how eportfolio transformed our students, faculty and program

How ePortfolio Transformed our Students, Faculty and Program

Brooklyn College SEEK Program’s “Benchmarks for Success”

Martha J. BellTracy DaravirasLongfeng GaoRobert J. KellySharona A. Levy

SEEK DepartmentBrooklyn College / CUNY

http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/pub/departments/seek/




Why are you here?????

What attracted you to this workshop?

What do you want to transform in your program/classroom/college?

What’s missing? Lacking? Frustrating?

What do you wish you were doing/doing more of/stopped doing?

What do you wish you knew?

BC SEEK Department, Benchmarks for Success – Freshman Benchmarks brochure, 2009

What are the BC SEEK Benchmarks for Success?

All SEEK students must submit a portfolio assessing their growth in academic, college and personal development at particular points in their college career.

These Benchmarks detail the behaviors and skills deemed necessary by the SEEK Department for student success at Brooklyn College.

Each individual benchmark requires a “Writing Response” and “Supporting Evidence” of completion.

Why Benchmarks?

Makes goals of program transparent Encourages students to evaluate their own

learning Provides guidelines for student success Puts responsibility in the hands of the learner Establishes forum for systematic, on-going

program assessment and evaluation Builds consensus on what is important to

program and its constituents

Brooklyn College The City University of New York

Brooklyn College 17,094 undergrads 4-star ranking for academics in

2000 Fiske Guide to Colleges "America's Best Colleges

2001" by U.S. News & World Report

2007 edition of America's Best Value Colleges

2009 Princeton Review’s Best 368 Colleges

3rd most diverse student pop, Princeton Review

SEEK Program = Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge

NYS legislatively-mandated higher education opportunity program at CUNY’s senior colleges for educationally and economically disadvantaged students

Est. 1966

Provides special academic, financial and counseling assistance to entering, 1st-time students who graduate from NYS public schools

Comparable programs at public and private colleges (EOP & HEOP) in NY, CA, NJ & PA

SEEK Benchmarks for Success

SEEK Income & educational

disadvantage 1.5x federal poverty

level Educational

disadvantage Ineligible through

regular admissions criteria

NY State Opportunity ProgramsIncome Eligibility Chart for AY 2010-2011

Household Size

(Including headof household)

2 Parents/ 1 Worker

2 Parents/2 Workers

or

1 Parent/1 Worker

1 $16,060 -------

2 $21,630 $27,200

3 $27,210 $32,770

4 $32,790 $38,360

5 $38,360 $43,930

6 $43,960 $49,530

7 $49,500 $55,070

Note: Add $5,570 for each family member in excess of 7.

SEEK at Brooklyn College Comprehensive services from admission to graduation:

Admissions Pre- and Post-freshman summer program First-Year learning communities Counseling and CUNY CAPs Financial aid Tutoring/Supplemental Instruction Benchmarks for Success ePortfolios Honors and scholars programs Community service Leadership training SEEK Student Organization

Department status 3 FIPSE grants


SEEK at Brooklyn College (2009)

854 students 65.7% Female 34.3% Male Ethnicity

White – 17.2% Black – 25.2% Hispanic – 24.8% Asian – 32.8%

221 Freshmen

SEEK Program pre-1995 25% of the students on probation Low pass rates on remedial reading,

writing and math tests Low graduation and retention rates Program under fire internally and

externally

1st FIPSE Grant

Curriculum Model

M. Sobelman and M. Bell, 1977

Critical Inquiry

Set of active reading strategies that compel students to preview texts, take layers of notes, and formulate questions

Take control of own learning Reading as construction of meaning through

multiple drafts Introduced in Pre-Freshman Summer Program

Critical Inquiry Method Multiple reads Annotating Questioning

Critical Inquiry

Critical Inquiry Benchmarks

Critical Inquiry highly effectiveExtended to non-remedialDrop off seen in 1st year renewed emphasis2nd FIPSE – disseminate CI

Counseling courses unaffectedStudent resistance to course

DEP FIPSE II: Making the Core a Reality for Disadvantaged Students (1998-2000)

9 Transportable Elements1. Critical Inquiry2. Multicultural perspective3. Core materials4. Block programs, learning communities5. Collaborative learning6. Theme-centered instruction7. Tutoring/supplemental instruction8. Outcomes/Benchmarks for Success9. Summer bridge program

Development of Benchmarks

Counseling courseOver time consensus over which issues were

to be coveredCounselors had goals but weren’t explicit“Why do we have to take this?”Counselors asked to articulate goals Instructors invited into the conversation

