Creating EPortfolio Programs as a Strategic Tool for Evaluation

1
Creating E-Portfolio Programs as a Strategic Tool
for Evaluation

• Dr. Bob Barrett
• American Public University
• November 6, 2008

2
Overview

• This presentation will be consist of the
  following phases
• Introduction/Overview
• What is an E-Portfolio?
• Phases of E-Portfolio Construction
• Applications of E-Portfolio Programs
• Evaluation of E-Portfolio Programs
• E-Portfolios and the Next Generation

3
Introduction/Overview

• What is the role of E-Portfolios in Higher
  Education?
• What functions can an E-Portfolio serve?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• Who should be involved in the design and
  development of an E-Portfolio program?

4
What is an E-Portfolio?

• According to the University of Berkeley (2004)
• An ePortfolio functions like a file cabinet with
  file drawers and file folders. Students store
  personal, educational, career, skill assessment,
  non-academic/work experience, certification, and
  rewards information in their portfolios. The
  information placed in an ePorfolio is referred to
  as an artifact. (http/bearlink.berkeley.edu/ePor
  tfolio/page5.html)

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E-Portfolio

• According to eportconsortium (year)
• By facilitating and capturing the evolution of
  concepts and ideas through revisions of work and
  interactions with instructors, mentors,
  classmates and friends, electronic portfolios can
  be much more than a Web site that simply
  organizes and presents final projects. They can
  foster learning spaces where the author can gain
  insights and a better understanding of
  him/herself as a learner. (Electronic Portfolio
  White Paper, eportconsortium.org)

6
Purposes of Portfolios

• Goldsby and Fazal (2001) noted that student
  created portfolios are commonly used in teacher
  preparation programs to demonstrate teaching
  skills and expertise. This practice was
  introduced as test scores alone lack the
  comprehensive scope needed for effective
  assessment and evaluation, portfolios can be
  implemented to interpret/make decisions regarding
  learning of teaching competences (pp. 607-608).

7
Web-Based Portfolios

• Professor Mark E. Sanders (2000) noted that
• Web-based portfolios offer a meaningful way for
  technology students to gain a thorough
  understanding of these critical new technologies
  that can never be realized with conventional
  portfolios (p. 11).

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Controlling E-Portfolios

• According to Greenberg (2004)
• the e-portfolio is not simply a personal home
  page with links to examples of work . . . it is a
  network application that provides the author with
  administrative functions for managing and
  organizing work (files) created with different
  applications for controlling who can see the work
  and who can discuss the work (access) . . . (pp.
  28-29).

9
Types of E-Portfolios

• Greenberg (2004) wrote of 3 types of portfolios
• Showcase e-portfolio organization occurs after
  the work has been created.
• Structure e-portfolio a predefined organization
  exists for work that is yet to be created.
• Learning e-portfolio organization of the work
  evolves as the work is created. (p. 29)

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Primary Purposes of E-Portfolios

• Academic planning and advising (4)
• Student evaluation and grading (24)
• Career and resume planning (16)
• Reflection (36)
• Institutional Assessment/Program Evaluations (8)
• Faculty Evaluation and Tenure (4)
• Other (2)
• Not Available (6)
• Based upon the AAHE self-report survey of 51
  Universities and Colleges (http//bearlink.berkele
  y.edu).

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Secondary Purposes of E-Portfolios

• Academic planning and advising (25)
• Student evaluation and grading (14)
• Career and resume planning (43)
• Reflection (29)
• Institutional Assessment/Program Evaluations
  (47)
• Faculty Evaluation and Tenure (5)
• Based upon the AAHE self-report survey of 51
  Universities and Colleges (http//bearlink.berkele
  y.edu).

