Employing e-Portfolios in Instructional and Co-Curricular Settings Jennifer Matthews, Senior Consultant Blackboard Inc April 13, 2005

About the Presenter… Jennifer Matthews Senior Consultant, Blackboard Training Member of Blackboard Inc. team for three years Account Manager for Blackboard’s Client Relations Team Eight years experience teaching in Virginia public schools Technology Resource Teacher integrating technology with standards of learning

Topics for Discussion Blackboard’s new e-Portfolio feature can serve a wide variety of faculty and student needs. This presentation: Demonstrates the e-Portfolio functionality. Offers examples of common and uncommon e-Portfolio uses. Shares best practices for launching an e-Portfolio pilot at your institution.

Electronic Portfolios Electronic portfolios enable students and faculty to assemble, present, and share information online for documenting academic growth, career evaluation, and course preparation.

e-Portfolios in the Instructional Setting Traditional Student achievement and progress Course requirements Graduation requirements Showcase of experiences Collection of work or research Non-traditional Course Overview and Staff Information Tutorials Guided activities

e-Portfolios in the Co-Curricular Setting Employment opportunities Tenure Recertification Tutorials

e-Portfolio Building in Blackboard Access through the Blackboard Content System tab Tool on the Navigation Menu called Portfolios Portfolio tool may be made available to groups of users at your institution using Blackboard Community System Institution Roles User is the “owner” of the Portfolio

Portfolios Tool Portfolio Creation – Portfolio Wizard My Portfolios – Area to create, modify, and share Portfolios Received Portfolios – Area to view and comment on Portfolios shared with you by another user on the system

Using the Portfolio Wizard Portfolios may be developed in minutes by using the Portfolio Wizard. The Portfolio Wizard walks the user through a series of prompts, such as upload files, external links, and templates to create a fully functioning e-Portfolio.

Contents of a Portfolio Each numbered item serves as a link on the navigation menu of the Portfolio, which when clicked display as pages. These “pages” can be reordered.

Add Content Link to content stored in the Blackboard Content System

Add Item – Using a Template Templates can be created and uploaded by the Blackboard System Administrator for use by Portfolio users. Using templates, institutions or departments can develop their own “look and feel” or identity, as Portfolios can be shared with Blackboard users on the system or with others who are external of the system such as a prospective employer.

Add Item The Visual Text Box Editor can be used to enter text, attach files stored in the Blackboard Content System such as graphics, and modify or enhance HTML. Items are an effective way of grouping content links and giving context to work.

Add External Link Links to external URLs can be included in the Portfolio. Avoid linking to Web sites with advertisements or other pop-ups associated with pages.

Portfolio Management When the Portfolio is complete, users may wish to manage certain aspects of the Portfolio such as adding additional content, sharing the Portfolio, and downloading the Portfolio for future use.

Share Portfolio The owner of a Portfolio may share it with individual users on the Blackboard system, groups of users on the system, or individuals who are external to the system.

Comments Portfolios can be annotated with comments to provide feedback. The owner of the Portfolio may decide if comments should be private or shared. Shared comments allow all users with whom a Portfolio has been shared to view the comments. Private comments may only be viewed by the owner and the intended recipient of the Portfolio. The status of comments may be changed at anytime, which may be appropriate as a Portfolio moves through a “review” phase to a “published” phase.

Check Links Periodically checking links in a Portfolio is a good practice. The owner of a Portfolio may use the Portfolio Link Checker tool to identify broken links and repair them, if possible.

Download Portfolios Any Portfolio and its contents may be downloaded as a compressed ZIP file. This file contains HTML pages and content items that comprise the Portfolio. This ZIP package can then be archived on a local drive or ed to another person.

Student or User Best Practices Create a folder on the Blackboard Content System called “Portfolio Contents.” In this folder store files to be used when using Add Content or Add Item during Portfolio creation. Consider the intended audience to determine the “look” and contents of the Portfolio. A good Web practice is to consider using four or less colors for the design, allowing for variation without causing distraction to the viewer.

Student or User Best Practices If a Portfolio will include a link to a file to which the owner does not have control (i.e. a file stored in the Institution Content area), consider copying the file into a controlled location. Use the Copy feature to create variations on Portfolios. Prior to leaving an institution, use the Download Portfolio feature to download a ZIP package of Portfolio materials.

Instructor Best Practices Establish criteria when assigning students or faculty the task of creating an e-Portfolio. Develop a rubric or written standard of measure that students or faculty may use to ensure that their e- Portfolios meet criteria. Example of rubric courtesy of the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s School of Education Example of rubric courtesy of Pearson Prentice Hall ssment/rub_electronic_Portfolio.html ssment/rub_electronic_Portfolio.html

Institution Best Practices Develop a policy for students, faculty, or staff who may leave the institution which includes users downloading their Portfolio from the Blackboard system. Develop templates that can be used during the Portfolio creation process. Clearly label templates so that users understand which templates may be applicable to their purposes. Templates can be created by department representatives and then added to the Blackboard system by the Blackboard System Administrator. Define an Institution Role on the Blackboard Community System to pilot the use of Portfolios.

e-Portfolio Resources ePortConsortium American Association of Higher Education

Blackboard Training Services Visit for more information about... Onsite Training Workshops Online Training Courses Regional Training Events Building Blocks Training Technical Training – Coming Soon! If you have any questions, please Thank you for choosing Blackboard!