Phillips Andover Academy

2/23/2006 – 4:00-5:00

Darek Sady

Blackboard Learning System (Release 6.3)e-Portfolios

Introductions

Darek Sady Education

– Utica College of Syracuse University– University of North Carolina Greensboro

Professional Experience– 6 Years in Academia– Faculty Development Trainer– College instructor for 3 Years– Director of IT

2 Years with Blackboard

Introductions and Expectations

Please introduce yourself…Name, Position/Title, Courses that you teachExperience using BlackboardPlanned use or current use of BlackboardExpectation(s) for this workshop Interesting tidbit about yourself or a local

favorite restaurant

Portfolios

Create a record of achievement

Create a website Share with users

and courses Send to users

outside Blackboard

Portfolios

e-Portfolios are a valuable tool for evaluating student and faculty performance. Students may use the e-Portfolios for potential employment opportunities, graduation requirements, and course requirements. Faculty may use e-Portfolios for tenure requirements, sharing content with a course, and maintaining a Professional Portfolio for research opportunities.

Using the Portfolio Wizard

e-Portfolios may be developed in minutes by using the Portfolio Wizard. The Portfolio Wizard walks the user through a series of prompts, such as upload files, external links, and templates to create a fully functioning e-Portfolio.

Portfolio Templates

Portfolio Management

When the Portfolio is complete, users may wish to manage certain aspects of the Portfolio such as adding additional content, sharing the Portfolio and downloading the Portfolio for future use.

Portfolio Share

Portfolios can be shared with Users, Courses, Organizations, Institution Roles, All System Accounts, and External Users.

Course Access to Portfolios

Course Portfolios are accessed via the “Tools” area of a course.

Topics of Discussion

Blackboard’s new e-Portfolio feature can serve a wide variety of faculty and student needs. During this workshop, participants will:

– View examples of common and uncommon ePortfolio uses.– Create Portfolios.– Share Portfolios with individuals and groups.– Receive, view, and comment on Portfolios.– Download Portfolios.– Consider evaluation criteria for Portfolios.– Learn best practices for launching an ePortfolio pilot at your

institution.

Electronic Portfolios

Electronic portfolios enable students and faculty to assemble, present, and share information online for documenting academic growth, career evaluation, and course preparation.

e-Portfolios in the Instructional Setting

Traditional – Student achievement and progress– Course requirements– Graduation requirements– Showcase of experiences– Collection of work or research

Non-traditional– Course Overview and Staff Information– Tutorials– Guided activities

e-Portfolios in the Co-Curricular Setting

Employment opportunities Tenure Recertification Tutorials

e-Portfolio Building in Blackboard

Access through the Blackboard Content System tab

Tool on the Navigation Menu called Portfolios

Portfolio tool may be made available to groups of users at your institution using Blackboard Community System Institution Roles

User is the “owner” of the Portfolio

Portfolios Tool

Portfolio Creation – Portfolio Wizard My Portfolios – Area to create, modify, and share

Portfolios Received Portfolios – Area to view and comment on

Portfolios shared with you by another user on the system

Using the Portfolio Wizard

Portfolios may be developed in minutes by using the Portfolio Wizard. The Portfolio Wizard walks the user through a series of prompts, such as upload files, external links, and templates to create a fully functioning e-Portfolio.

Contents of a Portfolio

Each numbered item serves as a link on the navigation menu of the Portfolio, which when clicked display as pages. These “pages” can be reordered.

Add Content

Link to content stored in the Blackboard Content System

Add Item – Using a Template

Templates can be created and uploaded by the Blackboard System Administrator for use by Portfolio users. Using templates, institutions or departments can develop their own “look and feel” or identity, as Portfolios can be shared with Blackboard users on the system or with others who are external of the system such as a prospective employer.

Add Item

The Visual Text Box Editor can be used to enter text, attach files stored in the Blackboard Content System such as graphics, and modify or enhance HTML. Items are an effective way of grouping content links and giving context to work.

Add External Link

Links to external URLs can be included in the Portfolio. Avoid linking to Web sites with advertisements or other pop-ups associated with pages.

Portfolio Management

When the Portfolio is complete, users may wish to manage certain aspects of the Portfolio such as adding additional content, sharing the Portfolio, and downloading the Portfolio for future use.

Share Portfolio

The owner of a Portfolio may share it with individual users on the Blackboard system, groups of users on the system, or individuals who are external to the system.

Comments

Portfolios can be annotated with comments to provide feedback. The owner of the Portfolio may decide if comments should be

private or shared. Shared comments allow all users with whom a Portfolio has been

shared to view the comments. Private comments may only be viewed by the owner and the

intended recipient of the Portfolio. The status of comments may be changed at anytime, which may

be appropriate as a Portfolio moves through a “review” phase to a “published” phase.

Check Links

Periodically checking links in a Portfolio is a good practice. The owner of a Portfolio may use the Portfolio Link Checker tool to identify broken links and repair them, if possible.

Download Portfolios

Any Portfolio and its contents may be downloaded as a compressed ZIP file. This file contains HTML pages and content items that comprise the Portfolio. This ZIP package can then be archived on a local drive or emailed to another person.

Student or User Best Practices

Create a folder on the Blackboard Content System called “Portfolio Contents.” In this folder store files to be used when using Add Content or Add Item during Portfolio creation.

Consider the intended audience to determine the “look” and contents of the Portfolio.

A good Web practice is to consider using four or less colors for the design, allowing for variation without causing distraction to the viewer.

Student or User Best Practices

If a Portfolio will include a link to a file to which the owner does not have control (i.e. a file stored in the Institution Content area), consider copying the file into a controlled location.

Use the Copy feature to create variations on Portfolios. Prior to leaving an institution, use the Download

Portfolio feature to download a ZIP package of Portfolio materials.

Instructor Best Practices

Establish criteria when assigning students or faculty the task of creating an e-Portfolio.

Develop a rubric or written standard of measure that students or faculty may use to ensure that their e-Portfolios meet criteria.

Example of rubric courtesy of the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s School of Education http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/ePortfoliorubric.html

Example of rubric courtesy of Pearson Prentice Hall http://www.phschool.com/professional_development/assessment/rub_electronic_Portfolio.html

Institution Best Practices

Develop a policy for students, faculty, or staff who may leave the institution which includes users downloading their Portfolio from the Blackboard system.

Develop templates that can be used during the Portfolio creation process. Clearly label templates so that users understand which templates may be applicable to their purposes. Templates can be created by department representatives and then added to the Blackboard system by the Blackboard System Administrator.

Define an Institution Role on the Blackboard Community System to pilot the use of Portfolios.