virginia tech e-portfolio systems development

Virginia Tech E-portfolio Systems Development

Hongbo Zhang, ePortfolio Developer, Virginia TechTeggin Summers, Assistant Director of ePortfolio

Initiatives, Virginia Tech

History of VT ePortfolio

• OSP tools integrated into our instance of Sakai (“Scholar”) since 2003

• Virginia Tech OSP system based on the University of Michigan Scaffolding Portfolio• However, we have extended the schemes,

layouts, navigation capability, and functions of the UMSCP to satisfy our local needs

Growth of ePortfolio at VT

• eP projects begin to take shape in 20062006 3 projects

2007 7 projects

2008 21 projects

Spring/Summer 2009 30 projects

Growth & Maintenance of eP Projects

Fall 06 Spring 07 Fall 07 Spring 08 Summer 08 Fall 08 Spring 09 Summer 090

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Sites Maintained Sites Added

Current Status of eP

• 471 participants in eP@VT• eP projects in every College on campus,

including a number of Academic Support Groups

• 23 new projects starting over this summer alone

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eP Workflow

• FDI• Face-to-face

Planning

July 2009

Form• Form structures• Element • Attributes • String• Richtext• date

• Validation rules • String, richtext, date, E-mail,

phone number• Complex Form• Group similar items• Nested one form within the parent form • Overcome the drawbacks of the simple form

eP

Forms

Portfolio Templat

e

Data

Matrix

Customized Rendering of Forms

• Attach an xsl file to render the form • Very similar to formCreate.xslt in the

PortfolioAdmin system directory • Customize • The element arrangement• The element Display style • Hide/display particular elements

Form and Matrix Creation

• The process of creating forms • Oxygen, Eclipse, and Form Builder • Oxygen/Form builder• Oxygen/more flexible • Form builder/easy to use

• Matrix Creation• Easy process, but…

eP

Forms

Portfolio Templat

e

Data

Matrix

Matrix Problems

• Attaching forms to big matrix is intricate • No automatic process• No visual feedbacks

• Once publish• Form can not be removed

• Very challenging to maintain big matrix

Template

• Get raw data (form data + matrix data)• with passthrough.xsl • Locate form data with xpath • Locate matrix data with xpath

• Template structure (xsl file)(1) Get CSS, JS (JQUERY) path(2) Write Top and secondary menu(3) Write page content

eP

Forms

Portfolio Templat

e

Data

Matrix

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eP Tools

eP

Presentation

Goal ManagementMatrix

July 2009

Examples of eP Projects at VT

• Ichthyology Course Matrix

Examples of eP Projects at VT

• HNFE: Dietetics Program Assessment Matrix

Examples of eP Projects at VT

• English Education Matrices and Presentation

Examples of eP Projects at VT

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English Education Assessment Matrix

July 2009

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English Education eP Presentation

July 2009

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English Education eP Presentation

July 2009

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Problems We Have Encountered

• Permissions• Files attached to forms are not publicly

viewable• Files in eP but deleted from Resources can

result in crashing eP• Necessity of public folder adds layer of

complexity (i.e., higher chance of user error)

July 2009

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More Problems…

• Searching too many forms in entire system can slow down eP creation

• Separation between Workspace, Matrix, and Portfolio tools can lead to confusion for user

July 2009

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Possible Solutions to Problems

July 2009

Permissions Big issue – not resolved

Form Search Slow Down Resolved

Lack of Integration Under development

Future Work of VT eP

• Goal• Easy to learn, use, and share • More user friendly interface• Easy for maintenance • Quicker development and deployment cycle• Small System loads

• One form Solution

One Form

Future Work of VT eP• New templates• Seven styles

• Standard• Engineering• Green• Greek• Dark• Clear• Sport • Even More in the future…

• Aim to satisfy most of department level requirement

New Template: Standard

New Template: Green

New Template: Engineering

Future Work of VT eP

• Reporting tool• Coordinating with Michigan on reporting

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Contact Information

July 2009

Hongbo Zhang ePortfolio Developer, Electronic Portfolio InitiativesVirginia Techhbzhang@vt.edu

Teggin Summers Assistant Director, Electronic Portfolio InitiativesVirginia Techteggin@vt.edu

Marc Zaldivar Director, Electronic Portfolio InitiativesVirginia Techmzaldiva@vt.edu