Portfolios for Learning & Assessment

1. Portfolios for Learning & Assessment Outcomes Assessment Spring Break Workshop 2014 Ann Fillmore Faculty Outcomes Assessment Liaison, CTE Programs afillmore@clark.edu 360-992-2365

2. Workshop Outcomes • Describe how portfolios support student learning and assessment • Determine the purpose and functions of portfolios • Give examples of how portfolios benefit teaching & learning • Consider the faculty & student roles involved with implementation

3. Learning • Today, we need to demonstrate how and what students are learning • Learning occurs in many places, takes many forms, and is represented in many ways • Learning is developmental, emerges over time, and progresses faster in some areas than in others • Learning takes place inside and outside of the classroom

4. Hmmm… • Is there a way for students to demonstrate learning through the cumulative work rather than through snapshot assessments and/or course grades? • Can we assess student learning in a way that shows development of learning over time as well as provide programs with summative information for reporting? • How can we look at an area or cluster of courses to measure learning? (i.e. health care core courses, learning communities, gen ed requirements) • Can all of these things be done without significantly increasing faculty workload?

5. Yes, with a Portfolio! What is a Portfolio? • Collection of evidence that captures learning over time • Includes a student’s own reflection on his or her learning • Encourages students to integrate formal and informal learning experiences • The artifacts individually, and the portfolio in whole, demonstrate mastery of learning • A tool to assess, document, and share learning across the curriculum

6. What is an ePortfolio? • A collection of artifacts of learning in digital format, organized and presented in a meaningful way

7. Collect, Select, Reflect • Students collecttheir work • Students selectthe appropriate evidence or artifact that best demonstrates proficiency • Students reflecton the evidence by writing a rationale statement describing why he/she chose the artifact and how it demonstrates achievement of an outcome

8. Integrated Experience ePortfolio

9. Benefits • Learning-centered • Represent and demonstrate learning outcomes more comprehensively • Shows real learning as opposed to transcripted or graded learning • Direct evidence and indirect evidence – artifact & reflection (quantitative & qualitative)

10. Benefits for students • Develops metacognitive skills • Enhances digital literacy skills • Helps students take a holistic view of learning • Promotes interaction between students, peers, instructors, & advisors • Students create the presentation of their work • Portable: ability to transfer from one institution to another

11. Benefits for teachers • Gain insight into the process by which students learn, rather than just and end product • Ability to organize and specify the framework, components, aims, and specifications • Increases student engagement, motivation, & responsibility for learning • Makes Outcomes Assessment more meaningful

12. How Can ePortfolios Make Outcomes Assessment More Meaningful? • Based on real work of students • A collection of cumulative learning provides the ability to measure process and product • Grounds OA to what’s happening in the classroom (connection between coursework and SLOs) • Students take part in the assessment cycle

13. Portfolios for Learning & Assessment • Learning (development) • Used to provide feedback to improve learning (for student and instructors) • Organization is determined by learner or negotiated with mentor/advisor/teacher • Formative: what are the learning needs in the future? (present to future) • Assessment (showcase) • Usually scored based on a rubric and data is collected for external audiences • Usually structured around a set of learning outcomes • Summative – what has been learned to date (past to present)

14. Portfolio Structure • Open • Student customizes for own purposes/goals • Student selects & justifies artifacts • Open to student’s interpretation learning & meeting outcomes • Directed-Response • Guided Prompts • Faculty direct the types of submissions & determine artifacts • Common Assignments

15. Technology Considerations

16. It is now possible to build digital portfolios using technologies our students are already using in their daily life

17. Builds Digital Literacy • Leads to innovation in documentation of learning • A richer representation of a student’s experience • Video • Photos • Audio recordings • Blogs • Written documents • Graphic art • For many kinds of assignments • Common assignments • Assessments • Capstone experiences • Coop or internships

18. Faculty Role • Ground the ePortfilio in a the stated SLOs as the base for activities and assignments • Design learning experiences in ways that enable students to meet the intended SLOs • Help students identify particular pieces of evidence to submit

19. Faculty Role • Provide explicit structure & criteria: • Clear understanding of what is a good artifact • How many pieces of evidence for each outcome? • What should the rationale or reflection look like? • Have students identify where artifacts are coming from, date, class taken, etc. • Provide examples • Ex: Demonstrate use of scientific method – give clear guidelines for steps in method • Set benchmarks

20. Implementation

21. How do we implement ePortfolios in our programs? • What is the purpose of the ePortfolio? What are you hoping to achieve? • Who will the ePortfolios serve? • What will the portfolios tell you about the learning experience? • How will ePortfolios enhance the learning experience? • Who are your learners? What technologies are they comfortable with?

22. Evaluating ePortfolios • How will we assess/evaluate ePortfolios? • How do we pull artifacts to assess? • Who will assess? • How should we determine the sample?

23. Platforms • Free web-based tools • Commercial software • In-house systems • Portfolio Software • Flash-drive option using PowerPoint or other presentation software

24. Portfolio Demos • Clemson University’s ePortfolio Gallery • http://www.clemson.edu/academics/programs/eportfolio/gallery.html • Clark College Librarians • http://judithking.virb.com/ • http://julieaustad.net/ • Clark College Dental Hygiene Program • PowerPoint Portfolio

25. Questions or Comments? Thank you for attending! Enjoy your day! Ann Fillmore Faculty OA Liaison, CTE Programs afillmore@clark.edu 360-992-2365 Toby Peterson Faculty OA Liaison, Transfer Programs tpeterson@clark.edu 360-992-2084 Kanna Hudson Research and Assessment Professional khudson@clark.edu 360-992-2265