Creative Inquiry ePortfolio Guidelines
Creative Inquiry mentors new to the concept of electronic portfolios might benefit from this short discussion. The main goals associated with any electronic portfolio are documentation and reflection. Since projects differ, formats and specific objectives will vary from group to group. In general you should:
- Document scholarly activities
- Evaluate the elements of the project
- Reflect on your progress
These objectives can be met at different levels. For example, many faculty maintain a web page associated with their scholarly work, often linked from their department web pages. This web page could include materials documenting their Creative Inquiry group. Elements of this web page might include:
- Project title, participants, and contact information
- Abstract or original CI proposal
- Project objectives
- Data or other materials gathered or created
- Work products from student activities
- Accomplishments and milestones
- Reflections
The group web page could be created and maintained by students in the group. This is a good way to document and report on progress. Students might contribute field notes, reports, drafts of papers, or journals – whatever fits the nature of the project. The group might also want to consider using the Workgroup feature of Blackboard for maintaining data or other materials that members don’t want available on a public web page.
At the next level, students should be building a collection of materials that they can include in their own electronic portfolios. Students should be incorporating their Creative Inquiry experiences into a professional development (or career) portfolio. In addition, elements created as a part of the CI project can be used to show evidence for the General Education distributed competencies. For example, Creative Inquiry provides many opportunities to address competencies in reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, and ethics.
Mentors should encourage students to collect items that can be included in their personal electronic portfolios. Discussions between mentors and group members should include targeting project elements as potential evidence for meeting the General Education competencies, as well as demonstrating student mastery important to future employers.
Whatever the group creates should be flexible, clear, approachable, and focused on showcasing results and fulfilling learning objectives. Combinations can include a public group web page, a private group portfolio in Blackboard, public student web pages, and student portfolios in Blackboard.
Resources:
General Education Web Site (including Gen Ed competency design/evaluation rubrics)
ePortfolio Information (including links to training)
Online training (including links to Skillport)