The Proof is in the Portfolio: An Architecture of the Good, the

Bad, and the Mediocre

Terrel L RhodesAssociation of American Colleges and Universities

AustraliaOctober 18, 2011

What is AAC&U? Founded in 1915, AAC&U is

dedicated to making the aims of liberal learning a vigorous and constant influence on institutional planning and educational practice in college. It is a meeting ground for all sectors of higher education and brings together faculty, academic and student affairs leaders and presidents across sectors, divisions, and disciplines to explore the aims of education, the future of the academy, and strategies for institutional change and higher student achievement.

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The Twenty-First Century Academy

Context:Changing Designs for College

Learning

A Curriculum in Transition:Rethinking educational purposes and practices to better prepare all students for

• complexity and contingency

• global interdependence

• innovation in the workplace

• diverse democracy

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4

US Economy Defined by Greater Workplace Challenges and Dynamism

Every year, more than 1/3 of the entire US labor force changes jobs.

Today's Students Will Have 10-14 Jobs by the Time They Are 38.

50% of Workers Have Been With Their Company Less Than 5 Years.

Every year, more than 30 million Americans are working

in jobs that did not exist in the previous quarter.

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DOL-BLS

What Employers Say

“[Employers] generally are...frustrated with their inability to find ‘360 degree people’ who have both the

specific job/technical skills and the broader skills (communication and problem-solving skills, work ethic, and ability to work with others) necessary to promise

greater success for both the individual and the employer.”

From Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Report of Findings Based on Focus Groups

Among Business Executives (AAC&U, 2006)

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The Growing Demand for Higher Order SkillsSource: Council on Competitiveness, Competitiveness Index

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HARTRESEARCH

P e t e r D

A S S O T E SC I A

Raising The BarEmployers’ Views On College Learning In The Wake Of The Economic Downturn

Key findings from survey among 302 employersConducted October 27 – November 17, 2009for

Employers’ Expectations of Employees Have Increased

88%

88%

90%

91%

% who agree with each statement

Our company is asking employees to take on more responsibilities and to use a broader set of skills than in the past

Employees are expected to work harder to coordinate with other departments than in the past

The challenges employees face within our company are more complex today than they were in the past

To succeed in our company, employees need higher levels of learning and knowledge today than they did in the past

Broad Skills/Knowledge AND Specific Skills/ Knowledge Are Needed for

Career Success

20%

20%

59%

Which is more important for recent college graduates who want to pursue advancement and long-term career success at your company?

BOTH in-depth AND broad range of skills and knowledge

Broad range of skills and knowledge that apply to a range of fields or positions

In-depth knowledge and skills that apply to a specific field or position

70%

70%

71%

75%

75%

79%

81%

89%

Employers’ Top Priorities For Student Learning Outcomes In

College% saying two- and four-year colleges should place MORE emphasis on helping students develop these skills, qualities, capabilities, knowledge

Effective oral/written communication

Critical thinking/ analytical reasoning

Knowledge/skills applied to real world settings

Analyze/solve complex problems

Connect choices and actions to ethical

decisionsTeamwork skills/ ability

to collaborateAbility to innovate and

be creativeConcepts/developments in

science/technology

Higher Level Liberal Education Skills and

Abilities =

Higher Wages

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Data from Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce

Center on Education and the Workforce

The Salary Premium for Liberal Education Outcomes

From a federal database analyzing qualifications for 1,100 different jobs, there is consistent evidence that the highest

salaries apply to positions that call for intensive use of liberal education capabilities, including (random order):

Inductive and Deductive ReasoningJudgment and Decision MakingProblem SolvingSocial/Interpersonal SkillsMathematicsOriginalityWriting

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Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

