ePortfolios and Integrative Department Grants as an Implementation Strategy

Susan Kahn, Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Director of ePortfolioElaine Cooney, Professor and Chair, Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology

Debra Runshe, Instructional Design Consultant, Center for Teaching and Learning Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

• Small grants to interested departments and schools

• First year designated for department-wide curricular and pedagogical preparation

• Intensive one-on-one guidance and support• Projects geared to needs the academic unit wants

to address (e.g., customized matrices/wizards geared to program outcomes)

• Faculty in these departments provide guidance for ongoing software development

Integrative Department Grants

• Urban research university

• 20+ schools

• Commuter campus

• 30,000 students

• Majority of students transfer at some point

• Many change majors

The Context of IUPUI

• Core Communication and Quantitative Skills

• Critical Thinking

• Integration and Application of Knowledge

• Intellectual Depth, Breadth, and Adaptiveness

• Understanding Society and Culture

• Values and Ethics

NSF Matrix

Transition to Teaching Wizard

Who’s using ePortfolio at IUPUI?

• Center for Research and Learning• Center for Service and Learning• Computer and Information Science• Computer, Information, and Leadership Technology • School of Dentistry• School of Engineering & Technology• English (capstone)• School of Library and Information Science• School of Nursing• Secondary Education• Office of Student Life• Tourism, Convention, and Event Management• Transition to Teaching program• Visual Communication• IUPU-Columbus campus

ePortfolio for what?

• Focus on critical thinking (E & T)• Focus on professional ethics (Dentistry)• Focus on reflection and integration (English,

Visual Communication)• Leadership Development (Student Life)• Reflection on service experiences• Curriculum revision around outcomes• Assessment of prior learning for credit• Documentation of competencies for

assessment and accreditation

Other Enablers

• Partnership with Center for Teaching and Learning: well-developed structure for supporting pedagogical and curricular innovation with technology

• Well-developed institutional and (some) program-level assessment programs

• OSP integrated into Sakai• Growing awareness among faculty of ePortfolio

movement in higher education• Upcoming reaccreditation visit in 2012

Outcomes of Department-Focused Strategy

• Development and dissemination of a few good early examples

• Better understanding among developers of software needs leading to improvement of ePortfolio environment and tools

• Increased departmental collaboration around learning outcomes and curriculum development

On the brink of wider adoption?

Current planning to:

• Pilot ePortfolio in conjunction with Personal Development Plan in first-year seminars

• Grants to campus-wide units

• Grant to satellite campus

Critical Thinking Is . . .

• “Critical thinking” is the ability to analyze carefully and logically information and ideas from multiple perspectives. This skill is demonstrated in the ability to• analyze complex issues and make informed decisions;• synthesize information in order to arrive at reasoned

conclusions;• evaluate the logic, validity, and relevance of data;• solve challenging problems; and• use knowledge and understanding in order to

generate and explore new questions.

NSSE* 2006 “Thinking critically and Analytically”

2.7

2.8

2.9

3

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

3.5

3.6

3.7

3.1

Campus Mean = 3.28

* IUPUI’s results for National Survey of Student Engagement

Themes for Improving Critical Thinking

• Problem Based Learning

• Writing for Reflection

DESIRED TRAITS OF RUBRIC

• Holistic vs Analytic Rubrics• Holistic: assess work as a whole• Analytic: identify and assess components of work

• Targets the steps of problem-solving

• Appropriate level of gradation for assessing skill

• Ease of use

• Useful in many contexts

GOAL: TARGETING THE STEPS OF PROBLEM-SOLVING

• Analytic Rubric

• Problem-solving skills identified and assessed

• Steps of problem-solving become rows in the rubric

GOAL: APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF GRADATION

• Using too many levels (fine gradation) may make it difficult to discern between individual levels (What is the difference between work that earns 88% and 89%?)

• An even number of levels helps avoid the tendency to pick the “average” (middle) ranking; provides additional feedback to students whose work is neither outstanding nor disgraceful

• Four levels of performance (Beginning, Developing, Competent, Accomplished) define columns of rubric

GOAL: EASE OF USE

• Hallmarks of work at each level of performance should be easy to identify

• Single-word descriptors in each matrix cell provide at-a-glance reminders of expected work at each level

• Longer descriptions in each cell provide additional detail

GOAL: USEFUL IN MANY CONTEXTS

• Generally applicable to any problem-solving assignment in which students describe and justify their solutions

• May be used for students at any level• Lower-level (freshman) students may be

expected to achieve a lower average score than more advanced students

• Rubric scores track development of critical thinking as students progress through curriculum

CRITICAL THINKING RUBRIC

DETAILS: PROPOSING MULTIPLE METHODS OF SOLUTION

Beginning Developing Competent Accomplished

Proposing Multiple Methods of Solution

Singular

Names a single solution, position, or perspective, often inaccurately, or fails to present a solution, position or perspective.

Dualistic

Identifies simple solutions, oversimplified positions, or perspectives with minor inaccuracies.

Multiplistic

Describes two or more solutions, positions, or perspectives accurately.

Balanced

Explains –accurately and thoroughly –multiple solutions, positions, or perspectives that balance opposing points of view.

Results from Two Classes

Rubric Results from Instrumentation Project Reflections

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Defining the Problem

Proposing Multiple Methods ofSolution

Selecting the Most AppropriateMethod

Applying the Method toGenerate Results

Conclusions and Evaluation

BeginningDevelopingCompetentAccomplished

Rubric results from Biomedical Engineering modeling assignment

Implementation: Desired work flow

Implementation: Current work flow

Bridging the Gap

• Participate in planning

• Meet with stakeholders

• Act as interpreter

• Connect the pedagogy

Questions