The most recent addition to the ISUComm Foundation Courses curricula is the ISUComm ePortfolio. Electronic portfolios are widely viewed as a “high-impact” practice by organizations concerned with studying best practices at the university level. The Association for Authentic, Experiential, and Evidence-Based Learning (AAEEBL and AAC&U) recognize the importance of electronic portfolios to encouraging students to become active and independent learners—able to make and recognize connections among the areas of their study—through their consciously developed ability to reflect on and represent their learning. Electronic portfolios are seen as a way to transform students’ experiences of their higher education from a series of seemingly disconnected areas of study to learning that is more integrative. The benefit of an ePortfolio is realized when students begin theirs early in the semester and work on it throughout.
The integration of electronic portfolios into our multimodal ISUComm Foundation Courses has been an important move in realizing the full potential of the WOVE model of teaching and learning. We work with ELO (Engineering and LAS Online) to coordinate the work associated with our learning management system, Canvas, and our WordPress ISUComm ePortfolios. We conceptualize ISUComm ePortfolios as a “place” in which students develop their identities and prepare for their futures—creating synergy between the portfolios and the campus place-based curriculum in ENGL 150, and providing a base from which to move forward in ENGL 250 and beyond. In Fall of 2016, Dr. Barbara Blakely published two articles on ISUComm ePortfolios: in the International Journal of ePortfolio and (with Bryan Lutz, Kathy Rose, and Tom Ballard) in the Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy.
In Fall 2017, we achieved full integration of ISUComm ePortfolios in every section of ENGL 150 and 250. Student response is positive. For our instructors, the growth is accompanied by professional development (workshops, online materials). An excellent source for “bigger picture” information on the value of ePortfolios is Reynolds and Patton’s Leveraging the ePortfolio for Integrative Learning: A Faculty Guide to Classroom Practices for Transforming Student Learning. Another excellent resource is Jennifer Moon’s Reflection and Learning in Professional Development: Theory and Practice.
The creation of (or addition to) an ISUComm ePortfolio in both English 150 and 250 asks your students to showcase their semester’s work and reflect on their growth as communicators. To facilitate this assignment, the Online Learning Team manages a WordPress installation that hosts English 150 and 250 ISUComm student ePortfolios. WordPress allows your students to quickly create professional websites due to its low learning curve. Please visit the ISUComm ePortfolios information page for more details. Also, email the OLT at olt@iastate.edu or visit Ross 306 during regular office hours. Note that this assignment begins early in the semester (Weeks 1 and 2) and is an ongoing project throughout. Students make final content and organizational decisions near the end of the semester and complete their reflections—including a reflection that constitutes their final exam for the class(es).