Innovations column by Craig Gerdes: Students’ electronic portfolios showcase achievements and support lifelong learning
Portfolios have been around for many years. Artists have maintained portfolios demonstrating their drawings, and people have kept financial portfolios containing a comprehensive record of their fiscal transactions and investment holdings to demonstrate their monetary worth.
Student portfolios, however, are a relatively new trend. A portfolio is defined as a systematic and organized collection of exemplary work. In this case, it contains work that a student has collected to show personal growth and change over time (i.e. course, semester, college career, lifetime). A critical component of a student portfolio is the learner’s reflection on the individual pieces of work (often called artifacts), as well as an overall reflection of learning.
Portfolios are highly motivating because they emphasize and illustrate a student’s accomplishments. They also promote self-evaluation and evidence of a relationship between instruction and learning, which helps students see personal growth.
Electronic portfolios have recently become popular, as new technologies have been developed. An e-portfolio uses various technologies and media types (audio, video, graphics, text, etc.) to create and publish a portfolio viewable on a computer. The e-portfolio development process is comprised of five stages: collection, selection, reflection, projection, and presentation.
• Collection: In the collection stage, students save artifacts that represent achievement of course goals, program objectives, or learning outcomes. This is the primary activity of a “working” portfolio.
• Selection: Students examine their collection and decide what to include and what to exclude. This process allows students to choose artifacts that demonstrate their best work and successes.
• Reflection: Students articulate their thoughts about each item and the portfolio overall. This activity increases awareness of their learning processes and growth in skills and knowledge over a period of time.
• Projection: Students review their reflections and identify gaps in their development. This process helps students to set future learning goals and supports lifelong learning.
• Presentation: Finally, students share their portfolios with their peers. This activity provides a unique opportunity for students to collaborate and gather feedback for improvement. It also presents a commitment to quality and continued professional development.
The only required equipment needed to create an electronic portfolio is a computer. Optional equipment includes a scanner, digital camera, video camera, microphone, and CD recorder. The simplest software needed to start includes Microsoft PowerPoint or Word. Adobe Acrobat and a web-authoring program such as Dreamweaver are also possibilities. Specialized programs specifically produced for electronic portfolio development are also available.
In the end, a student’s electronic portfolio should be well organized and complete, as well as creative and visually appealing. It should demonstrate quality and diversity in artifact selection and an insightfulness and a commitment to the learning process past, present, and future.
The value added in creating an e-portfolio by far exceeds the efforts expended, but students should approach their use of technology conservatively. They should keep the process simple by using familiar software as they get started. Above all else, the electronic portfolio should showcase student achievements and a commitment to lifelong learning.
Additional information about electronic portfolios can be found at these web sites:
http://webcenter1.aahe.org/electronicportfolios/index.html
http://electronicportfolios.com
A rubric for evaluating student portfolios is available at:
http://www.uvm.edu/~jmorris/rubricep.html