Development of Benchmarks Students to provide portfolio/evidence of

achievement of goals Counselors reluctant to take this on

Solution: CUNY CAPs Instituted Summer 1997

Pamphlets given out with rewards for completion Not a success

rewards insufficient incentive didn’t take it seriously


Summer 1998Carrot and stick approach

Consequences to not doing it No Benchmarks, No Registration

Folder given out along with pamphlet Structure and concreteness

Development of Benchmarks 1998-2000

FIPSE II – extend and disseminate CI model Development of Sophomore Benchmarks

2001-2005FIPSE III

Demonstrating student growth Institutionalizing benchmarks

Development of Probation and Transfer benchmarks

Impressions of Benchmarks


2005Brooklyn College adapts Benchmarks for their

First-Year College program 2008

Freshman Benchmarks move to ePortfolio 2010

Sophomore Benchmarks ⇛ ePortfolio


CurrentlyDevelopment of Upperclassman and Transfer

BenchmarksOngoing revision of benchmarks at

department retreats Sophomore in January Freshman in June

Pre-FreshmanSummer Program

IntroduceBenchmarks

FallSemester

Freshman Benchmarks

IntersessionDepartment

RetreatPedagogy & IT Discussion

Sophomore BenchmarksSpring

Semester

Examine, Discuss, Revise Benchmarks

May Department Retreat

SEEK Annual Benchmark Cycle

Who reads and evaluates them?

Counseling Assistantship Program (CUNY CAP)Matriculated grad students with bachelor’s

from a CUNY college$10 per hour + tuition waiver for 6 CUNY

graduate credits fall and spring semestersEligible for health insuranceBC SEEK CAPs all former SEEK students

Evaluation Procedure

CUNY CAPs meet with Department Chair Pre-submission

Develop rubrics for evaluation Norming Identify specific benchmarks relevant for current

academic year Post-submission

Discuss problems and issues Identify “best” benchmarks Evaluate and improve process

Benchmarks for Success ePortfolio on Blackboard 8.0’s Expo LX

Difference ePortfolio Makes Ease of use Ease of access

Storage & retrieval Ease of editing and

changing Comfort level Assessment Showcasing More collaborative Highly structured

Format problems Proofs Platform

Permissions Technology difficulties Cheating easier, but

easier to detect

Goals of Benchmarks

Provides forum for feedback Encourages student responsibility Integrates and synthesizes best practices Allows for flexible, collaborative and

comprehensive response to internal and external pressures annually

Other Benchmarks: Transfer and Probation

Conceptual Framework for BC SEEK’s Benchmarks for Success

Type of Benchmar

k

Guiding Question

Purpose Transition

Freshman Where am I?Extended Orientatio

n

High School ⇨ College

SophomoreWhat am I

doing?Mid-point

General Education

⇨ Major

UpperclassmanWhere am I

going?Summative

College ⇨ Beyond

SEEK Freshman Experience

Your response to the Freshman Benchmarks

What questions would you ask? Which benchmarks do you like? Which benchmarks seem pointless? What kinds of proof would you provide for

each benchmark?

SEEK Department, Brooklyn College8th CUNY IT Conference, Dec. 4, 2009

SEEK Department, Brooklyn College

SEEK Department, Brooklyn College8th CUNY IT Conference, Dec. 4, 2009

SEEK Department, Brooklyn College

Personal Benchmark C - Writing Response

Personal Benchmark C - Supporting Evidence

Benchmarks & YOU

Create your own benchmarks

Context: your responses to our initial questions

Powerful Tool Interactive and flexible Learning process as dynamic not static Conversation among all stakeholders Metacognitive Holistic Authentic Model for job/grad school portfolios

Pedagogical Tool Shows learning not just done in class and not

just tied to grade Reflects on total college experience Connects disparate learning and experience –

integrative Defines what it means to be educated and

responsible community member Makes explicit contract between student and

program

Greatest Impact (1) Academic

Monitoring Critical Inquiry Concrete changes in curriculum and program Students see connections to other classes Emphasis on its importance Generated reflections on own analysis of CI and

how and why they were using it Results: doing better in core, electives and CPE

Greatest Impact (2) Advisement and College Life

“High-impact practices” involvement in college and more timely satisfying of requirements fewer students on probation and more

students graduating before financial aid runs out

Benchmarks as assessment

Flexible Assessment Individual StudentCohortProgram

Student assessment

Individual growth and feedbackAt a particular pointLongitudinallyStudent sees value-added benefits of college

education

Cohort Assessment

Yearly ranking by CAPs3-5 strongest portfolios / average / weakest

Compare Among cohortOver timeTo other cohorts

Identify problems

Program Assessment

Focuses on particular program areas Emphasis and questions change as different

needs and issues arise Add or drop goal as needed to see if it is being

achieved or promoted Goals become explicit to all Models “ideal” student, education, citizen, etc.

Planning-Assessment Cycle1. Developing clearly articulated written statements, expressed in

observable terms, of key institutional and unit-level goals that are based on the involvement of the institutional community;

2. Designing intentional objectives or strategies to achieve those goals;

3. Assessing achievement of those key goals;

4. Using the results of those assessments to improve programs and services, with appropriate links to the institution’s ongoing planning and resource allocation processes.

- Standard 7: “Institutional Assessment,”Middle States

Outcomes (from Middle States)

Effective assessment must be: Useful Cost-effective Reasonably accurate and truthful Carefully planned Organized, systematized, and sustained

“Assessment processes help to ensure the following: Institutional program-level goals are clear to the public,

students, faculty, and staff; Institutional programs and resources are organized and

coordinated to achieve institutional and program-level goals;

The institution is providing academic opportunities of quality;

The institution is indeed achieving its mission and goals; and

Assessment results help the institution to improve student learning and otherwise advance the institution.”

