Introduction to Academic Portfolios

1
Introduction to Academic Portfolios

• DANIELLE MIHRAM, DIRECTOR
• CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
• OFFICE OF THE PROVOST
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

2
Overview

• Fundamental features of academic portfolios
• Four basic processes for the creation of an
  academic portfolio
• Example The Teaching Portfolio as part of your
  academic portfolio
• Advantages of an academic portfolio
• Interactive electronic portfolios A new medium
  for academic portfolios
• Bibliography Electronic portfolios.

3
Two Approaches to Portfolio Creation

• Portfolios for Self-Evaluation Development
• The Learning Portfolio (students)
• The Course Portfolio (instructors)
• The Teaching Portfolio (instructors)
• The Academic Portfolio (faculty)
• The Professional Portfolio (The job market)

4
Fundamental Feature of the Academic Portfolio
Created for Self-Evaluation

• A fundamental feature of the (self-evaluative)
  academic portfolio is the intentional focus on
  learning and assessment
• the deliberate and systematic attention not only
  to teaching and research skills, but also
• to a facultys self-reflective, meta-cognitive
  appraisal of how, and more importantly, why
  learning, teaching, and research are being
  perfected.

5
What is Meta-cognition?

• Awareness of a learners own thought processes
• Conscious of self-awareness
• Knowledge and understanding of ones intellectual
  approaches and strategies used in learning and
  teaching
• Awareness of how other learners approaches may
  differ
• Level of insight that allows learners to give
  themselves feedback Dialogic reflection
• Hughes, H. Woodrow Dialogic Reflection A New
  Face on an Old Pedagogy
• http//gsep.pepperdine.edu/whughes/Journaling.htm
  l
• MacLellan, Effie (1999). Reflective
  Commentaries What do they say about learning?
  Educational Action Research, Volume 7(3)
  433-449. pdf on CET web

6
Metacognition Implications

• A highly personal process
• Involves reflective judgment and informed choices
• Focuses on the uniqueness of each individual
• Fosters individuals ownership of his or her own
  learning and career development

7
Benefits of Dialogic Reflection

• Increased understanding of
• How you learn and what are your learning outcomes
• What you have (and have not ) learned
• What do you value?
• Role in learning how to articulate in writing
  ones thoughts and ideas
• How others view your work
• Enhanced ability to make connections
• Among courses taught and in the context of
  teaching without boundaries
• Among research experiences and research
  collaborations
• Increased sense of learning over time

8
Sample Reflections

• When one basic goal is improvement over time,
  consider
• Documentation of steps (analogous to keeping a
  log for lab research)
• Commentaries (as for solutions to math problems)
• Evolution of a course, of a speech, or of a paper
• History of a piece of artwork
• Johnson, Bil (1996), The Performance Assessment
  Handbook, Vol. 1. Princeton Eye on Education.

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Four Basic Processes for the Creation of an
Academic Portfolio
Collection A relatively short collection of materials that summarizes and highlights an individuals activities as a teacher and researcher.
Selection Why are you creating the portfolio? Who is reading it, and why?
Reflection Thinking critically about your total learning, teaching, and research experiences
Connections Making personally meaningful connections between Your teaching, Your field of research, its body of knowledge, and its applications Your service and community experiences
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Goals of an Academic Portfolio
Demonstrate breadth of learning, teaching, and research Range of achievements. Collecting and connecting your various accomplishments a creative representation of your work and of you
Evaluate achievement of intended outcomes Opportunity to showcase your accomplishments. Your best work
Reflect, assess own educational experience Representative pieces written reflections. To make connections between where you were, where you are, and where you want to be
Illustrate the learning process Multiple drafts -- a process. To document teaching and research as it evolved over time.
Share ones expertise Legacy of best practices in both teaching and research.
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Example The Teaching Portfolio as Part of your
Academic Portfolio

• Why a Teaching Portfolio?
• To serve as supporting materials (documented
  evidence, specific data) of ones effectiveness
  as a teacher
• To document ones teaching as it evolved over
  time
• To obtain feedback and to share ones expertise
  (mentoring, legacy of best practices)

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Seven Steps for the Creation of a Teaching
Portfolio

• 1. Summarize teaching responsibilities
• Courses taught, whether they are graduate or
  undergraduate, required or elective
• Teaching-related activities (e.g., serving as
  faculty advisor to student organizations,
  advising individual graduate or undergraduate
  students).
• 2. Describe your approach to teaching
• Reflective statement about teaching, strategies,
  methodologies and objectives Teaching
  Philosophy Statement.
• The most effective reflective statements provide
  detailed examples of classroom practices which
  show how the facultys teaching methods fit his
  or her aims and the context of the course.

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Seven Steps for the Creation of a Teaching
Portfolio (Cont.)

• 3. Select items for the portfolio
• Items which are most applicable to the
  professors teaching responsibilities and
  approach to teaching
• Choice of items should also reflect the
  professors personal preferences, style of
  teaching, academic discipline, and particular
  courses.
• 4. Prepare statements on each item
• Statements on activities, initiatives, and
  accomplishments on each item
• Do the syllabi of courses coalesce around a
  specific theme about your teaching? have you
  participated in programs, colloquia, or seminars
  designed to improve teaching? Do you have a
  variety of measures of your teaching
  effectiveness? Back-up documentation and
  appendices are referenced as appropriate.

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Seven Steps for the Creation of a Teaching
Portfolio (Cont.)

