From CUNY Academic Commons

 ** Maaike notes** This list needs some refinement, but I wanted to get something in here as a start. I hope others will edit and add to this page since definitions are often fluid in this rapidly evolving portfolio space.

General definitions of Portfolios

• “An e-portfolio is a digitized collection of artifacts including demonstrations, resources, and accomplishments that represent an individual, group, or institution. This collection can be comprised of text-based, graphic, or multimedia elements archived on a Web site or on other electronic media such as a CD-ROM or DVD. An e-portfolio is more than a simple collection – it can also serve as an administrative tool to manage and organize work created with different applications and to control who can see the work. E-portfolios encourage personal reflection and often involve the exchange of ideas and feedback.” (Lorenzo and Ittelson, 2005)
• “ The electronic portfolio (e- portfolio) can be understood as a “a collection of authentic and diverse evidence, drawn from a larger archive representing what a person or organization has learned over time on which the person or organization has reflected, and designed for presentation to one or more audiences for a particular rhetorical purpose” (Educause Learning Initiative 2003). Although research into electronic portfolios has a short history, there are already two development directions for the e-portfolio-concept: “The ‘e-portfolio’ used for final assessment/ job seeking where the emphasis is on the product(s) and then the ‘e-portfolio’ used for reflection, deep learning, knowledge growth and social interaction where the emphasis lies on the process” (Tosh/Werdmuller 2004, 2). They call the second kind of e-portfolio a “personal learning landscape”. ” (Kalz, 2005: 164).
• ” a representative collection of one’s work. As the word’s roots suggest (and as is still the case in the arts), the sample of work is fashioned for a particular objective and carried from place to place for inspection or exhibition.” (Wiggins, 2000)
• A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress and achievements in one or more areas. The collection must include student participation in selecting contents, the criteria for selection; the criteria for judging merit, and evidence of student self-reflection (Educators in the Pacific Northwest, through the Northwest Evaluation Association (1990)

Types of portfolios

• Learning Portfolios (also sometimes referred to as ‘Process portfolio’). Usually involves multiple revisions, student “voice”, demonstrating growth, reflective writing, and formative assessment
• Summative Assessment Portfolios (also sometimes referred to as Product Portfolio): involves a formal evaluation process of finished products
• Showcase Portfolios (also sometimes referred to as Presentation portfolio or Best Works portfolio) often used for for employment purposes (Hartnell-Young & Morriss, 1999; Wolf, 1999).
• Working Portfolio (also sometimes referred to as digital archive) often used for storage and organizing work
• E-portfolios (also sometimes referred to as “electronic portfolios”, “digital portfolios” and “webfolios”). Electronic and digital portfolios contain any type of computer-readable digital artifacts, and webfolios are also accessible over the web. However, more recently, e-portfolios are often web-enabled as well. 
• Assessment Portfolio/Profile: (also known as an assessment management system but often conflated with the word portfolio) An institutional portfolio that contains not just a representative sample of a student’s work but also other assesments on student (e.g. test scores, gpa, portfolio assessments of finished work products). Assessment portfolios usually are part of the institutional record for that student..

Assessment

• Traditional Assessment – a focus on grades and rankings, knowledge, curriculum, and skills, implemented through classroom assessments (tests, quizzes, homework assignments), and standardized tests (either norm-referenced or criterion-referenced)
• Performance Assessment-  a focus on observable results and standards, application and transfer, implemented through standards, tasks, criteria and scoring rubrics. “Performance assessment focuses on the direct observation of a student’s performance” (Fogarty, 1998, p.10)
• Portfolio Assessment-  a focus on growth and development over time, implemented through selection, reflection and inspection of classwork, along with goal-setting and self-evaluation

From CUNY Academic Commons

As we move forward in our planning for the Assessment & Portfolios Committee, I thought it would be helpful to look at some of the preliminary research that has already been compiled in Academic Commons by members of CUNY’s e-Portfolio Committee.

CUNY Portfolio Models

Comparing e-Portfolio Platforms

e-Portfolio Projects at CUNY

e-Portfolios in Blackboard

e-Portfolio Projects at CUNY: A Comparative Table

Non-CUNY ePortfolio Models

Johns Hopkins Digital Portfolio

Portland State University ePortfolio Overview

• University Studies Program Course Overview
• Inquiry & Critical Thinking Rubric
• Writing Rubric
• Quantitative Literacy Rubric
• The Diversity of Human Experience Rubric
• Ethics & Social Responsibility

California Lutheran University

• eportfolio example

University of California, Fresno

• Rubric/Matrix

Central Piedmont Community College

• Rubric/Matrix
• Learning Outcomes & Assessment

University of Minnesota, Duluth

• Rubric/Matrix

East Tennessee State University College of Business & Technology

Rubric/Matrix:

• Written
• Oral
• Ethics
• Teamwork
• Critical Thinking
• Technology

Rose-Hulman Institute

Highly developed portfolio system with learning outcomes that cross disciplinary boundaries.  Learning outcomes relate not only to academic but also social competancies.

Association of Colleges & Universities

From CUNY Academic Commons

COMPARING E-PORTFOLIO PLATFORMS

In our preliminary discussion with Sylvie Richards on Wednesday, April 17, and in the meeting on Friday, we developed a very preliminary set of questions that might be used to frame conversations that fruitfully exchange information on ePortfolio decision-making and implementation. These are focused largely on questions that might assist in comparing platforms. The group consensus was that an online search of existing platform comparisons would add extensively to an exchange among members of CAT. Thanks to Bruce Naples for his edits.
Barbara Walters, Chair ePortfolio Subcommittee

1. What do you want the ePortfolio product to support?
a. Artifact (file) upload capability supporting multiple document-formats such as Text, PDF, DOC, JPG, GIF, and various Audio and Video formats.
b. In-page image/audio/video display from uploaded artifact or remote URL
c. Support for display of complex artifacts such as owner created Web sites (<iframe> capability)
d. Binding a reflection to an artifact
e. Storage space for artifacts – what are the limits?
f. Ability to point to artifacts from multiple access points
g. Web 2.0 Tools: Blogs, Wikis, Groups
h. Social Networking
2. Support
a. What is the expected up-time and what infrastructure must be in place to support this?
b. What kind of technical support is there for the product? What do you need from IT?
c. What kind of support is available for faculty and students?
d. How does the product integrate with other systems, i.e., enrollment data?
e. Are there patches and upgrades to the product, and who applies them?
f. What are the personnel requirements?
3. Privacy & Security
a. What kinds of sharing and privacy options are available? What are the default settings?
b. Can students make their work visible to the world?
c. Are there templates that can be used to create school “brands”? How are these and the information protected when the student leaves?
4. How user friendly is the platform?
5. Many user visual template selections, i.e. “how does it look” ?
6. What are the assessment capabilities?
7. What are the system reporting capabilities?
8. Is it exportable and portable, i.e. what happens after graduation?
9. How much does it cost to buy-in and maintain – product, infrastructure (hardware), personnel, training (student & faculty)?