HACU 18th Annual Conference

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Ellyn BiggsActivity Director, Title
Vebiggs_at_mdc.edu
Francoise LefortTechnical Support
Specialistflefort_at_mdc.edu
Felix RuisanchezFaculty Support
Technicianfruisanc_at_mdc.edu
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Todays Objectives

• Introduce our Title V program
• Define ePortfolios
• Show our platform
• Show faculty implementation
• Show students portfolios
• Share survey results

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Title V Co-op Grant

• St. Thomas University and Miami Dade College
  -Strengthening Academic Programs through Faculty
  Development, Electronic Portfolios Development
  and Instruction .
• Purpose
• Expand educational opportunities, and improve
  academic attainment of Hispanic students
• Expand and enhance the academic offerings,
  program quality, and institutional stability of
  both colleges.

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Our Unique Learning Community

• The majority of students at both institutions
  are Hispanic.
• We are developing programs using electronic
  portfolios to allow students to display their
  accomplishments on-line while providing them with
  the technology skills they might otherwise not
  receive.

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Our Cooperative Structure

• Miami Dade College InterAmerican Campus
• Activity Director
• Faculty Instructional Technician
• Technical Support Specialist
• 13 faculty members
• St. Thomas University
• Activity Director
• Faculty Instructional Technician
• Technical Support Specialist
• 16 faculty members

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Grant Objectives

• Train 5 faculty members per year.
• Integrate the use of electronic portfolios into
  the curriculum.
• Increase faculty-student contact
• Increase students options for career/transfer/
  advisement

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Training

• Phase 1
• Train the professor
• Phase 2
• Train the students
• Phase 3
• Open lab and individual appointments
• Phase 4
• Repeat phases 2 and 3

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What are Electronic Portfolios?

• Electronic Portfolios are selective and
  purposeful collections of student work made
  available on the web.
• Portfolios focus on the students reflections on
  their own work.
• They are records of learning, growth and change.
  
• They provide meaningful documentation of
  students abilities.
• They represent a learning history.

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What are Electronic Portfolios?

• In addition, ePortfolios bring together
  curriculum, instruction and assessment.
  Instructors and students can develop a shared
  understanding of what constitutes quality work,
  and acquire a common language for evaluating
  students accomplishments.

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Our Platform

• LiveText
• Accessible from anywhere with a computer
  connected to the internet
• Log on to account with username and password
• Secure
• Can be shared and evaluated online

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Who Are We?

• 13 Faculty from InterAmerican campus
• Cross-disciplinary
• Title V Cooperative Grant Task Force
• 15 required benchmarks

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Our Faculty

• Math
• Chemistry
• Speech and Communication
• English as a Second Language - writing
• English Composition
• English Literature
• Psychology
• Accounting
• Computers

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Faculty Requirements

• Attend all meetings trainings
• Demonstrate ability to work cooperatively
• Submit monthly progress reports
• Develop professional ePortfolio by semesters end
• Master ePortfolio software teach it to students

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Faculty Requirements (cont.)

• Infuse technology into syllabi
• Complete self-evaluation contract completion
  forms
• Prepare conduct a symposium to MDC community
• Mentor other faculty students using ePortfolio
• Re-implement ePortfolios

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Students Requirements

• Create and customize ePortfolio
• Upload assignments
• Submit for Review
• Demonstrate creative use of Technology
• (graphics, sound, video)
• Present ePortfolio

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Some Examples

• Faculty
• English Composition
• Speech and Communications
• ESL
• Students
• Speech and Communications(1)
• Speech and Communications(2)
• ESL(1)
• ESL(2)

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Some Benefits (Prof. Liza Greenberg English
Composition)

• Place more responsibility on students as writers
• Public format beyond the classroom
• Develop sense of identity style as writer
• Beyond paper ink
• Multi-dimensional
• Personal context
• Ownership/engagement

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Students Will (Prof. Liza Greenberg English
Composition)

• Learn Livetext Electronic Portfolio
• Learn to compose in ePortfolio environment
• Learn to upload attach
• Personalize each template section
• Submit each section for review

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Students Will (cont.) (Prof. Liza Greenberg
English Composition)

• Upload all class essays semester research
  project
• Seek guidance as needed
• Edit their own work
• Present their ePortfolios to the class
• Distribute visitors passes
• Maintain ePortfolios for 4 years

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Collateral Learning (Prof. Liza Greenberg)

• Enhancing technology skills
• Learning word processing skills
• Editing as a continuous effort
• Writing as a dynamic process

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Students Comments - Benefits

• Avoid paper hassle
• Share with greater number of people
• Can change what you have written
• Use for the future
• Organizing tool
• Free for 4 years

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Benefits to Students

• Store college/work/social experiences
• Showcase work self
• Simple efficient way to express oneself
• Makes an impression
• Media to keep track of ones work
• Showcase ones work to others

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Year 2 Objectives
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Student Learning n 204
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Students Comments

•  I enjoyed my e-portfolio project and I have been
  enriched by it. Thank you! for this comp program
  - the e-portfolio helped me to write more.
• This portfolio should be nationwide because all
  students can benefit from this new technology! It
  was difficult to learn, but afterwards I couldn't
  stop using it.
• Its very handy from where ever you are that you
  can access it. Also if you want to update
  information its very quick and easy.- if it needs
  upgrading.
• The e-portfolio system helped me to put my
  thoughts together for my next big project.

