Author Archive
By: Jonathan Rossing
Faculty and administrators continue to recognize the unique needs of First-generation college students. And we understand the value of integrated and applied learning as we strive to help students practice new knowledge across disciplines and in their everyday lives. But have our institutions accounted for the ways First- generation college students complicate the success of integrative and applied learning?
The profile of a First-generation, “traditional-age” college student whose parents never completed baccalaureate degrees paints an incomplete portrait. We must contend with the dynamic character of “First -generation” students. Many parents now enter college for the first time with their children, yielding two generations of firsts. Single, working parents enroll in classes to advance their careers and opportunities. Students in a “sandwich generation,” caring for children and aging parents, seek out higher education for the first time. Given the country’s current military engagement and economic struggles, campuses see First-generation students returning from several tours of duty, and others seeking advanced education due to unemployment. And in a global community, more First-generation students are also First-generation U.S. citizens. This complex student sketch appears across all institutions—urban and rural, four-year and community colleges, research and liberal arts. Read the rest of this entry »
By: Katrina Carter-Tellison, Ph.D.
The saying goes, “you have to bet big to win big” and there’s no doubt about it –e-portfolios are a “big bet.” Whether it is the effort needed to engage students, the time required by faculty, or the commitment of institutional resources, e-portfolios are an enormous endeavor. However, what has emerged from The Search for VALUE Symposium, is that there can be no more effective way to assess student learning and no greater tool to make changes to that learning process than e-portfolios. The workshops focused on three key areas: the philosophical argument of “why” use e-portfolios; the nuts and bolts of using e-portfolios for assessment; and how to accurately evaluate institutional technology needs.
As educators, we find ourselves facing a difficult challenge. As Darren Cambridge stated in his session, “the outcomes we most value are often the most difficult to measure.” How do we measure empathy and personal and social responsibillity? Can there be a standardized test for such outcomes? E-portfolio methods allow us to examine these principles and concepts in a contextual way across time. E-portfolios allow students to engage in the all-important principles of Integrative learning. Students can make links and synthesize learning across courses, semesters, and disciplines over time. In fact, that time does not have to be restrained to the period during which the student is enrolled, but depending on the technology employed, the e-portfolio can be utilized indefintely throughout students’ lives.
By: Ross Miller
For me, e-portfolio use is all about expectations and Greater Expectations. Teaching all of our students, and teaching all students to higher levels was a dual challenge that (as Randy Bass mentioned) basically established a logical (and one hopes inevitable) drive to spread the practice of using portfolios for learning. (If you are thinking that I neglected to include assessment, then you may still be thinking of assessment as separate from the process of learning.)
The Greater Expectations project advocated for all of us to find intentional approaches to liberal education – working to develop intentional learners, teachers, and institutions. If we really intend to be intentional while also working within the limits of time, then we must focus on those practices that produce the greatest effects. Portfolios and their electronic progeny have long pointed toward a handful of powerful practices of which we should be more conscious and use much more often. Read the rest of this entry »
