ePortfolio
ePortfolio Task Force 2005-06 Report

Clemson University will use electronic portfolios to help undergraduate students track their progress and showcase their work. Students will use ePortfolios to connect individual accomplishments to their larger educational goals. The faculty can sample this work to identify strengths and weaknesses of courses and match outcomes to overall goals of the curriculum. Electronic portfolios provide a powerful method for program improvement.

Relevant General Education Activities

  • The University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UUCC) approved the required use of electronic portfolios for student documentation of Gen Ed competencies
  • A faculty interest group created draft evaluation rubrics for Gen Ed competencies in fall semester 2005
  • The draft rubrics werer refined by faculty during spring semester 2006
  • Gen Ed evaluation rubrics were approved by the UUCC in May 2006

Electronic Portfolios: What they are

  • Electronic portfolios contain files of various formats plus documents of self-reflection and self-assessment; student work comes in many forms, including sample writing, problem solving, designs and creative projects
  • There are many types used at Clemson, including an “academic” portfolio and a “career” portfolio
  • Any student can create an electronic portfolio of their “career” or professional activities; the Michelin Career Center can help
  • Some departments have opted to require students to create “career” portfolios in a campus pilot program – a Pilot Professional Portfolio (PPP); this portfolio is used by the department to showcase student work and assess program goals
  • All students will create one type of “academic” electronic portfolio to document Gen Ed competencies – a General Education Portfolio (GEP); this portfolio is used by the University to assess General Education
  • Electronic portfolios are used in many types of courses, and increased use is encouraged

The General Education Portfolio (GEP)

  • Students will use the Blackboard system to create their GEP
  • Presently, students connect work in their GEP to Gen Ed competencies using templates in Blackboard
  • Student portfolios can be downloaded or shared privately with others
  • Assessment of Gen Ed through evaluation of student work will not require actions by students, instructors or advisers; access for evaluators will be provided by CCIT

The Pilot Professional Portfolio (PPP)

  • Departments opting to use the PPP are teaching courses that include content aimed at helping students create disciplinary materials and reflections
  • Departments in the pilot program will be asking students to include Creative Inquiry documents in their PPP (from independent study, internships, capstone courses, etc.)
  • Departments can use student PPPs as sources of documentation for program reviews

Student Activities

  • Students learn about the use of electronic portfolios from information posted at mycle.clemson.edu
  • Training information is available on Blackboard or via the ePortfolio site linked from the Undergraduate Studies site: http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/ugs/UG_eportfolio/
  • Electronic tutorials are available via the CCIT Web site
  • Face-to-face training is available and was provided in many classes during fall 2005 and spring 2006, including CU 101 and ENGL 103
  • Students in departments participating in the pilot program have or will soon have begun construction of their PPP
  • Student Gen Ed portfolios will be available for inspection at the end of their graduating semester; individual departments will establish the schedule for their inspection of PPP portfolios
  • A faculty committee is working on a new course that will help students learn skills in information technology (including electronic portfolios), library skills and career development skills
  • A student-led group will work during fall 2006 to develop protocols for expectations and student compliance; the GEP will become a General Education Requirement as of the 2006-2007 curriculum year
  • The Task Force recommends that mechanisms be developed for giving students feedback about their progress, and that completion of a GEP be noted on student transcripts

Faculty Activities

  • CCIT awarded a Faculty Fellow position for study of electronic portfolios
  • Faculty will help students identify work that is relevant to Gen Ed competencies and direct them to resources useful for creating ePortfolios
  • The Pearce Center and OTEI plan to present faculty workshops on electronic portfolios as soon as CCIT has finalized the mechanism for tracking student work
  • Online materials based on these workshops will be made available
  • Faculty teaching courses which cover Gen Ed competencies are encouraged to develop assignments appropriate for inclusion in GEPs
  • Departments should identify courses which cover the distributed competencies (Ethical Judgment, for example) and incorporate appropriate assignments into the syllabi

Assessment Plans

  • The campus Assessment Committee has been helpful in refining the Gen Ed competency rubrics
  • The ePortfolio Task Force is working on the mechanism for assessing student ePortfolios
  • Current plans focus on using small groups of paid evaluators to rate portfolios during summer months after work is sampled for graduates in fall and spring semesters
  • Although evaluators will be trained and supervised by faculty members, it is likely that most evaluators will be graduate students

Task Force Activities for Fall 2006

  • Determine protocols for access and control of GEPs
  • Establish assessment plan and system for recruiting evaluators of GEPs
  • Work with CCIT to technically enable the assessment of GEPs and to streamline the process of creation and assessment
  • Work with students to create a robust plan for compliance
  • Work with CCIT, OTEI and the Pearce Center on student training and faculty involvement