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Student Interaction n 113
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Students Comments

• Students need to embrace and be expected to
  complete an e-portfolio in their college career.
• I'm not fond of computers but at least it helped
  organize my thoughts and expand my objectives.
• I have found many materials that helped me in
  ePortfolio, and I am looking forward to using it
  in the future.
• Thanks to anyone who invented this new
  technology.
• Im happy to have access to this portfolio.

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Student Transfer n123
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Students Comments

• I think all students should be exposed to this
  new, exciting technology. I enjoyed doing my
  e-portfolio project.
• I enjoyed using it. I am an Architecture major
  and I also use much more advanced medias to set
  up my portfolios. I enjoyed using it though. It
  has a lot of potential and I'm sure it is
  beneficial for other careers.
• This experience has been helpful in defining
  myself professionally and in developing a
  reference point for monitoring future growth,
  without overlooking past achievements. I'm more
  optimistic with the "tools" I now have.

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Additional Comments

• This was an excellent idea, keep on the good job
  and keep making more helpful comp programs.
• The e-portfolio has made us learn more about
  technology and has given us opportunity to show
  our inner selves.
• It was very fun and I learned plenty.
• In my personal opinion, I liked all the time I
  spent working on the portfolio but It was a bit
  of frustration because I didn't have much
  computer knowledge.
• This portfolio is great and I really love it!

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Our Website
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Inspirational Excerpts

• EVELIN
• Since we are a class composed for Hispanic
  immigrants, who have to work for a living, all
  new knowledge we acquire opens doors to a better
  mode of life. This special course, included in my
  Writing class, which consisted in building an
  ePortfolio has opened new horizons for all of
  us.....
• By showing me a lot of new technical abilities it
  made me discover how much I like to write. Also
  this program made me appreciate how useful the
  computers skills are to write in the modern
  methods.
• we have now something to share with friends,
  classmates and family. For instance, I shared it
  with my sister in Cuba, and believe me, it was an
  amazing experience.
• the college must continue this program it
  would increase students interest for technology
  and moreover it would help them to understand
  better their real academic intereststo define
  what they want to do in their future.
• It is an excellent way to become a successful
  person in American society.

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For Your Reading Pleasure

• Hector
• The low level of computer knowledge that most of
  the immigrants have when they arrive in this
  country is visible. Therefore, the introduction
  of the E-portfolio helped me to improve my
  computer skills. Today, computer skills are very
  necessary if a person is trying to find a job.
  Without that knowledge it is almost impossible to
  be a good candidate for any position.
• The e-portfolio helped me to learn how to load
  word documents to the web. By being able to
  create and personalize my own web page, everyone
  who wants to know more about my life can just go
  to the page and read about me.
• In my opinion one of the most important details
  in the process of writing the e-portfolio was the
  necessity of using a word processor. The use of
  this tool helped me to understand it better and
  provided me with some necessary knowledge to
  manage it. It is important to remark that this is
  one of the most important tools used in todays
  days.

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More Reading

• Carlota
• Creating the ePortfolio was about to be the most
  challenging, frustrating, complicated, but
  interesting, helpful and exciting academic
  experience up to this time in my life.
• Since I am not, or better said, I wasnt a
  computer-friendly person the whole ePortfolio
  idea, was for me, not good news from Prof. West.
  Every time that Prof. West talked about the
  ePortfolio, she looked so excited and
  enthusiastic For all of us, this electronic
  portfolio project was a new experience, an
  experience that without support could had turned
  into a high tech nightmare.
• Now, while looking back and writing this
  reflection, I am proud and satisfied of what I
  have achieved during this course.

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Support

• Training in classroom or one-to-one
• Training Manual
• Website
• Appointments
• Phone help line
• Open Lab Hours
• CD ROM for help
• Online help

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Things to Consider

• Access to computers
• Students computer skills
• Support for students and faculty
• Size of class
• Percentage of ePortfolio use in syllabus
• Access to computers outside of classroom

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Ellyn BiggsActivity Director, Title
Vebiggs_at_mdc.edu
Francoise LefortTechnical Support
Specialistflefort_at_mdc.edu
Felix RuisanchezFaculty Support
Technicianfruisanc_at_mdc.edu