Connecting the Dots
On your worksheet, brainstorm as many disparate elements of your students’ experience as you can.
Activity before we get started
Integrating Learning with ePortfolios
Laurie Poklop, Ed.D.Gail Matthews-DeNatale, Ph.D.
College of Professional StudiesFaculty Development Workshop
March 2014
Questions for this workshop
• What do we want students to integrate?
• What is integrative learning? • What are eportfolios?• What does one have to do with the
other?• What does integration look like?
Connecting the Dots
Now, draw lines to show elements you would like students to connect.
Activity Follow Through
Making Connections
Travel
PriorExperience
Capstone
Employ-
ment
Professional Organiza-
tionsExperi-ential
Learning
ElectiveCourses Major
Courses
Research
Making Connections
T
PE
C
E
POEL
EC
MC
R
Definitions
• “…learning should be greater than the sum of its parts.”
• “…the capacity to connect…discovery and creativity, integrating and interpreting knowledge from different disciplines, applying knowledge through real world engagements, communicating with the public.”
• “… taking account of different dimensions of a problem, seeing it from different perspectives, and making conceptual links among those dimensions and perspectives.”
from Mary Taylor Huber & Pat Hutchings (2004). Integrative learning: Mapping the terrain. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Association of American College and Universities.
What is an eportfolio?
Portfolio: a purposeful collection of student work, selected to demonstrate learning process and/or achievement, that includes reflection by the student on the meaning of the work
ePortfolio: a web-based portfolio than enables students to: compile multiple formats of digital artifacts, including multiple media; create links and non-linear paths through work; share their work with a broad audience (or control access)
Purpose/Type of ePortfolio
Student ePort
Employment
Developmental
PDP
ReflectiveProject
Showcase
Case Study
Collaborative
Reflective portfolio
Case Study Portfolio
Showcase Portfolio
Perspectives on ePortfolios and Integrative Learning
Folio Thinking: Helen Chen
“…the reflective practice of creating learning portfolios for the purpose of
creating coherence and making meaning.”
(Chen, H., 2004)
Fragmented intellectual experience of students due to:
Structured opportunities to create learning portfolios and reflect on learning experiences to enable students to:
Stanford Center for Design Research
• Lack of curricular coherence• Increasing demands of
information rich environment
• Growing importance of out-of-class learning
• Integrate and synthesize learning
• Enhance self-understanding• Make deliberate choices
about learning path• Develop an intellectual
identity(Chen, H., 2004)
PROBLEM RESPONSE
Central ideas in folio thinking
• Reflecting on growth of knowledge and capabilities over time
• Intentionally providing time for students to document process of learning, not just product
• Enabling students to authentically represent their learning in a way that makes sense to them, and thus take responsibility for learning
(Penny Light, T., Chen, H., & Ittelson, J, 2012)
Integrative Knowledge: Melissa Peet
“….the ability to connect and apply fragmented pieces of information, knowledge, and skills.”
“…a critical capacity for professional success, communication with the public, and participation in, or leadership of, organizations and institutions.”
Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process™
(Peet, M., n.d., p. 8)
Integrative Knowledge: C2L Catalyst
“….the ability and disposition to make connections between ideas and experiences, and to apply them to new learning situations within and beyond campus.”
C2L Integrative Practice Examples
Manhattanville: Examining the Mission Exercise
LaGuardia: Hiring/Promotion Committee Simulation
San Francisco: Letter to a Future Self
Includes 200+ Practices(assignments,
rubrics, syllabi, work samples)
http://c2l.mcnrc.org
Key Ideas: Theoretical Perspectives
• Chen: – Integration through reflection over time
• Peet: – Integration through analysis of themes
in learning and values/passions
• Connect2Learning:– Overarching design principles for
effective eportfolio practice: inquiry, reflection, integration
What Does Integration Look Like?
Honors Program
Honors ePortfolio
“This digital tool is a way to integrate your Honors experience across your years on campus, reflect on the different opportunities of classroom and experiential learning afforded by your time here at Northeastern, and represent yourself and your work in a meaningful way.“
Requirements Components
A minimum of 10 entries in specific categories:• Honors courses• Majors courses• Experiential learning• Capstone• First Year Reflection• Final Essay
Artifacts: Work samples
Annotations: 100-250 word reflective statement explaining the importance of the artifact to your personal, academic or experiential learning career.
Reflections: 1st year + Final
Master of Education Program
“By pursuing a Master's degree, you are in a process of -- metaphorically speaking -- writing the next chapter in the story of your life. … Your ePortfolio is designed to help you document this narrative of growth to see how parts relate to the whole. We believe it will help you improve the quality of your learning experience, both during and after your time in the program.“
Requirements Components
• Learning portfolio (during)• Professional Profile• Goals• Program/Courses• Connections (e.g. work,
conferences & workshops)
• Showcase portfolio (capstone)• Revise, present
Artifacts: Signature Assignment(s). Some build on previous core courses.
Annotation: Varies according to concentration. Some are descriptive, while others elicit commentary on learning, connections, and progress.
Reflection Across Concentrations: Gateway & Capstone bookends
Assessing Integration
ACTIVITYWhat does integrative learning look like?
• Return to your connected dots from the first exercise.
• Discuss with one other person what you would expect to see if students were, in fact, “connecting the dots.”