ePortfolio: Infrastructure for a Culture of Evidence

ORU’s School of Education pioneered ePortfolio in 2002. The general education ePortfolio is required of all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors (seniors will be included in fall, 2007). In addition, all of ORU’s 63 undergraduate majors and programs, 15 masters programs, and 2 doctoral programs require the major ePortfolio for all students. At the beginning of each semester, ORU’s Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs orients new students to the ePortfolio program. He emphasizes the rationale, what is expected of each student, and how to use ePortfolio to track individual progress throughout the student’s experience at ORU. All new students are required to take the Career Direct Assessment and write and upload a reflection paper on the results, thus beginning their college careers “with the end in mind.” Each student receives professional feedback on the reflection paper.

ORU has publicly committed to these specific student learning outcomes by making the ePortfolio a requirement for degree completion. This requirement is emphasized in the ORU Catalog, on the website, and in a variety of communications with both potential and current students. Every course syllabus indicates the level at which the course contributes to each learning outcome and its associated proficiencies/capacities. ORU has developed a complete Curriculum Map showing how every course contributes to the overall mission (view here: Curriculum_Map). ePortfolio is a student learning focal point for all internal and external major and program evaluations and re-accreditation self-studies. ORU has publicly shared its processes, successes, and challenges with ePortfolio and its student learning outcomes in more than 40 presentations at national and regional meetings of such educational organizations as NCATE, the Higher Learning Commission, AAC&U, CCCU, AIR, and EDUCAUSE. Responses to these presentations have been positive, due to the following distinctive characteristics:

Ø ePortfolio is required of all undergraduate and graduate students.
Ø All faculty members participate in the assessment process.
Ø The program has full support from all levels of administration.
Ø ePortfolio addresses University-wide and departmental specific learning outcomes.
Ø The program encompasses both curricular and co-curricular aspects of each student’s learning experience.
Ø Direct evidence of learning is provided for each individual student.
Ø Students know the target. They receive specific feedback and advisement on where to improve and repeatedly reflect on their progress through the developmental model.
Ø Students become aware that development of learning outcomes transcends individual courses.
Ø Assessment of learning is facilitated by such rubric-evaluated artifacts as pre/post tests with differential scoring, analytical lab reports, field tests, persuasive speech video clips, and critical analysis papers.
Ø The data generated leads to informed decisions that improve student learning.

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