An ePortfolio evaluation task force, comprised of faculty, staff and students is underway at St. Edward’s University.
Overview
Two university-wide initiatives have identified ePortfolios as an important tool for advancing student learning at St. Edward’s University. The five-year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), “Vocation: Discovering One’s Purpose in a Changing World,” will commence in 2017. Reflection plays a vital role in helping students achieve the designated learning outcomes as they move forward on their path of vocational discovery, and the QEP calls for and includes funding for an ePortfolio to aggregate that reflection. The new general education framework should begin implementation with the freshmen class of Fall 2018. Requirement Development Committees composed of more than 80 faculty members representing all schools proposed student learning outcomes and requirements for individual curriculum elements during the 2016-2017 academic year. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of those committees saw a role for an ePortfolio in general education courses for archiving signature assignments and work, reflecting on learning experiences, and integrating general education, the major, and other learning in the curriculum, co-curriculum, and personal experiences. Both the General Education Renewal Committee (GERC) and the QEP Committee have asked that a formal selection process get underway to evaluate potential ePortfolio platforms.
ePortfolio Platform Evaluation Task Force Charge
We are establishing an ePortfolioPlatform Evaluation Task Force comprised of faculty, staff and students to establish selection criteria, consider options for an ePortfolio platform, examine experiences from pilot uses on different platforms, and make a recommendation for an ePortfolio platform that will support learning at St. Edward’s University. The task force will recommend a product that can be used primarily in
support of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and the new General Education Curriculum. The system might also support other ePortfolio uses that currently exist on campus, e.g., Prior Learning Credit for adult students, major portfolios, etc. In addition, the system should offer an enterprise-level solution that can provide optimal performance and stability for a university of our size, integrate with existing information technology infrastructure, and comply with data security and retention policies. This task force should be broadly representative of all faculty, the schools, as well as staff offices connected to the Quality Enhancement Plan and General Education Renewal.
Timeline
| Spring 2017 | Task Force determines criteria, evaluates platforms, and suggests pilot uses |
| Summer 2017 | OIT secures licenses and completes set up for pilots |
| Fall 2017 | Pilots |
| January 2018 | Final recommendation |
| Fall 2018 | Incoming freshmen use selected platform for general education and the QEP |
Members
Brenda Adrian, Associate Director Instructional Technology
Amy Clements, Associate Professor of English
Rebecca Frost Davis, Director of Instructional and Emerging Technology
Mary Dunn, Assistant Professor of Management
Kim Garza, Associate Professor of Graphic Design
Elisabeth Johnson, Associate Professor of Literacy
Carlos Martinez, Vice President Student Government
Roel Martinez, Academic Counselor II
Gary Morris, Dean, Natural Sciences
Ray Rogers, Director of Career Services
Jaime Thomas, Advising Specialist, Management & Business
Christie Wilson, Associate Professor of History
For more information on the ePortfolio Evaluation Task Force, please contact Rebecca Davis at rebeccad@stedwards.edu.