Suggestions about ePortfolios for General Education Instructors
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General Education Requirements
If you teach a General Education course, your department has indicated that this course includes instruction to help students meet one or more competencies in General Education. To help students focus on what aspects of the course cover the competencies, you should include in your syllabus an indication of what class activities (whether graded or ungraded) students should include in their electronic portfolios. In most cases, these are activities that are already in the syllabus, and you need only direct student attention to them.
Remember that it is the student’s responsibility to put materials in their electronic portfolios, you are not required to check that they have done that. However, it is your responsibility to make sure that if your course covers a competency that they have a clear understanding of the opportunity to include evidence from your course. If they choose not to do that, they must include evidence from another course.
To give you an idea of the types of activities this might include, the following is a list of some suggestions. For more detail about the specific competency areas, scroll down to each section.
List of potential class activities:
| Analyses | Presentations |
| Case Studies | Problem Sets |
| Critiques | Reflections |
| Essays | Reports |
| Evaluations | Research Papers |
| Lab Reports | Summaries |
If your class tends to use traditional exams, consider assigning a new applications-oriented “capstone” assignment for students to do in preparation for the final exam. This does not necessarily need to be graded in detail, it is for the benefit of the student to connect the semester’s work and reflect on their learning in the course - and they can use it in their electronic portfolio to demonstrate one or more Gen Ed competencies. You can grade it in a binary fashion, a quick scan can reveal whether the student has presented content-based material or gibberish.
The following Information is taken from the ePortfolio Web Site
Students following the 2006-2007 curriculum and all subsequent curricula are required to create and maintain an electronic record of their academic accomplishments in the areas of General Education. Students will collect their best work and include self-reflection and assessment. This collection will include work developed for classes, as well as personal and professional electronic portfolios.
What is an ePortfolio?
Electronic portfolio elements can include:
(1) files of various formats (text, pictures, video, etc.)
(2) evaluations, reflections, and recommendations
(3) evidence of General Education competencies
(4) writing samples (which might include several drafts to show development and improvement)
(5) projects prepared for class or extracurricular activities
(6) evidence of creativity and performance
(7) evidence of extracurricular activities, including examples of leadership
Written and Oral Communications
There are four competencies that must be addressed to successfully complete the Written and Oral Communication Skills area. A few examples of where one could find evidence to address these competencies include, but are not limited to course assignments with writing samples, reflections on changes in the writing process, and published works.
The objectives that should be addressed include:
1. Demonstrate effective communication skills appropriate for topic, audience, and occasion.
2. Write coherent, well-supported, and carefully edited essays and reports suitable for a range of different audiences and purposes.
3. Employ the full range of the writing process, from rough draft to edited product.
4. Incorporate both print and electronic resources into speeches, presentations, and written documents.
Reasoning, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
There are four competencies that must be addressed to successfully complete the Reasoning, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving area. A few examples of where one could find evidence to address these competencies include, but are not limited to critiques, theses, research papers, interdisciplinary work, and reflections that make connections across disciplinary lines.
The objectives that should be addressed include:
1. Summarize, analyze, and evaluate fictional and non-fictional texts.
2. Differentiate deductive and inductive reasoning processes.
3. Acquire and analyze information to determine its quality and utility.
4. Recognize parallels between and among disciplines and apply knowledge, skills, or abilities learned in one discipline to another.
Mathematical, Scientific & Technological Literacy
There are five competencies that must be addressed to successfully complete the Mathematical, Scientific & Technological Literacy area. A few examples of where one could find evidence to address these competencies include, but are not limited to work samples from Math and Science courses, applications of mathematics in other coursework, lab reports, sample presentations, and reflections on science and technology in society.
The objectives that should be addressed include:
1. Demonstrate mathematical literacy through solving problems, communicating concepts, reasoning mathematically, and applying mathematical or statistical methods using multiple representations.
2. Develop an understanding of the principles and theories of a natural science and its applications.
3. Explain and apply the methods of a natural science in laboratory or experimental settings.
4. Apply information technologies to intellectual and professional development.
5. Understand the role of science and technology in society.
Social & Cross-Cultural Awareness
There are four competencies that must be addressed to successfully complete the Social & Cross-Cultural Awareness area. A few examples of where one could find evidence to address these competencies include, but are not limited to essays from social/behavioral science courses, reflections on campus speakers' issues, work in courses designed as cross-cultural and materials from study abroad.
The objectives that should be addressed include:
1. Develop an understanding of social science methodologies.
2. Explore the causes and consequences of human actions.
3. Develop an understanding of world cultures in historical and contemporary perspectives.
4. Recognize the importance of language in cultural contexts.
Arts & Humanities
There are three competencies that must be addressed to successfully complete the Arts & Humanities area. A few examples of where one could find evidence to address these competencies include, but are not limited to work samples from arts and/or humanities courses, and reflections on campus art exhibits or performances.
The objectives that should be addressed include:
1. Develop an understanding of the history and cultural contexts of the arts and humanities.
2. Examine the arts and humanities as expressions of the human experience.
3. Experience and evaluate productions of the performing and visual arts.
Ethical Judgment
There are two competencies that must be addressed to successfully complete the Ethical Judgment area. A few examples of where one could find evidence to address these competencies include, but are not limited to reflections on academic integrity vignettes, work samples illustrating application of ethical principles, certificate of completion of human subjects training, reflection on your activities in creative inquiry or service learning, and essays submitted to the Ethics Across the Curriculum essay contest.
The objectives that should be addressed include:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of what ethics is and is not, its relation to academic integrity, and its importance as a field of study.
2. Demonstrate understanding of common ethical issues, and construct a personal framework in which ethical decisions can be made in a systematic, reflective and responsible way.