This document provides an overview of FrogFolio, TCU's electronic portfolio system. It defines an ePortfolio as a digital collection of a student's work and reflections that represents their learning over time. Students use FrogFolio to collect artifacts from their courses and other experiences, reflect on their meaning and growth, and tell their learning story. The process of inquiry, reflection, and integration develops both a product to showcase learning and a tool to facilitate career preparation and feedback. TCU's vision is for FrogFolio to exemplify student-directed, learning-centered education assisted by mentors. A small pilot program is currently testing FrogFolio and larger rollouts for first-year students are planned.

1. FrogFolio,
folio thinking, and
first-year seminar

2. What is an ePortfolio, anyway?
An electronic collection of evidence (a website) that
represents learning over time and makes learning visible to
self and others.
Capture and represent learning across contexts via artifacts
• collect artifacts
• select artifacts for display
• reflect on meaning and relationship of artifacts

3. Learning Artifacts
Writing
Samples
Blog
Entries
Presentations
Artifacts
Video Files
Projects
Audio Files
Photos

4. Students tell their
learning story
- what they know
- why it’s important
- what it all means

5. ePortfolio as process and product
Process:
INQUIRY
REFLECTION
INTEGRATION
Product:
• development tool
• record of learning artifacts
• career preparation and planning product
• artifact showcase
• tool for feedback

6. 2 Sample FrogFolios
Emily Denney
Senior, Strategic Communication/Spanish
Kansas City, MO
*product-oriented/showcase
Mariah Green
Senior, Biology major (pre-med)
Wichita, KS
*process-oriented/reflective

7. Reflection: the ‚heart and soul‛ of a portfolio

8. Meaningful Reflection: 4 Principles
• Reflection as Connection
• Reflection as Systematic & Disciplined
• Reflection as Social Pedagogy (remember the pigeons??)
• Reflection as an Attitude and Stance toward Change
(Rodgers, 2002)

9. ‚The function of reflection is to make meaning: to
formulate the ‘relationships and continuities’
among the elements of an experience, between that
experience and other experiences, between that
experience and the knowledge that one carries,
and between that knowledge and the knowledge
produced by thinkers other than oneself.‛
--Carol Rodgers (2002)

10. Why ePortfolios?
• Integrate discrete learning experiences
• Enhance self-understanding and self-authorship (Magolda)
• Promote taking responsibility for one’s learning
• Support developing an intellectual identity
• Foster digital literacy and digital storytelling skills
• Facilitate coherence between curriculum and co-curriculum
• Cultivate learning that is life-long and life-wide

11. From folio thinking to
FrogFolio
As a digital learning tool, FrogFolio will be:
• student-directed
• learning-centered
• mentor-assisted

12. Vision
• TCU’s ePortfolio program
exemplifies studentdirected, learningcentered, mentor-assisted
education.
Mission
• To create a community of
connections with
reflective, integrative, an
d intentional learners
who take responsibility
for their education by
assessing their learning
experiences and
monitoring their progress
and goals by making
their work visible
through the use of
Frogfolios.

13. History of project
• Integrative learning QEP proposal 2011-2012
• Combined with ePortfolio proposal
• This synergy kickstarted some interdisciplinary and
interdepartmental information gathering and research
that led to current small pilot
• Next step will be a larger pilot in fall 2014 for first-year
students

14. 205 students in current pilot
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
12-15 faculty mentors and staff mentors
3 Honors Colloquium Courses (48 students)
First-Year Chancellor’s Scholars (44)
Student Athlete Advisory Council (16)
First-Year Experience/Connections (42)
Chancellor Leadership Program (40)
1 Strategic Communication Writing course (15)

15. What’s inside?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Home page with photo and introduction
Goals and progress, set by student
My learning experiences
Habits of mind, based on TCU mission
Resume
Contact info
Plus, students may add sections

17. Larger pilots ahead
Spring 2014
• Current mentors will
continue working with
205 students from
fall
2013 pilot
• January gathering and
April showcase
• SUMMER: Professional
development
Fall 2014
• Rollout for up to one-half
of entering first-year class
• Rollout and discussion
for other programs
around campus

18. Fall 2014
• 20-25 UNPR 10110 sections (team-taught by faculty and
staff mentors)
• 16-20 OCO Basic Speech Communication courses with
mentor for each section
• Plus embedding it into other upper level courses or
programming
• Plus small pilot through ENGL first-year writing class to
prepare for spring 2015