Mean Earnings of Jobs that Emphasize Writing

14

0

35,000

70,000

q1(low) q2 q3 q4 q5(high)

earn

ings

quintiles

Mean earnings of writing quintiles

Earnings

Source: Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce

Mean Earnings of Jobs that Emphasize Speaking

15

0

30,000

60,000

q1(low) q2 q3 q4 q5(high)

earn

ings

quintiles

Mean earnings of speaking quintiles

Earnin…

Source: Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce

Mean Earnings of Jobs that Emphasize Originality

16

0

30,000

60,000

q1(low) q2 q3 q4 q5(high)

earn

ings

quintiles

Mean earnings of originality quintiles

Earnings

Source: Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce

Mean Earnings of Jobs that Emphasize Problem Solving

17

0

35,000

70,000

q1(low) q2 q3 q4 q5(high)

earn

ings

quintiles

Earnings of complex problem solving quintiles

Earnings

Source: Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce

Mean Earnings of Jobs that Emphasize Physical Ability

18

0

30,000

60,000

q1(low) q2 q3 q4 q5(high)

earn

ings

quintiles

Mean earnings of physical ability quintiles

Earnings

Source: Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce

Where We Are Now

In short, we know “what works” – to foster both learning gains and greater

completion

But many students aren’t doing “what works”

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E-Portfolios Can Capture:Essential Learning OutcomesA Guiding Vision and National Benchmarks for College Learning and Liberal Education in the 21st Century

High Impact PracticesHelping Students Achieve the Essential Learning Outcomes

Authentic AssessmentsProbing Whether Students Can APPLY Their Learning – to Complex Problems and Real-World Challenges

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Narrow Learning is Not EnoughThe LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World

Focused on engagement with big questions, enduring and contemporary

Intellectual and Practical Skills

Practiced extensively across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance

Personal and Social Responsibility

Anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges

Integrative Learning

Demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems

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Aims/Outcomes AddressedAcross the Curriculum

First to Final Year

Integrating Liberal and Professional Learning

Co-Curriculum as Well

Assessments that Deepen Learning

Sustained Focus on Underserved Students

Expecting students to complete a significant project before graduation that demonstrates their depth of knowledge in their major AND their acquisition of analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills (62% help a lot)

Expecting students to complete an internship or community-based field project to connect classroom learning with real-world experiences (66%)

Ensuring that students develop the skills to research questions in their field and develop evidence-based analyses (57%)

Expecting students to work through ethical issues and debates to form their own judgments about the issues at stake (48%)

Source: Raising the Bar (AAC&U, 2010)

Employers Assess the Potential Value of Emerging Educational

Practices% saying each would help a lot/fair amount to prepare college students for success

84%

81%

81%

73%

High-Impact Practices (HIPs)

Correlate Highly with NSSE Gains on Student Learning Outcomes

Provide “Compensatory Benefit” for Students With Lower Test Scores and/or

High Drop-Out RatesKuh, High Impact Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter (AAC&U 2008)

High Impact Practices First-Year Seminars and Experiences 

Common Intellectual Experiences

Learning Communities

Writing-Intensive Courses

Collaborative Assignments and Projects

Undergraduate Research

Diversity/Global Learning

Service Learning, Community-Based Learning

Internships

Capstone Courses and Projects

The Eleventh High Impact Practice

Electronic portfolios

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2.00

2.25

2.50

2.75

3.00

3.25

3.50

3.75

4.00

-2 -1 0 1 2Educationally Purposeful Activities

(standardized)

Fir

st-

year

GP

A

ACT 28 ACT 24 ACT 20

Impact of Educationally Purposeful Practices on First Academic Year GPA by Pre-College

Achievement Level

0.50

0.55

0.60

0.65

0.70

0.75

0.80

0.85

0.90

0.95

1.00

-2 -1 0 1 2

Educationally Purposeful Activities (standardized)

Pro

ba

bily

t o

f R

etu

rnin

g

African American

White/Caucasian

Impact of Educationally Purposeful Practices on the Probability of Returning for the Second Year of College by

Race

*Findings developed by LEAP National Leadership Council Member George Kuh and used with permission

Huber, CSU - NorthridgeFigure 4. Impact of Participation in High Impact Practices on Percentage of

Senior NSSE Respondents Graduating on Time by Racial & Ethnic Background

38%

54%

48%

63%65%

68%

73%

69%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Latina/o Respondents Other Respondents

Pe

rata

ge

Gra

du

ati

ng

"o

n T

ime

" (i

.e.,

in 2

00

6-0

7)

None 1 HIP 2 HIPs 3 or more HIPs

[V=.109 (.094)][V=.255 (.007)]

Multiple HIPs distributed through general education and major programs would, we are convinced, “require only small curricular changes.” Such “modest change” can yield a significant increase in student success and persistence.

