This document discusses balancing the purposes of e-portfolios between student-centered and institution-centered uses. It addresses implementing e-portfolios to support student learning and reflection as well as for evaluation and accountability. The document also discusses using e-portfolios to support lifelong learning through reflection, self-awareness, planning and evaluating learning. Different types of e-portfolio implementations and tools are presented to meet varied purposes.

1. Balancing the 2 Faces of E-PortfoliosDr. Helen Barrett http://slideshare.net/eportfolios

2. Key Themes of My PresentationPurposeProcessProduct

3. Raise your hands if you are…Implementing an ePortfolio System with your studentsThinking about itUsing e-portfolios to support student learningUsing e-portfolio evaluation data for accreditation or institutional assessment

4. Personal Learning Environment (PLE) Supports Self-Directed Learningwith a Personal Learning Network (PLN)

5. “Purpose” Drives the ProcessThis presentation will balance Student-Centered Purposes(Learning, Reflection, Showcase)withInstitution-Centered Purposes(Evaluation, Accountability)

6. Four key pillars of Lifelong Learning(Barbara Stäuble, Curtin University of Technology, Australia)http://lsn.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf2005/refereed/stauble.html

7. Knowing the learner (Self-awareness)Understanding prior knowledgeMotivation for and attitudes toward learningHelp learners understand themselvesSee their growth over time

8. Planning for learning (Self management)Setting goalsDevelop a plan to achieve these goals

9. Understanding how to learn (Meta-learning)Awareness of learners to different approaches to learningDeep vs. Surface Learning, Rote vs. Meaningful LearningDifferent Learning StylesHelp learners recognize successAccommodate approaches that are not successful

10. Evaluating learning (Self monitoring)Systematic analysis of learners’ performanceResponsibility to construct meaningBe reflective & think criticallyLearners construct meaning, monitor learning,evaluate own outcomes

11. Deep Learninginvolves reflection,is developmental,is integrative,is self-directive, andis lifelongCambridge (2004)

12. Confusion of TerminologyElectronic portfoliosStudent-centeredLifelong and Life WideAssessmentAbout individual learning and growth over timeFocus on personalization, reflection, deep learningFormative or summative?Accountability systemsInstitution-centeredLimited Time FrameEvaluationAbout comparability and sorting into normed groupsFocus on standardization, validity, reliability In many ways, our technology-based tools have defined the process… and exacerbated the confusion.

13. Overlap of Assessment TypesPositivistConstructivistAssessment Management Systems: that supportAssessmentOFLearningElectronic Portfolios: that supportAssessmentFORLearningInstitution-centeredLearner-centered“Checklist of Competencies” • Balance • “Students’ Story of Learning”

14. What is a Portfolio?Dictionary definition: a flat, portable case for carrying loose papers, drawings, etc.Financial portfolio: document accumulation of fiscalcapitalEducational portfolio: document development of humancapital

15. What is a Portfolio in Education?A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student's efforts, progress and achievements in one or more areas[over time]. (Northwest Evaluation Association, 1990)

16. What is an Electronic Portfolio?Digital DocumentsOrganized and presented with some type of "authoring" softwareStored in an electronic container CD-Recordable discDVD-Recordable disc WWW – Changing the genre!

17. Most of these documents began as digital documents!Today, we are moving from this container to the WWW

18. E-Portfolio Components Multiple Portfolios for Multiple Purposes-Celebrating Learning-Personal Planning-Transition/entry to courses-Employment applications-Accountability/Assessment

19. Multiple Tools to Support Processes-Capturing & storing evidence-Reflecting-Giving & receiving feedback-Planning & setting goals-Collaborating-Presenting to an audience

20. Digital Repository(Becta, 2007; JISC, 2008)

21. Questions to PonderWhat happens to electronic portfolios once learners leave an institution? Can learners continue to maintain their own “digital documentation of development” throughout their lifetime? (Do they even want to?) Has the process of reflective practice become a habit of mind that will support lifelong learning? Cognitive Dissonance

22. Multiple Purposes from Hidden AssumptionsWhat are yours?http://www.rsc-northwest.ac.uk/acl/eMagArchive/RSCeMag2008/choosing%20an%20eportfolio/cool-cartoon-346082.png

23. Multiple Purposes of E-Portfolios in EducationLearning/ Process/ PlanningMarketing/ Showcase Assessment/ Accountability"The Blind Men and the Elephant” by John Godfrey Saxe

24. ePortfolio designs/strategies for different purposes Learning Portfolios (Formative assessment)Organized chronologicallyFocus of Reflection: Learning Activities & ArtifactsTools: Reflective Journal (blog)Faculty/peer role: Feedback on artifacts and reflection

