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e-Portfolios and Cal Poly

Cal Poly has explored the use of e-Portfolios through collaboration with students, the administration, ITS, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Assessment Council, and WASC committees. There is recognition of the many benefits that e-Portfolios would provide to students and of the power of an electronic tool that can report on student achievement of learning outcomes. Research, development, and discussions continue to take place on campus. Students have conducted peer-led focus groups to provide feedback on how e-Portfolios could be integrated into the curriculum or co-curriculum. Faculty and staff have been updated on e-portfolio progress through assessment workshops and commercial-vendor presentations. Pilot e-Portfolios have evolved on campus, as exemplified in the following programs:

• Cal Poly's School of Education requires students to use Tk20 (Campus Tools for Higher Education) to ensure that their programs align with critical state and national standards. Over 200 students have participated in this project since 2008.

• The Architecture Department is implementing a comprehensive portfolio policy that will require all students to document their progress throughout the Bachelor of Architecture curriculum. In fall 2009, all freshmen students in Architectural Engineering and Architecture utilized EXPO LX as an e-Portfolio tool within the current Blackboard system. For more information, refer to the online CTL Winter 2010 newsletter.

Cal Poly still faces many decisions in the e-Portfolio process, as selection and implementation of a suitable system requires careful planning and analysis. The challenge has intensified, as 30 to 40 e-portfolio options have recently emerged in the marketplace. Cal Poly is currently testing various systems on campus, researching e-Portfolio projects at other universities, comparing conceptual system frameworks, and designing learning activities that will support our strategic plan.

Listed below are several resources available that provide guidance and insight on e-Portfolio development.

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Resources on e-Portfolios

Web sites

  • VALUE Project (Association of American Colleges and Universities)
    Electronic Portfolios and Student Success Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Learning
    Helen l. Chen and Tracy Penny Light
    This publication presents an overview of e-Portfolios. It is organized around eight issues central to implementing an e-portfolio approach: defining learning outcomes; understanding your learners; identifying stakeholders; designing learning activities; including multiple forms of evidence; using rubrics to evaluate e-Portfolios; anticipating external uses of evidence; and evaluating the impact of e-Portfolios. This work is illustrated through multiple campus case study examples.
  • AAEEBL (Association for Authentic, Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning)
  • e-Portfolios in the CSU
  • Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research ( 2009 conference) - A summary of reports

Samples of E-portfolio Projects