Chris Sheehan from the University Technology Office hosted our TeachT@lk Webinar this week with information for faculty on the benefits of using digital portfolios with classes. Chris started with a discussion of High Impact Practices (HIPs) for engaging students. The top 10 examples are considered essential to student success, like Undergrad Research Projects, Service Learning and Capstone projects. All of these practices can be combined in a digital portfolio, which makes digital portfolios the " Eleventh High Impact Practice " Benefits for students include: Showcase relevant projects and growth, and skills that aren't easily measured Used to apply for internships, scholarships, employment Reflections allow students to share their own voice and perspective Peer-to-peer collaboration and assessments Stays with student after graduation Benefits for the institution include: Increase student engagement and value for degree Long term archive of student work...

On Tuesday, April 7, we had a webinar on using eportfolios in the classroom.  Below is a summary of some of the key points and resources: ePortfolios are an archive of materials created by students to showcase their skills and knowledge. They are basically a website with text, videos, images, link and files. There are 3 main types of eportfolios: Personal - includes items from an interest or hobby Showcase - includes information and evidence of skills, often used in interviews to showcase someone's work, or for requesting funds for special projects. Learning - a collection of a students' projects and assignments for a class, used to provide evidence of whether a student met the learning objectives and how they met them. It often includes drafts of assignments to show the process, not just the final product. Students are encouraged to follow a 5 step process to build eportfolios which includes: collecting the data selecting what to showcase reflecting on the w...