25. ePortfolio designs/strategies for different purposes Showcase Portfolios (Employment, Self-marketing)Organized thematically (position requirements)Focus of Reflection: Suitability for positionTools: Choice of portfolio owner – personalized web pages – digital footprintPersonal online branding

26. ePortfolio designs/strategies for different purposes Assessment/Accountability Portfolios (Summative assessment)Organized thematically (outcomes, goals or standards)Focus of Reflection: Achievement of Standards (rationale)Tools: Assessment system with data from scoring rubricsFaculty role: Evaluation

27. Limitations of PortfoliosShavelson, Klein & Benjamin, Inside Higher Ed, October 16, 2009http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2009/10/16/shavelsonMain PointsLack of StandardizationNot Feasible for Large Scale Learning AssessmentBiasEnlightening responses to article– titles of some entries:Vision that is too narrow What's in it for the students? Why standardized tests still have not changed Maybe this approach to assessment is the real problem Accountability does not equal comparability and standardization The easy way out. . . Assessment for What? Viewpoint or ad?

28. A few thoughts about Assessment -- What Type?Assessment OF Learning? orAssessment FOR Learning? or Assessment AS Learning

29. Purposes for AssessmentAssessmentOFLearning = Summative AssessmentInstitution-centered Past-to-PresentAssessment FOR Learning = Formative AssessmentTeacher/student-centeredPresent-to-FutureAssessment AS Learning

30. Student-centered – embedded in learning

31. Focus on the PresentPrinciples of Assessment FOR LearningDefinition:Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there.

32. Types of E-Portfolio ImplementationWorking PortfolioThe CollectionThe Digital ArchiveRepository of Artifacts Reflective Journal(eDOL)Collaboration SpacePortfolio as Process-- Workspace (PLE)“shoebox”Presentation Portfolio(s)The “Story” or NarrativeMultiple Views (public/private)Varied Audiences(varied permissions)Varied Purposes Portfolio as Product-- Showcase

34. Structure of E-Portfolio TypesPortfolio as Process/ WorkspaceOrganization: Chronological – eDOL(Electronic Documentation of Learning – U. of Calgary) Documenting growth over time for both internal and external audiencesPrimary Purpose: Learning or ReflectionReflection: immediate focus on artifact or learning experiencePortfolio as Product/ ShowcaseOrganization: Thematic – Documenting achievement of Standards, Goals or Learning Outcomes for primarily external audiencesPrimary Purpose: Accountability or EmploymentReflection: retrospective focus on Standards, Goals or Learning Outcomes (Themes)

35. QUOTEThe e-portfolio is the central and common point for the student experience… It is a reflection of the student as a person undergoing continuous personal development, not just a store of evidence.-Geoff Rebbeck, e-Learning Coordinator, Thanet College, quoted in JISC, 2008, Effective Practice with e-Portfolios

36. Student-Centered Philosophy "A portfolio tells a story. It is the story of knowing. Knowing about things... Knowing oneself... Knowing an audience... Portfolios are students' own stories of what they know, why they believe they know it, and why others should be of the same opinion.” (Paulson & Paulson, 1991, p.2)

37. Constructed Meaning"The portfolio is a laboratorywhere students construct meaningfrom theiraccumulated experience."(Paulson & Paulson, 1991, p.5)

38. What is the best tool? Do you need an all-in-one system or multiple tools?

39. Categories of E-Portfolio SoftwareCreated as part of my study of different online tools:http://electronicportfolios.org/categories.html“Not just tools for telling[presentation]but more tools for talking![conversation]”- Julie Hughes, University of WolverhamptonConversation transforms!

40. http://electronicportfolios.org/categories.htmlWeb 2.0

41. Major Categories of ePortfolio ToolsHigherIndividual & InstitutionalAuthoring ToolsStatic Web ServicesInteractive Web Services InstitutionalSoftware - Server requiredHosted ServicesAssessment Systems - Hosted ServicesLowerLevel of interactivityHigherLevel of personalization & creativityLower

42. Web 2.0 tag cloud

43. Recent changes in technology

44. Architectureof InteractionArchitecture of Participation (Web 2.0) allows aPedagogyof Interaction(ePortfolio 2.0)

45. Web 2.0 is becoming the Personal Learning Environment of the “Net Generation”Learning that is… Social and Participatory

46. Lifelong and Life Wide

47. Increasingly Self-Directed

48. Motivating and Engaging

49. … and Online!Social LearningHow can we integrate ePortfolios with what we know about social learning and interactivity?

50. Some Basic Concepts“ePortfoliois both process and product”Process: A series of events (time and effort) to produce a result- From Old French proces(“‘journey’”)Product: the outcome/results or “thinginess” of an activity/process- DestinationWiktionary

51. Think!What are the engagement factors that drive the use of social networks and how can we incorporate those factors into ePortfolios?

