FrogFolio, folio thinking, and first-year

seminar

What is an ePortfolio, anyway?An electronic collection of evidence (a website) that represents learning over time and makes learning visible to self and others.

Capture and represent learning across contexts via artifacts • collect artifacts • select artifacts for display • reflect on meaning and relationship of artifacts

Learning Artifacts

Artifacts

Writing Samples

Presentations

Projects

Photos

Video FilesAudio Files

Blog Entries

Students tell their learning story - what they know - why it’s important - what it all means

ePortfolio as process and product

Process: INQUIRY REFLECTION INTEGRATION

Product: • development tool• record of learning artifacts• career preparation and planning

product• artifact showcase• tool for feedback

2 Sample FrogFolios

Emily Denney Senior, Strategic Communication/SpanishKansas City, MO*product-oriented/showcase

Mariah GreenSenior, Biology major (pre-med)Wichita, KS*process-oriented/reflective

Reflection: the “heart and soul” of a

portfolio

Meaningful Reflection: 4 Principles

• Reflection as Connection

• Reflection as Systematic & Disciplined

• Reflection as Social Pedagogy (remember the pigeons??)

• Reflection as an Attitude and Stance toward Change

(Rodgers, 2002)

“The function of reflection is to make meaning: to formulate the ‘relationships and continuities’ among the elements of an experience, between that experience and other experiences, between that experience and the knowledge that one carries, and between that knowledge and the knowledge produced by thinkers other than oneself.”

--Carol Rodgers (2002)

Why ePortfolios?

• Integrate discrete learning experiences

• Enhance self-understanding and self-authorship

(Magolda)

• Promote taking responsibility for one’s learning

• Support developing an intellectual identity

• Foster digital literacy and digital storytelling skills

• Facilitate coherence between curriculum and co-

curriculum

• Cultivate learning that is life-long and life-wide

From folio thinking to FrogFolio

As a digital learning tool, FrogFolio will be:

• student-directed • learning-centered • mentor-assisted

Vision Mission• To create a community

of connections with reflective, integrative, and intentional learners who take responsibility for their education by assessing their learning experiences and monitoring their progress and goals by making their work visible through the use of Frogfolios.

• TCU’s ePortfolio program exemplifies student-directed, learning-centered, mentor-assisted education.

History of project• Integrative learning QEP proposal 2011-2012• Combined with ePortfolio proposal• This synergy kickstarted some interdisciplinary

and interdepartmental information gathering and research that led to current small pilot

• Next step will be a larger pilot in fall 2014 for first-year students

205 students in current pilot

• 12-15 faculty mentors and staff mentors• 3 Honors Colloquium Courses (48 students)• First-Year Chancellor’s Scholars (44)• Student Athlete Advisory Council (16)• First-Year Experience/Connections (42)• Chancellor Leadership Program (40)• 1 Strategic Communication Writing course (15)

What’s inside?• Home page with photo and introduction• Goals and progress, set by student• My learning experiences• Habits of mind, based on TCU mission• Resume• Contact info• Plus, students may add sections

Larger pilots aheadSpring 2014 Fall 2014

• Current mentors will continue working with 205 students from fall 2013 pilot

• January gathering and April showcase

• SUMMER: Professional development

• Rollout for up to one-half of entering first-year class

• Rollout and discussion for other programs around campus

Fall 2014• 20-25 UNPR 10110 sections (team-taught by

faculty and staff mentors)• 16-20 OCO Basic Speech Communication courses

with mentor for each section• Plus embedding it into other upper level courses

or programming• Plus small pilot through ENGL first-year writing

class to prepare for spring 2015