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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

Ganesan Ravishanker

Billy Weitzer

Wesleyan University

CUMREC Annual Meeting

May 14, 2001

Phoenix, AZ

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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

to download the PowerPoint presentation, go to:

http://wweitzer.web.wesleyan.edu/cumrec

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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

CUMREC Annual Meeting Phoenix, AZ 5/13/01

Wesleyan’s Electronic Portfolio

All of Wesleyan’s students and faculty have access to portfolios. Each student has a Web site that he or she develops over time, which includes a complete official record of completed courses with grades, courses desired, papers written, audio and video clips, artwork, goals and accomplishments. Faculty advisors have access to their advisees’ portfolios. Students can set security to permit others to have access as well.

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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

CUMREC Annual Meeting Phoenix, AZ 5/13/01

Strategic Solutions

• Wesleyan’s electronic portfolio will not be the perfect solution for your institution.

• Electronic portfolios should enable an institution to achieve goals. These goals must fit into the institution’s culture and mission.

• As you investigate the potential benefits of electronic portfolios for your institution, keep in mind the broad perspective presented today rather than the specific details of Wesleyan’s solution.

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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

CUMREC Annual Meeting Phoenix, AZ 5/13/01

The Portfolio Clearinghouse

www.aahe.org/teaching/portfolio.db.html

Portfolios vary in four ways:

•Target populations: students, faculty, institutions

•Content: coursework, reflections, samples of best work

•Purpose: assessment, self-presentation, reflection on growth

•Media: Web, CD-ROM, video, paper, some combination

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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

CUMREC Annual Meeting Phoenix, AZ 5/13/01

enhanced advising

Wesleyan University

curricular coherence

Kalamazoo College

self-assessment

Portland State University

student assessment

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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

CUMREC Annual Meeting Phoenix, AZ 5/13/01

What are the purposes of the portfolio?• implemented as part of faculty legislation on curricular renewal

• Wesleyan has few requirements and no core curriculum

• electronic portfolio supports individualized curricular coherence without imposing a core

• the portfolio is designed to accomplish this primarily by enhancing advising

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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

CUMREC Annual Meeting Phoenix, AZ 5/13/01

What institutional issues must be addressed?• advice from our committee was to create something accessible for everyone

• the faculty focus group asked us to streamline: remove extraneous links

• maintain standard format for faculty convenience

• encourage student use without imposing requirements

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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

CUMREC Annual Meeting Phoenix, AZ 5/13/01

Once the electronic portfolio is in place, how is it being used? •advisors are pleased with having information in one place

• quieter students gain a voice

• busy students gain organizational and assessment tools

• if faculty use it, students will use it.

• more advising resources and tools will build on the sense of the portfolio as academic “homebase” for students and faculty

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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

CUMREC Annual Meeting Phoenix, AZ 5/13/01

What are the lessons learned?• engage in continual review of intent

• develop appropriate means of assessment for various stages

• have a promotion plan based on the mission of the portfolio

• include resources that students and faculty seek daily

• keep mission of portfolio in mind as portals become popular

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Keys to Developing Effective Student Electronic Portfolios

to download the PowerPoint presentation, go to:

http://wweitzer.web.wesleyan.edu/cumrec