Benchmarks as AssessmentTool for students to understand and evaluate their own learning individual counselors and instructors who work with students to

guide growth examining the development of a given cohort of students examining growth of an individual skill or dimension monitoring student behavior when a change is being

implemented monitoring program and classroom strategies, pedagogy, and

faculty development creating students’ brag sheet or resume for grad school or

employment longitudinal measurement of student growth and development

BC SEEK Outcomes GPA Data

Students on probation (GPA < 2.0) went from 25% of SEEK students to < 4% (less than regular admits)

288 Students with GPA > 3.0 (excluding freshmen) = 37.4% 106 students on 2009 Dean’s List (GPA ≥ 3.5) = 13.7%

Graduation Rate: Class of 2003 6-year graduation rate = 47.8% + 4% still enrolled

(Brooklyn College 6-yr graduation rate for 2002 Cohort = 43.7%)National rate for students with similar profile ~11%CUNY SEEK 6-yr graduation rate for 2003 cohort = 32.9%

Pass rates for remedials by end of AY 2006-07 Math (COMPASS) – 98.9% Reading (COMPASS) – 99% Writing (CUNY/ACT) – 96%

Pass rates for CUNY Proficiency Examination (rising junior) 100% by end of academic year (best in CUNY)

Middle States on Brooklyn College

Under: Significant accomplishments, significant progress, or exemplary/innovative practices include:

“The SEEK Program e-portfolio [Benchmarks for Success] is a very effective tool for engaging new students in age-appropriate self reflection on their progress through the first year of college.”

Benchmarks – Keys to Success Whole department involved and invested CUNY CAPs took ownership Various benchmarks due at different times Annual revisiting and revising Benchmarks arise out of program’s needs Integral part of program from 1st day Real consequences and commitments Faculty buy-in critical

What’s Missing????

Student Reflections Finally one of my stressing nightmares is over! No more! No more! Benchmarks! “Omg, finally I’m done with my Benchmarks”

yay! Snipping away precious time Thank You God It’s Over … No! I forgot it will be

back I Kissed Benchmarks Good-bye! Peace. A Struggle…a Nightmare…a Relief!!!

“We had five months to collect all proofs, attend events, write and do all the other things that were required. Even with all the time I had, I left most of the things for the last minute. I now know that must manage time more wisely and also take advantage of it.” –A. R.

“To be honest, doing the benchmarks electronically was better than actually writing on paper. This saves time, ink, and paper.”-J.B.

“After finishing my Benchmarks I was fluent with the Brooklyn College campus.” –A. M.

“The process of working on the Freshman Benchmarks was very time consuming. I honestly believed that there was no point in working on them, just because at the time I thought it would not be beneficial to me. After all everything had to do with my own development as a student in this first semester of college so why would someone want to read about that?. Now I understand that in a way this was like a mirror to me, I was able to look at myself and the long way I have come since graduating High School.” -B.M.

Student Reflections on Benchmarks

Sophomore Reflections After completing and reviewing the Freshman Benchmark, I saw everything more

clearly. The freshman benchmarks made my college experience so much easier. I got around difficult obstacles much faster and more precise.

Today I read through my Freshman Benchmark. I started to laugh. Time goes by so fast that I have to laugh. It was just yesterday, I was a freshman, new to college life, scare and confused. Here I am a year later doing benchmarks again. For certain I have changed. I am more comfortable, less confused and more happy. . . . Im excited reflect growth when I start my junior benchmarks.

After reviewing my Freshman benchmarks I realized that last year I did a lot of things because I had the benchmarks but now I am doing them not as a requirement but because I choose to. I also realized how I began to incorporate things into my life style as oppose to just doing it because I was told to; things such as annotating, reading books, going to different clubs, and so on. Those things were requirements to me until now.

Without the benchmarks I think I would have learned too late about what was expected of me in college and the steps I had take in assuring an easy path to success. . . . Freshman and Sophomore benchmarks was really beneficial to me but I hope there arent anymore in the future.

Sophomore Reflections I have looked through my Freshman Benchmarks and got very emotional. I have

grown so much since then. I was only getting to know my way around the college then and now I know every little corner here. . . . Everything I learned there I still use now. I use my critical inquiry techniques now on a different level. I learned how to create a resume in last years benchmarks and now it is very useful to me. When I was doing them last year I thought that they were useless and stupid. Now I see how much I learned from them and how helpful that information is to my success at Brooklyn College.

Looking back at my freshmen benchmark, educationally wise, my writing and knowledge had improved drastically. I recognized my knowledge had widened from just vocabulary I had began to use. With the help of benchmarks, I learned what to do in my college career and helped me plan accordingly. From the past freshmen benchmarks, I realized how much I did not know about my college career and my future goals. In my freshmen year, I was puzzled most of the time when I had to decide on my career goals. From just slightly a year, I learn to become a better student, and finally understood what my life is about.

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