April 29, 2010

ePortfolios - collections of digital artifacts that can be used to demonstrate learning, reflect on learning, and showcase work to potential employers - are rapidly being implemented throughout CUNY and beyond.  In spring 2010, Hunter embarked on an ePortfolio pilot using the Digication platform.  In this session, pilot participants discussed their experiences thus far: Elaine Gale talked about how students in a student teaching seminar used Digication to demonstrate specific learning outcomes; Wendy Hayden talked about how students in an upper level English course used Digication to reflect on their growth as writers over the course of the semester; Yang Hu talked about how students in the Master's in Literacy program used Digication to meet their exit requirement.

Presenters discussed some of the advantages of an electronic portfolio format (versus the paper format that had been used in the past): portability, ability to easily update portfolios, ease of sharing and giving/receiving feedback, ability to include multi-media.  Presenters also discussed how introducing ePortfolios at the beginning of the semester transformed portfolio creation from a vehicle for summative evaluation to a process-oriented medium.  Challenges addressed included a somewhat steep learning curve, some clunky aspects of the Digication interface, the need to allocate class time for ePortfolio training, and technical challenges with uploading video.

Resources

• Hunter Digication site
  View public portfolios created by pilot participants
• Main Digication site
  Contains information about Digication and links to portfolios created at other colleges and universities
• Elaine Gale's PowerPoint slides