12
Top 9 Qualities/Skills Employers Seek

• Communication skills (Verbal written)
• Honesty/integrity
• Interpersonal skills (relates well to others)
• Strong work ethic
• Analytical skills
• Flexibility/adaptability
• Computer skills
• Organizational skills
• Motivation/initiative
• Job Outlook 2003, National Association of
  Colleges and employers survey

13
Issues for E-Portfolio Consideration

• Teaching and Learning Issues
• Higher education System Issues
• Institutional Issues
• Technological Issues
• Marketplace Issues (NLII, 2003)

14
Phases of E-Portfolio Constructions

• Needs Assessment
• Design and Development
• Implementation
• Evaluation

15
Needs Assessment

• What are the current educational versus career
  needs of your student population in terms of an
  e-Portfolio?
• Are the necessary projects available now or do
  new projects and courses need to be created?
• Do you have the buy-in from the Administration
  to create and implement an e-Portfolio program?

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Needs Assessment Part 2

• How soon can you implement this program?
• Who will be involved in the creation of the
  program?
• Who will be involved in the creating to
  implementation phase?
• Who will evaluate the creating and implementation
  of the program?
• Will students be involved in a Beta testing first?

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Needs Assessment Part 3

• Should you network with other colleges and
  universities to determine best practices in this
  area?
• Will you be successful in developing your own
  best practices?

18
Best Practices

• Jones (1993) described best practices as
  centered
• on the very essence of good management guiding
  employees toward greater productivity, liberating
  them from the burdens of disorganization without
  saddling them with restrictive bureaucracy, and
  helping them to overcome some measure of the
  troublesome flaws inherent in people and
  processes. These are the measures of
  effectiveness and efficiency (p. 11).

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Best Practices and Designs of Other Educational
Institutions

• What are other colleges and universities doing?
• Are their programs successful in terms of
  academic achievement and/or career development?
• What resources do other schools utilize?
• I.T. resources (software, hardware, etc.)
• Financial resources
• Are they partnering with other organizations?

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Elements of E-Portfolio at APUS

• In GM498 Senior Seminar, students construct
  their final E-Portfolio with the following
  elements
• Resume (standard or virtual resume)
• Cover Letter
• Web page (creation of a potential business idea)
• Brochure (business)
• Business Plan (planning a potential business
  venture)
• Reflective Essay

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Design and Development

• According to Dr. Helen Barrett, an ePortfolio
  expert, there are 3 phases of the creation and
  maintenance of ePorfolios
• Collection
• Selection
• Reflection
• (http//bearlink.berkeley.edu/ePortfolio/page5.htm
  l)

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GM498 Senior Seminar

• GM498 Senior Seminar Course Description
• The Capstone course is a senior level course
  designed to allow the student to review, analyze
  and integrate the work the student has completed
  toward a degree in Business Administration. The
  student will complete an approved academic
  electronic portfolio that demonstrates mastery of
  their program of study in a meaningful
  culmination of their learning and to assess their
  level of mastery of the stated outcomes of their
  degree requirements.

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GM498 Senior Seminar

• The successful student will fulfill the following
  learning objectives
• Identify essential elements for a successful
  business plan, as well as design and develop a
  functional business plan.
• Design and develop a marketable business brochure
  for an organization.
• Create a webpage for advertising possible
  services.
• Design and develop a functional or chronological
  resume, along with an appropriate cover letter to
  be sent to potential employers
• Reflect and discuss key issues and topics in a
  reflective essay on the overall process of
  capstone experience.

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GM498 Senior Seminar Coding Objectives

• Core Requirement Courses/Learning Objective
  Coding
• GM229 - Accounting (LOC1)
• GM 306 - Business Theory (LOC2)
• GM317 Law Ethics in the Business Environment
  (LOC3)
• GM328 Global and Competitive Strategy (LOC4)
• GM401 Operations Research (LOC5)
• GM402 Principles of Financial Management (LOC6)
• MC300 Principles and Theory of Management
  (LOC7)
• MC302 Management of Information Systems (LOC8)
• MC306 Applied Statistics (LOC9)
• MK300 Principles and Theory of Marketing
  (LOC10)
• SS101 Microeconomics (LOC11)
• SS102 Macroeconomics (LOC12)

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Design Development Process

• The process of design and development involves
• The development of 8-week online course to help
  prepare senior (undergraduate) students to create
  their own e-Portfolio.
• A review of the e-Portfolio course by the
  Academic Dean, School of Business Interim Dean,
  and Program Director.
• The implementation of syllabus and program
  components into a selected educational software
  platform.