52. ProcessesPortfolioCollectingSelectingReflectingDirectingPresentingFeedbackTechnology Archiving Linking/ThinkingDigital Storytelling Collaborating PublishingSocial NetworksConnecting(“Friending”)Listening(Reading)Responding(Commenting)Sharing(linking/tagging)

53. Similarities in ProcessMajor differences:extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation Elements of True (Intrinsic) Motivation:AutonomyMasteryPurpose

54. Boundaries Blurring (between e-portfolios & social networks)Structured Accountability Systems? or…Lifelong interactive portfoliosPicasaMash-upsFacebookFlickrblogsYouTubeNingwikisTwitter

55. Digital Archive (for Life) Supports Lifelong & Life-wide Learning

56. Premises of Deep LearningMotivationActive LearningInteraction with othersA deep foundational knowledge “Because portfolios get students into a rich and deep knowledge base focused on their own learning experiences, portfolios are highly motivating. Collaboration with others deepens these individual experiences by allowing probing questions, socially constructed knowledge, and alternative viewpoints.Zubizarreta, J. (2009) Learning Portfolios. Jossey-Bass , p. xx

57. How can you leverage the technologies learners own?Accessibility from “net books” and home computersConnectivity with cell phonesAudio (podcasts) and Video (digital stories)

58. “every day-ness”How can we make ePortfolio developmenta natural process integrated into everyday life?Lifelongand Life Wide Learning

59. Making ePortfolios StickWill your students want to use the e-portfolio process after they graduate? Will ePortfoliotools be available to them after graduation?Gartner Group “Hype Cycle for Education” has ePortfolios "Sliding Into the Trough"

61. Two “Paradigms” of Assessment (Ewell, 2008)Ewell, P. (2008) Assessment and Accountability in America Today: Background and Content

62. Opportunity CostThe alternative you give up when you make a decision…The cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action What is the opportunity cost of emphasizing accountability/compliance in e-portfolios over improvement/reflection and deep learning?

63. Opportunity Cost – a conversation with a high school teacher:"It took all the thinking out of it. They gave me the standards and told me which artifacts to put into each one! It wasn't as effective as what my students did!” http://electronicportfolios.org/blog/2008/07/necc-2008-update.htmlWhat learning opportunities are we missing when we completely structure the learner’s portfolio?

64. Goal: Balance in Electronic PortfoliosPurposeAccountability/Compliance(Institution-Centered)Improvement(Student-Centered)(Or Course-Centered)Along a Continuum????Opportunity Cost

65. Goal: Balance in Electronic PortfoliosPurposeImprovementAccountabilityHighly StructuredUniformity and StandardizationRequired AssignmentsFaculty Evaluation ComplexityChecklistData!EngagementDeep LearningPersonalizationChoice and VoiceLifelong SkillsEase of UseOwnershipTimeOpportunity Cost

66. Goal: Balance in Electronic PortfoliosPurposeAccountabilityImprovementFlexible StructureSelf-Assessment & FeedbackLifelong Learning SkillsMore Social LearningPersonalizationChoice and VoiceEngagementStoryFaculty Time InvolvementEase of Scoring for…Collection of Data for… AccountabilityInstitutional Support& Funding?Opportunity Cost

67. Goal: Balance in Electronic PortfoliosPurposeAccountability Faculty Feedback UniformityFlexible RequirementsDataProgram ImprovementImprovementSelf-AssessmentPersonalizationChoice and VoiceStudent EngagementIncreased Achievement Social LearningFaculty Time InvolvementComplexityOpportunity Cost

68. Finding Balance in E-Portfolio ImplementationToolsUse separate tools for assessment management and student e-portfolios?Ball State’s rGrade & WSU’s Harvesting GradebookIncorporate blogging and social networking tools for interactivity and engagementOpen Source Tools: WordPress, Movable Type, MaharaAllow embedding student Web 2.0 links, including video, into their e-portfoliosEnable exporting e-portfolio to students’ lifetime personal webspace

69. Finding Balance in E-Portfolio ImplementationStrategiesAcknowledge the importance of both portfolio as workspace (process) & showcase (product)Support student choice and voice in e-portfoliosFacilitate reflection for deep learningProvide timely and effective feedback for improvementEncourage student use of multimedia in portfolios for visual communication and literacyDigital Storytelling & PodcastingPicasa/Flickr slideshowsAcknowledge/Encourage students’ Web 2.0 digital identity

70. Move beyond text-only artifactsEncourage development of multimedia artifactsIntroduce alternative strategies for reflectionBloggingDigital storytelling