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Participation Levels in High Impact Practices

First Year (NSSE Data)

Learning Communities   17%

    Service Learning             36%

Participation Levels in High Impact Practices

Seniors (NSSE Data)Research With Faculty       19%

 Internship                            53%

      Service Learning              46%        Study Abroad                      19%

         Senior Culminating Work     32%

The Challenge Ahead –

Making High Impact Practices Central

Rather than Optional

The Key Elements for a Compelling Quality Framework Already Are in

HandConsensus Aims and Outcomes

Practices that Foster Achievement AND Completion

Evidence on “What Works” for Underserved Students

Assessments That Raise – and Reveal – the Level of Learning

The Power of Rubrics and E-Portfolios as Tools for Both Assessment and High-Impact Learning

• Rubrics to help guide students and faculty• Places individual faculty judgment within national shared

experience; national benchmarks• E-portfolios to gather students’ best work, encourage self-

assessment, and allow for mining of samples for assessment purposes

• E-portfolios are portable, allow for cumulative learning and assessment, can complement other high-impact practices

• Can build up from course level to institutional reporting needs AND down from general to specific program/course context

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VALUE Projecthttp://www.aacu.org/programs/VALUE

An obvious place to begin:

Help Students Understand What They

Are Expected to Accomplish

Rubrics Basics

Criteria

VALUE Rubrics & AssessmentVALUE Rubrics & Assessment

Rubrics Basics

Levels

VALUE Rubrics & AssessmentVALUE Rubrics & Assessment

Rubrics Basics

Performance Descriptors

VALUE Rubrics & AssessmentVALUE Rubrics & Assessment

Validity and Usability• Over 2000 distinct institutions have downloaded one

or more of the VALUE rubrics for use• Over 11,000 distinct individuals have downloaded one

or more of the VALUE rubrics for use• 3 major consortia are using VALUE rubrics for cross

institutional collaboration – Connect2Learning – LaGuardia College/AAEEBL (FIPSE) – 23 campuses; Integrative Portfolio Process – Michigan (FIPSE) – 6 campuses; RAILS – Syracuse (Institute for Museum and Library Studies ACRL) – 10 campuses

• Major state university systems are using VALUE rubrics• Being used worldwide, e.g. Japan, Hong Kong,

Australia, United Arab Emirates

Reliability Study• 40 Faculty• 4 Traditional Disciplinary Divisions –

Humanities, Social Sciences, STEM, Professions

• Three VALUE rubrics – Critical Thinking, Civic Engagement, Integrative Learning

• Common set of student portfolio work• Agreement = .66 without norming; .8

normed• Another set of 5 campuses, using same set

of rubrics with 500 samples of student work – still analyzing

Building the Evidentiary Base

• University of Kansas – Representing Results

Per

cen

t o

f R

atin

gs

Critical Thinking: Issues, Analysis, and Conclusions

Inter-rater reliability = >.8

Building the Evidentiary Base

• University of Kansas – Representing Results

Per

cen

t o

f R

atin

gs

Critical Thinking: Evaluation of Sources and Evidence

Building the Evidentiary Base

Per

cen

t o

f R

atin

gs

“VALUE added” for 4 years - writing

Building the Evidentiary Base

• University of Kansas – • “analysis of the data from the AACU VALUE rubrics

affirmed that a team approach to course design can yield larger improvement in some forms of student writing and thinking”

• “We also saw that the rubrics work best when there is close alignment between the nature of the assignment and the dimensions of intellectual skill described in the rubric”

• “Finally, at a practical level we are very encouraged that this process is manageable and sustainable”

Building the Evidentiary Base

• University of Kansas –

• “Interestingly, the patterns that were visible in the VALUE rubric scores were not mirrored in the CLA scores; students in the team-designed and traditional courses performed no differently on the CLA. Students’ performance on the CLA, moreover, was generally unrelated to the VALUE rubric ratings of their coursework, as well as the instructors’ grading of the same coursework. In contrast, the latter two measures were highly correlated, suggesting that the VALUE rubrics capture qualities of critical thinking and writing that fit well with what faculty members VALUE in their students’ work.”

