electronic Portfolio Research An Introduction

1. Inter/National Coalition For Electronic Portfolio ResearchAn Introduction Darren Cambridge Barbara Cambridge Kathleen Blake Yancey

2. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Overview • History and structure • Some projects and findings • Successful campus practices • Successful coalition practices

3. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Coalition Exigency • Rapid growth in use of electronic portfolios in the United States • Wide diversity of models • Considerable potential to impact learning and engagement • Evidence uneven and unintegrated

4. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Coalition Structure • Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research established in 2003 • Led by Barbara Cambridge, Kathleen Yancey, and Darren Cambridge (with CRA staff for cohort IV) • Five cohorts of about ten campuses • Cohort One, 2003-2006 • Cohort Two, 2004-2007 • Cohort Three, 2006-2009 • Cohort Four, 2007-2010 • Cohort Five, 2008-2011

5. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Coalition Activities • Individual questions and collaborative themes • Two meetings a year • Social network, newsletter, and chats • Interaction between cohorts • Consultations with Coalition leadership • Coordinated dissemination

6. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Alverno College (MI) Bowling Green (OH) IUPUI (IN) LaGuardia Community College (NY) Northern Illinois (IL) Portland State University (OR) Stanford University (CA) Virginia Tech (VA) University of Washington (WA) Cohort One Members

7. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Clemson University (SC) George Mason University (VA) Kapi’olani Community College (HI) Ohio State University (OH) Thomas College (NY) University of Georgia (GA) University of Illinois (IL) University of Nebraska Omaha (NE) Washington State University (WA) Cohort Two Members

8. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research California State Universities (CA) Framingham State University (MA) George Mason University (VA) University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (MA) Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MN) Penn State University (PN) University of San Diego (CA) Seaton Hall University (NJ) Sheffield Hallam University (UK) University of Waterloo (CA) University of Wolverhampton (UK) Cohort Three Members

9. Cohort Four Members University of Bradford University of Cumbria University of Groningen (Holland) London Metropolitan University University of Manchester Medical School University of Michigan (US) University of Northumbria University of Nottingham Queen Margaret University College (Scotland) University of Wolverhampton Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research

10. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Cohorts One and Two • Open focus • All US • Shared question focusing on the types and patterns of reflection in eportfolio contexts

11. Cohort Three Focus on out-of-classroom learning Co-curricular / extra-curricular Informal Collaboration between student affairs and academic affairs Funded by NASPA First international cohort Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research

12. Cohort Four UK-focus Shared questions around Personal development planning Self-efficacy Collaboratively led with Rob Ward and Janet Strivens of the Center for Recording Steve Outram of the Higher Education Academy (funder) Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research

13. Georgia Writing Portfolio Assessment of first year composition outcomes Three essays, one revised, and cover letter Collected and analyzed through <emma> Data about relationship between revision and scoring

14. Kapi’olani Hawaiian Values Portfolio Organized around six native Hawaiian values and four stages of the journey of a canoe Matrix thinking (Hamilton) Data on impact on student engagement and learning strategies CCSSE LASSI

15. LaGuardia ePortfolio Recent immigrants and first-generation college students Bridging home and disciplinary culture Data on impact on retention, student engagement, course completion Portfolio studios Visual design and iteration

18. Clemson Eport Structures 

19. Thomas College Graduation ePortfolio • Four core competencies • Mapping of curriculum • Internship seminar + results • Impact of public audience • Reviewed for public posting

24. Electronic Portfolios 2.0: Emergent Findings and Shared Questions Collection of 24 chapters detailing research from cohorts I, II, and III of the Coalition Forthcoming from Stylus in October 2008

25. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Intra-campus Practices • Diverse team • Space for forming • Narrow but open question • Balance between intellectual and pragmatic purposes

26. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Diverse Team • Both people who have research in their job title and those who don’t • Reflective of the range of people involved in portfolio practice on the campus • Include administrators • Include students • Portland State: Administrators, students, faculty from multiple disciplines

27. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Space for Forming • Need sufficient time and space to develop • Shared expectations • Shared conceptual framework • Personal relationships within team • Alverno: Frameworks for analyzing reflection drawn from faculty practice

28. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Narrow but Open Question • Well-focused research question • Openness to the data taking you elsewhere • Ohio State: Statewide mobility  focus on writing in urban schools • Stanford: Correlation to grades  detailed analysis of a single site to figure out why

29. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Intellectual and Pragmatic Purposes • Clear sense of audiences and purposes of research • Practitioner research doesn’t have to be just evaluation • Balance between what you need to justify your work and what’s intellectually meaningful • IUPUI: Linking “matrix thinking” to NSSE results • Washington: From contest to work with departments

30. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Inter-campus Practices • Senior administrative support • Triangulation rather than replication • Collaborative exploration of methodologies • Regular conversations with neutral experts • Multiple genres of reporting out

31. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Senior Administrative Support • Three-year commitment of travel funding from institutional budget and membership fee • Confirmation of commitment to portfolio practice • Regular updates and notes of thanks • Ideally, member of the team

32. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Triangulation • Triangulation rather than replication • Enough structure to focus and connect, but not restrict • No one strict definition of “research” • Shared themes but not a mandated research question • Cohorts One and Two: Catalog and taxonomy of reflective artifacts • Critical friends

33. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Collaborative Exploration of Methodology • Guided exploration of research methodologies and methods • Both a way to plan the project and a way to develop shared understanding of research • Breaking out of received notions of research through conversations • Across disciplines • Across campuses

34. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Conversations with Experts • Quarterly conference calls with a Coalition leader • Periodic occasions for reviewing and asking questions • The questioning is probably more important than the advice • Consultation with members for past cohorts

35. Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research Multiple Reporting Genres • Variety of forms of reporting • One-pagers • Blue Skies questions • Thick descriptions of artifacts • Presentations of evidence • Chats • Helps to stimulate creativity and accommodate multiple styles

36. Questions?