ePortfolio Projects

Make ePortfolio projects meaningful.

By their very nature, ePortfolio projects are meaningful — they’re entirely based on making meaning out of artifacts and experiences. You can increase this relevance and authenticity by encouraging students to create ePortfolios to be used beyond the classroom, such as in job searches or applications for higher learning. Help students use their ePortfolio to demonstrate critical thinking about their content and experiences rather than using an ePortfolio as just a resume with basic information.

Another factor to consider in order to make an ePortfolio project more meaningful is its life after the course. Will the ePortfolio continue to be an asset for students? If so, it’s important to make sure the content remains accurate and relevant. Students should plan to revisit their ePortfolio periodically to update it as necessary.

Provide opportunities for student voice and choice.

ePortfolios are inherently about student voice; they’re sharing their own experiences and creations. When designing an ePortfolio project, it’s also important to find opportunities for the choice part of this strategy. Can students choose which platform to use when creating their ePortfolio? Do students have options in how their ePortfolio is organized and themed? How much freedom do they have in choosing which artifacts and experiences they will share in their ePortfolio? Some aspects of the project will need to be universal, but opportunities for choices can still be found.

Set clear expectations.

Like any activity/assessment, first establish the goal of the project. Make sure students are clear on the purpose and audience of their ePortfolio as well as the learning objectives. If the ePortfolio has potential use beyond the classroom, such as in internships or on social media, communicate that at the beginning.

Next, consider your project parameters. Here are some questions to consider:

• How many artifacts/reflections will students be publishing?
• What types of artifacts should students include?
• What constitutes a meaningful reflection? Are there wordcount considerations?
• Will they engage with each other’s ePortfolios? If so, how?

Be clear about how projects will be assessed. Students are more familiar with the grading expectations for traditional papers but not with less traditional projects like ePortfolios. What are the expectations for the “mechanics” of the site (grammar, spelling, layout, etc), and how much of the final grade is assessing those mechanics? Using a rubric will help students understand your expectations. A single point rubric that lists the expectations, has room for comments, and includes a points column is a natural fit for a project like this.

Provide options for feedback and reflection.

Mastery-oriented feedback is essential for writing assignments, including ePortfolio writing (UDL checkpoint 8.4). In particular, feedback opportunities throughout the writing process scaffold student learning effectively. This can take the form of teacher or peer feedback on ePortfolio outlines, rough drafts of artifacts/reflections, published artifacts/reflections (to inform future ones), etc. Once again, rubrics can come in handy here (UDL checkpoint 9.4).

In addition to feedback from others, it’s important for students to give themselves feedback on their ePortfolio creation/progress. You can establish some checkpoints where students stop and self-assess their work on the ePortfolio. Are new themes becoming apparent across multiple artifacts? Are their reflections deepening to think more critically about their own work? Do they need to make changes in format or theme to better suit a more refined purpose and audience?

In their reflections, students can also compare early posts/pages with later ones to reflect on their own growth as writers. The ePortfolio itself will grow and evolve during development. Some pieces may be removed or retired to be replaced with sections that are more relevant to the students’ current purpose.

Scaffold ethical behavior.

When we consider scaffolding the ethical behavior of our students, we think of our University’s mission statement:

Our mission is to educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation in church and society.

With our mission in mind, all stages of the student’s ePortfolio project should have opportunities for considering how their created content reflects these values. When students curate artifacts and draft reflections, they need to ensure that their ePortfolio accurately represents their experiences and goals as they live out their Christian vocation.

ePortfolios make students content creators, a role they’ve likely already played before on social media or for other courses. However, they still might not be aware of how their work can be used by others. For example, you can encourage (or require) students to license their ePortfolio using Creative Commons licensing. Also, give students the opportunity to read and understand the Terms of Service (TOS), Terms of Use (TOU), and/or Privacy Policies involved in their ePortfolio production (see 3rd Party Tools.

As students think more carefully about how others may interact with or use their content, it’s also important to remind them about privacy and data security. Are they sharing information that should not be broadly publicized (e.g. safety issues related to location or identity)? While the content of an ePortfolio is generally focused on the student who is creating it, some of their artifacts/reflections may mention or reference other people (e.g. in stories or photos). Students should consider whether or not that content should be widely shared. Consider that many sites allow you to create password-protected or non-searchable sites, which can limit access (though that doesn’t mean your information is truly secure).

Once students have drafted content ethically, they need to learn how to communicate it accessibly. In the case of ePortofolios, this means learning key digital accessibility principles like headings, alt text, and descriptive links. This improves students’ ability to continue making a positive contribution to the media landscape in a way that is inclusive to diverse audiences.