Orientation

Kevin KellyJohn Ittelson

ePortfolio - Day of DialogueFebruary 25, 2009 8:30 – 5:30

ePortfolios around the world

Audience participation – Anyone from another continent?

Anyone from another state? Anyone NOT in higher ed?

How familiar are you with ePortfolios They're pretty new to me. 41 people 36% I've seen them often and have used them a bit. 39 34% I'm an expert. 34 30%

Where is your institution in respect to adopting ePortfolios? Thinking about it/assessing needs. 43 38% Pilot phase/less than one year. 21 18% Adoption in progress/fully implemented. 26 23%

Assessment - Room 673

Teaching & Learning - Room 675 & 676

Assessment - Room 674

Interactive SessionsInteractive Sessions

Please turn cell phones off – speakers, too!

Don't forget: Fill out evaluation forms after each session.

ePortfolios for non-beginners

Kevin KellySan Francisco State University

Setting the stage for dialogue

• Initial questions and context• Learning from FOOD SCIENCE: Using umami

concepts to create a balance • Learning from COMPLEXITY SCIENCE: Using

fractals to understand different levels of needs

So you’ve started an ePortfolio initiative…now what?

Do you feel like the proverbial dog that caughtthe pickup truck?

Image: Alice Chapman (with Kevin Kelly)

Different needs pull ePortfolio efforts in different directions

Are faculty prepared? Are students motivated?

Does the tool work, period?

Can we supportePortfolios?

How do we move as a campus to authentic

assessment?

How do we change the campus culture?

Does the tool do what we need it to do?

How do we capitalize on

students' use of Web 2.0 tools?

Are ePortfolios accessible?

Are these portfolios OF learning orFOR learning? Or both?

How do we foster reflective thinking and learning?

Do we consider teaching portfolios?

• Using umami concepts to create a balance

Learning from FOOD SCIENCE

The Swami of Umami

bitter salty

sweet sour

umami

Targeted efforts can pull ePortfolio initiatives back into balance

Engage the Academic Senate

Identify what studies have been done

Identify existing support options

Start with disciplines that require authentic assessment

techniques

See how ePortfolios integrate with different tools

Talk to students about what Web 2.0 features they

like and whyAsk the Disability Programs to help test

Determine campus priorities when choosing portfolios OF or FOR learning

Collaborate with writing instructors and WAC directors

Starting with faculty ePortfolios has proven successful

Look at WASC rubrics and articles

Learning from COMPLEXITY SCIENCE

• Mandelbrot (1967) used his study of the British coastline to define self-similarity, often a characteristic of fractals. He theorized that most smaller-scale parts of the coastline resembled the larger-scale whole.

flickr.com/photos/tezzer57/2329351785/

Fractals in organizational change

• "A change agent who learns the simple rules that govern the behavior of a system on one level will have information to support decision making at other levels" (Olson & Eoyang, 2001, p. 101).

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/28/science/fractal480.jpg

Levels of mapping

electronicportfolio

institutional goals

CUSP II

Graduate Requirements

college goals

department/ program objectives

class objectives

artifacts

program assessment

review cycle

Levels of mapping: an example

Take-away Questions

• Do campuses have an institutional e-dentity?– If so, campuses should feel free to use principles

we tell our students. For example, it's okay—and desirable—to have different portfolios for different audiences.

• Do ePortfolios need to do everything?– How do Assessment Management Systems fit into

the picture?

Summary

• Different campus elements can help bring ePortfolio initiatives into balance.

• Observing smaller scale efforts (class-level or program-level pilots) can inform larger ones (campus-level or system-level initiatives).

• Complex problems often require different approaches than we've used in the past.

• Mandelbrot, B. (1967, May 5). How long is the coast of Britain? Statistical self-similarity and fractional dimension. Science, 156(3775), 636-638.

• Olson, Edwin E., and Eoyang, Glenda H. (2001). Facilitating Organization Change: Lessons from Complexity Science. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

• Umami Information Center. (n.d.). Getting a taste for wine. Retrieved on 20 Feb 2009 from http://www.umamiinfo.com/the_news/news_archive/getting_a_taste_for_wine_-_interview_with_tim_hanni_mw/