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Implementation

• Here are some considerations for the
  implementation phase.
• Who will be in charge of the implementation?
• Does this person(s) have previous experience in
  e-Portfolio design and implementation?
• Will there be necessary documentation along the
  way?
• Will there be a monitoring or reporting
  device/mechanism in place to track the progress
  in this phase?
• Who will be evaluating this phase of development?

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Implementation Part 2

• Other considerations
• E-Portfolios are not limited to only one course
  offering, but they can be part of any courses.
• These portfolios can be used in any academic
  discipline
• Art e-Portfolios
• Business e-Portfolios
• Medicine e-Portfolios
• Law e-Portfolios

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Implementation Part 3

• Time and Money Matters
• Who controls the timing of the project?
• What is the state of funding for the project?
• Is there life after an E-Portfolio Design and
  Development (and Implementation)?

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Evaluation

• What is your criteria for evaluation?
• Who will be evaluating the design development
  stage?
• Who will be evaluating the implementation of the
  e-Portfolio program?
• What are your indicators for success or
  improvement?

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Evaluation Process

• Evaluation Process
• Consider e-Portfolio course objectives
• Review Assignments constituting the e-Portfolio
• Construct a 10-item evaluation form - only gather
  information on the overall program and process.
• Revise the evaluation at least every other term
  to see whether the e-Portfolio is meeting the
  needs of the student, department and university.

31
Evaluation of E-Portfolio Elements at APUS

• GM498 Senior Seminar
• Students construct their final E-Portfolio with
  the following elements
• Resume (standard or virtual resume)
• Cover Letter
• Web page (creation of a potential business idea)
• Brochure (business)
• Business Plan (planning a potential business
  venture)
• Reflective Essay

32
Applications of E-Portfolio Programs

• Students are evaluated on E-Portfolio as part of
  their capstone senior course.
• Students can use their e-Portfolio as an example
  of their work and skills for future employers.

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Evaluation of E-Portfolio Program Part 1

• Needs Assessment Phase
• Course description and objectives translated into
  an online course proposal.
• Design Development Phase
• Online course proposal developed into an online
  course for undergraduate students.

34
Evaluation of E-Portfolio Program Part 2

• Implementation Phase
• Course developed into an 8-week session.
• Course offered only to undergraduate seniors
  finishing Bachelors degree.
• E-Portfolio designed as a collection of necessary
  documents to meet the
• Evaluation Phase
• Evaluation based on course objectives
• Constant review of course and e-Portfolio
  elements

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Concluding Thoughts

• A thorough needs assessment is vital to the
  creation of any e-Portfolio project or system.
• Qualified and experienced course designers or ISD
  professionals (and IT professionals) can be
  invaluable in the design and development process.
• In-house staff and professors/instructors should
  always be involved in the implementation phase.
• Evaluation is necessary and should not be
  rushed. Why? If you are not evaluating the
  right elements or reviewing the current
  happenings of the e-Portfolio program/system
  you may not have the right elements in place (or
  the goals and objectives may not be met).

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References

• Goldsby, Fazal (2001). In John DiMarco (2006).
  Web Portfolio Design and Applications. Idea
  Group Inc. pp. 607-608. (retrieved 6/1/2008)
• Greenberg (2004). In John DiMarco (2006). Web
  Portfolio Design and Applications. Idea Group
  Inc. pp. 607-608. (retrieved 6/1/2008)
• Jones, T.L. (1993). The Americans with
  disabilities act A review of best practices.
  New YorkAMA.
• LDP e-Portfolio Report http//bearlink.berkeley.ed
  u/ePorfolio/page5.html (retrieved 6/1/2008).
• Sanders, M. (2000). In John DiMarco (2006). Web
  Portfolio Design and Applications. Idea Group
  Inc. pp. 607-608. (retrieved 6/1/2008)