July 28, 2008The University of Oregon ePortfolio group is a multi-disciplinary coalition, which has been working together for two years to share resources and knowledge in order to build recognition for eportfolios on campus. Within the School of Architecture and Allied Arts (AAA) a prototype eportfolio was developed, which focuses on integrating IT coursework with professional preparation curriculum through eportfolios as authentic assessment. At the institutional level, the project is expanding in scope to integrate student learning assessment strategies, and the utility of eportfolio as a measure for institutional accountability and student-centered learning outcomes. Broad goals include:

·        For students: encourage deeper, more reflective learning, more significant connections across learning experiences, and professional career development.

·        For faculty: encourage new, more appropriate formative assessment, approaches to teaching, and evaluating learning.

·        For administrators: support assessment goals and accreditation interests

Research Question: What eportfolio process/system best suits UO regarding student-centered assessments, multi-disciplinary curriculum development, and career eportfolios? Related questions include: How might student performance criteria be used to increase consistency in team-taught courses? How can eportfolios benefit instructors and students? What community-building activities, online aides and face-to-face guidance provide the most effective support? What core competencies can apply to all UO students, and how can they fully reflect community values?

Research Methodology: We will use an Integrative Learning Design Framework (Bannan-Ritland, 2003) as the over-arching framework for accomplishing an effective design and implementation of an ePortfolio system for students and faculty, and to engage the campus community in an iterative process of inquiry, feedback, prototype, and redesign. This framework will support the development and implementation of an ePortfolio project at the University of Oregon, known as the “UOfolio”.  The UOfolio Group will advance through four (4) stages in a collaborative effort to provide informed, tangible solutions for the students, faculty, and other stakeholders at the university:

1.      Informed Exploration

2.      Enactment

3.      Evaluation: Local Impact

4.      Evaluation: Broader Impact

We will:

·        Engage Faculty and Staff to gain awareness, professional development and support opportunities through various existing campus mechanisms.

·        Collaboratively develop a UO ePortfolio Design Specifications document based on input and feedback from students, faculty, administration, and other stakeholders.

·        Continue the practice of an open, monthly face-to-face forum relative to specific successes and challenges, of the ePortfolio at UO.

·        Report results and gathering of feedback from relevant campus stakeholder groups, programs, and administration.

·        Distribute results through campus listserv, project website, publications and presentations, and other formal and informal communication strategies.

Project Goals: Research and assess existing platforms for one that satisfies the need for a fully public professional portfolio, linked to academic storage space where students house artifacts created throughout academic career, and which can be accessed by faculty and academic advisors across units, and which is flexible enough to include course gallery spaces for course-related collaborative projects, and for showcasing best work. Each area includes standards and assessment components related to the academic area, allowing students to integrate and demonstrate learning outcomes across courses and experiences.   EPortfolio Project Team: Lori Hager, Nancy Cheng, Ron Bramhall, Jonathon Richter, Andre Chinn