• 5. Arrange the items in order
• The sequence of the accomplishments in each area
  is determined by their intended use (e.g., to
  demonstrate teaching improvement entries that
  reflect that goal should be stressed -- such as
  participation in seminars and workshops designed
  to enhance classroom performance).
• 6. Compile the supporting data
• Evidence supporting all items mentioned in the
  portfolio e.g., original student evaluation of
  teaching, samples of student work, invitations to
  contribute articles on teaching in ones
  discipline, colleagues evaluations.
• Such evidence is not part of the portfolio but is
  back-up material placed in the appendix or made
  available upon request.

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Seven Steps for the Creation of a Teaching
Portfolio (Cont.)

• 7. Incorporate the portfolio into the curriculum
  vitae
• Although the portfolio may stand as a separate
  document e.g., assembled in a three-ring
  binder, a professor may choose to insert it into
  his/her curriculum vitae under the heading of
  teaching.
• The intent is to provide a formal record of
  teaching accomplishments so they can be accorded
  their proper weight along with other aspects of a
  professors role.

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Contents of an Academic Portfolio Teaching

• Faculty Member's Name
• Department/College
• Institution
• Date
• Table of Contents for Teaching Section
• 1. Teaching Responsibilities
• 2. Statement of Teaching Philosophy
• 3. Teaching Methods, Strategies, Objectives
• 4. Student Ratings on Summative Questions
• 5. Colleague Evaluations From Those Who Have
  Observed Classroom Teaching or Reviewed
  Teaching Materials
• 6. Statement by the Department Chair Assessing
  the Professor's Teaching Contribution
• 7. Detailed, Representative Course Syllabi
• 8. Products of Teaching (Evidence of Student
  Learning)
• 9. Teaching Awards and Recognition
• 10. Teaching Goals Short- Term and Long-Term
• 11. Appendices

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Contents of an Academic Portfolio Research

• Table of Contents for Research Section
• Research Statement
• 2. Research Methods, Strategies, Objectives
• 3. Students accomplishments in research lab
• Significant outcomes of collaborative or
  inter-disciplinary research
• Research awards and recognition
• 6. Research Goals Short- Term and Long-Term
• 7. Appendices

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A Document that Evolves Over Time

• Remember The portfolio is a living collection of
  documents and materials which change over time
• New items are added, others are dropped.
• Once each year, when the research and service
  section of the curriculum vitae are updated, the
  same is done for the portfolios teaching and
  research sections.

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Features of Portfolio Formats

• Limitations of Physical Portfolios (paper or CD)
• Logistic challenges (space and time).
• Advantages of Electronic Portfolios
• Information in multi-media (text, graphics,
  animation, sound,video)
• Hypertext environment e.g., menus, hyperlinks,
  searchable information
• Non-linear thinking deep organization
• Asynchronous access for others (for feedback and
  collaboration)

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Advantages of an Academic Portfolio

• The Section on Teaching
• Provides the stimulus and structure for
  self-reflection about areas of teaching
  (including those needing improvement)
• Concentrates on reflective analysis, action
  planning, and assessment of student learning.
• Provides evaluators with hard-to-ignore
  information on what a professor does in a
  classroom and why he/she does it.
• The Section on Research
• Provides the stimulus and structure for
  self-reflection about areas of research that may
  lead to inter-disciplinary collaboration
• Provides colleagues with the opportunity to
  contribute to the portfolios creation through
  feedback and file exchanges
• Excerpts of Portfolio can be used in successful
  grant applications
• Used as credentials for those seeking academic
  positions

21
Interactive Electronic Portfolios A New Approach
for Academic Portfolios

• Barrett, Helen (Univ. of Alaska, Anchorage)
• Using Technology to Support Alternative
  Assessment and Electronic Portfolios
• http//transition.alaska.edu/www/portfolios.html
• Create Your Own Electronic Portfolios
• http//www.electronicportfolios.com/portfolios/ist
  e2k.html
• Martin Kimeldorfs Portfolio Library
• http//amby.com/kimeldorf/portfolio/
• Mable Kinzie (An informal approach to the
  academic portfolio)
• http//kinzie.edschool.virginia.edu/

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Bibliography Electronic Portfolios

• Barrett, Helen C. (2004) . Electronic Portfolios
  as Digital Stories of Deep Learning -- Emerging
  Digital Tools to Support Reflection in
  Learner-Centered Portfolios
• http//electronicportfolios.org/digistory/epstory.
  html
• Greenberg, Gary (2004). The Digital Convergence
  Extending the Portfolio Model, Educause Review,
  July-August.
• http//www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0441.asp
• Jafari, Ali (2004). The "Sticky" ePortfolio
  System Tackling Challenges and Identifying
  Attributes, Educause Review July-August 2004.
• http//www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0442.asp
• Love, Douglas, Gerry McKean, and Paul Gathercoal
  (2004). Portfolios to Webfolios and Beyond
  Levels of Maturation, Educause Quarterly Vol.
  27(2). 2004.
• (Descriptions of developmental stages offer
  institutions guidance about their place in the
  process and how to move to the next level)
• http//www.educause.edu/pub/eq/eqm04/eqm0423.asp

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Bibliography Electronic Portfolios (Cont.)

• Seldin, Peter (1997). The Teaching Portfolio.
  Bolton, MA Anker.
• Tomorrow's Professor Msg.567 Answers to Common
  Questions about the Teaching Portfolio.
• http//ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings/567.html
• Tomorrow's Professor Msg.568 Electronic Learning
  Portfolios
• http//ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings/568.html
• Zubizaretta John, (2004). The Learning Portfolio.
  Bolton, MA Anker.