Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U)

2009 Annual Meeting: READY OR NOT - Global Challenges, College Learning, and America’s Promise

January 21-24, 2009

Seattle, Washington

 

Conference website: http://www.aacu.org/meetings/annualmeeting/index.cfm

Search program: http://www.aacu.org/meetings/annualmeeting/AM09/program.cfm?utm_source=meetings&utm_medium=blast&utm_campaign=am09waor2

 

Note:  These sessions were identified simply by a broad search of the online program for the word "portfolio."  This may not be a comprehensive list and the sessions themselves may not be specifically related to our understanding or use of ePortfolios.  We invite your additions, corrections, and comments on other related sessions and events at this conference that may be of interest to EPAC members.  Please contact Helen to access this page for editing.

 

1. Grades and Grading in an Age of Assessment

Pre-Meeting Workshop

Wednesday, January 21, 2:00-5:00 pm

The use of letter grades to measure student achievement is nearly immune to critical examination, but there are mounting signs of wear.  Grade inflation, competency and performance-based learning, the use of portfolios, even the assessment movement itself, all suggest that while grades may carry more weight, they may also convey less information.  Participants will reflect on and re-evaluate the functions of grades, envision alternatives, and explore realistic ways to experiment with change.  The workshop will also address the history of grading in American higher education – the assumptions, meanings, and values that underlie the process, as well as the place of grading in the current context of assessment.

Kathleen O’Brien, Provost, Alverno College; Elizabeth Williamson, Assistant Professor, The Evergreen State College; Marie Eaton, Professor of Humanities and Education, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Western Washington University; Deborah Quick, Chair of the Department of Social Sciences, Johnson C. Smith University; Maribeth Clark, Associate Provost and Associate Professor of Music, New College of Florida

 

2. Using Electronic Portfolios to Assess Student Learning as a Result of Undergraduate Research

Concurrent Session

Thursday, 1:30-2:30 pm

This session will focus on a national project (funded by a major NSF grant and led by IUPUI) to use ePortfolios to enhance and assess intellectual growth resulting from students’ participation in undergraduate research programs. The project aims to promote faculty and student assessment of undergraduate research products in relation to outcomes associated with basic research skills and general undergraduate learning principles (communication and quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and integration and application of knowledge).

Kathryn J. Wilson, Executive Director, Center for Research and Learning, Elizabeth Rubens, Director of Assessment, Center for Research and Learning, and Susan Kahn, Director of IUPUI ePort and Director, Office of Institutional Effectiveness – all of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

 

EPORTFOLIO FAIR - A series of presentations and demonstrations focusing on ePortfolios

Concurrent Session

Friday, 8:45-10:15 am

 

Welcome and Introductions:  Terrel Rhodes, Vice President for Quality, Curriculum, and Assessment, AAC&U

 

2. Fostering Integrative Learning in a Senior Capstone Seminar

This case study session highlights use of an ePortfolio to foster integrative thinking and learning in a senior English capstone seminar.  Students develop reflective portfolios organized around key learning outcomes to support connections across courses, disciplines, and other experiences and to articulate skills, abilities, and dispositions that will serve them as professionals, learners, and citizens beyond college.  The session includes examples of reflection prompts and a rubric describing development in reflective thinking.

Susan Kahn, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Director of IUPUI ePort, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

 

3. Extending Beyond the Classroom to Prepare Kinesiology Students for Success in 21st Century Careers

The skills that this project seeks to foster in its students, as well as in its faculty, are: critical thinking and analytical reasoning, teamwork skills in diverse groups, written and oral communication, and applied knowledge in real-world settings.  Kinesiology programs and its assessment panel of professionals, students, and faculty is dedicated to preparing its students to succeed in a world much more complex than a multiple-choice test.

Kasee Hildenbrand, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology Programs, Washington State University; Judy Schultz, Instructor, Kinesiology Programs, Washington State University; Ashley Ater Kranov, Assistant Director, Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, Washington State University

 

4. Reimagining The "Typical" Eportfolio Model

After a pilot in spring and summer of 2008, Macaulay Honors College at CUNY is set to introduce eportfolios college-wide.  Because of the unusual consortial nature of Macaulay, we have had to reimagine the "typical" eportfolio model.  This innovative redesign provides strategies for other institutions that may want to use eportfolios in a more creative and sustainable manner.

Sylvia Tomasch, Associate University Dean of Academic Affairs, City University of New York; Joseph Ugoretz, Director of Technology and Learning, Macaulay Honors College

 

5. Learning as Scholarship: Developing Integrative Learning in the First Year and Beyond

This session will share faculty, librarian and student perspectives on a first-year transition program which allowed for integrative learning in academic and social/cultural contexts through the use of ePortfolios.   Students became “scholars of learning” as they developed the habits of mind for success at university and considered what it means to be responsible and engaged citizens by linking course and social learning experiences.  A framework for implementing the program will be provided.

Tracy Penny Light, Professor of History, and Lorna Rourke, Librarian – both of St. Jerome's University

 

6. Authentic Assessment of Learning in Global Contexts

Assessment of learning by a community inside and outside the classroom is a key component to developing students’ global competencies and building a strong relationship between college learning and society. This discussion will use questions from the AAC&U Call to explore learning portfolios and transformations of the grade book to support learners working simultaneously within the university and within their communities of practice. [abstract and invitation to comment]

Nils S Peterson, Assistant Director, Center for Teaching Learning and Technology, Gary Brown, Director, Center for Teaching Learning and Technology,Jayme Jacobson, Design Consultant, CTLT, and Theron DesRosier, Design Consultant, CTLT – all of Washington State University

 

7. Show Me the Learning: Valid Assessment of Student Learning

Concurrent Session - Featured Session

Friday, 10:30-11:45 am

AAC&U’s new initiative – VALUE: Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education – is a research and campus-based initiative designed to make the essential learning outcomes central to the educational experience.  It will generate leadership, recommendations, examples of best practices and curricular designs, and an assessment framework.  This session will introduce participants to this project, focusing on the development of rubrics for the essential learning outcomes and how they are being used to assess student learning through the work students do through the curriculum and co-curriculum. Examples of campus student e-portfolios, rubrics, and their use will be shared and demonstrated.

Terrel Rhodes, Vice President for Quality, Curriculum, and Assessment; Ross Miller, Senior Director of Assessment for Learning, Wende Morgaine, Research Associate – all of AAC&U’s Office of Quality, Curriculum, and Assessment

 

8. Plan Before you LEAP:  Linking Strategic Planning, Curricular Innovation and ePortfolio Assessment Through the LEAP Vision

Concurrent Session

Saturday, 9:30-10:30 am

This session will provide a brief multimedia case study from four diverse perspectives:  assessment, curricular innovation, academic technology, and student voices.  We will demonstrate how San Francisco State University’s strategic plan embraces the LEAP vision. Participants will have the opportunity to strategize on how they might use LEAP as a vehicle for strategic planning, accreditation, curricular innovation, and ePortfolio assessment.

Gail G. Evans, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Linda Buckley, Associate Vice President of Academic Planning & Educational Effectiveness, and Maggie Beers, Director of Academic Technology – all of San Francisco State University