Roanoke College

Writing

Reliability = >.8

Using the Results“…we excluded the scores for those instructors and ran

frequencies and descriptive statistics on the categories again. We found the means for the rubric categories of Focus and Thesis and Organization remained close to 2.5 with the scores of 2 and 3 occurring most often (approx. 2.4) while most scores for the categories of Evidence and Reasoning were 2s. The category of Style and Mechanics was in the middle with a mean of 2.3. Our adjusted results support what most faculty believe about the writing of our first-year students, they can learn to develop a thesis and organize a paper more effectively than they can provide convincing evidence and strong reasoning to support the thesis.”

Building the Evidentiary Base

University of North Carolina - Wilmington

Dimension % of Work Products Scored 2 or higher

% of Work Products Scored 3 or Higher

IL1 Determine Information Needed 87.2% 46.2%

IL2 Access Needed Information 89.6% 46.8%

IL3 Evaluate Information and Sources 88.5% 39.7%

IL4 Use Information Effectively 85.9% 43.6%

IL5 Access and Use Information Ethically 93.6% 59.0%

Table 1. Information Literacy Results

Table 1 Information Literacy ResultsTable 1 Information Literacy ResultsTable 1 Information Literacy Results

Inter-rater reliability = >.8

Building the Evidentiary Base

University of North Carolina - Wilmington

Dimension % of Work Products Scored 2 or higher

% of Work Products Scored 3 or Higher

CT1 Explanation of Issues 68.3% 35.5%

CT2 Evidence Year1 65.0% 28.2%

CT2 Evidence Year 2*Interpreting and Analysis

Questioning viewpoint72.8%40.9%

38.6%13.6%

CT3 Influence of Context and Assumptions

48.8% 21.2%

CT4 Student’s Position 54.5% 24.0%

CT5 Conclusions and Related Outcomes 47.7% 17.0%

Table 2. Critical Thinking Results

Building the Evidentiary Base

Long Island University – Brooklyn Campus

The results of this initial assessment are early benchmarks important for all institutions that expect integrative learning to emerge among students’ upper level accomplishments. These results help us see how students incorporate unmediated experiential learning into deeper transference and comprehension. In fact, students welcome the opportunity to integrate life experience, course work, and texts early in their undergraduate experience, if invited to do so.

• VSA institutions can select from CAAP, CLA, or ETS Proficiency Profile

• Important considerations for selection– Acceptance by students, faculty,

administrators or other policy makers– Trade-offs in cost, ease of administration– Utility of the test for other purposes -

supporting campus activities and services or providing guidance on improving learning

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Implications: VSA and CLA

One Approach to Capturing and Tracking

Learning

E-Portfolios

Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ)UNST 100-level class

A year-long, theme-based course with a mentor section that corresponds with the class.

Transfer TransitionUNST 200- and 300- level classes

One-term course designed specifically for transfer students, with a mentor section that corresponds with the class.

Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ)UNST 200-level classes

One-term courses with a mentor section that corresponds with the class.

Sophomore Inquiry Sophomore Inquiry Sophomore Inquiry

Upper Division ClusterClasses designated with a "U" offered by academic departments. Three courses in one cluster linked to one of the

Sophomore Inquiry courses.

Cluster Course One Cluster Course Two Cluster Course Three

Senior CapstoneUNST 400-level class

A 6-credit, community-based learning class.

Portland State University

Queensborough College

• Remedial/Developmental Communications Course

• First Year Writing Course• Disciplinary Course• Web-based portfolio/wiki

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Literature, Language & Communicati

on

We have had our why's, how's, and what's upside-down,

focusing too much on what should be learned, than on how, and

often forgetting the why altogether.

In a world of nearly infinite information, we must firstaddress why, facilitate how, and let the what

generatenaturally from there.

Michael Wesch, “From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-able,” Academic Commons, January 2009 (academiccommons.org)

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Curricular and Pedagogical Innovations – Led by Faculty – Are Creating a 21st Century Vision and

Practice for Liberal Education

Directly Connected to the Needs and Experiences of Today’s Diverse

Students, our Diverse Democracy, and Interdependent Global Community

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