1. Electronic Portfolios and the Authentic Assessment of Economics Majors
Steven C. Myers
The University of Akron
Presented to the Robert Morris Conference on Teaching Economics: Instruction and Classroom Based Research
February 18, 2005

2. Electronic Portfolios and the Authentic Assessment of Economics Majors
By the end of this presentation you will
Be able to define an electronic portfolio
define and explain authentic assessment
Compare and contrast authentic and traditional assessment
Know how to set up an authentic assessment
Know that portfolios are authentic
Learn four questions to guide your assessment stategy
Understand how the Economics department at The University of Akron is beginning its assessment strategy
See an example of a student portfolio
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

3. An Electronic Portfolio is defined as
A collection of authentic and diverse evidence,
Drawn from a larger archive representing what a person or organization has learned over time
On which the person or organization has reflected, and
Designed for presentation to one or more audiences for a particular rhetorical purpose
Definition of the National Learning Infrastructure Initiative (NLII) cited by Barbara L. Cambridge, American Association for Higher Education (AAHE), “Economic Portfolios: Why Now?” on Educause Live, Feb 11, 2004.
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

4. What is Authentic Assessment?
Reference:
Authentic Assessment Toolbox
Jon Mueller
Professor of Psychology
North Central College
Naperville, IL
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

5. What is Authentic Assessment?
A form of assessment using
real world tasks
application of essential knowledge and skills
problems likely to be found after formal education is completed
demonstrations of mastery of competencies
Borrowed heavily from Jon Mueller
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

6. What is Traditional Assessment?
“the curriculum drives assessment”
The body of knowledge is determined first.
That knowledge becomes the curriculum that is delivered.
The assessments are developed and administered to determine if acquisition of the curriculum occurred.
Borrowed heavily from Jon Mueller
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

7. What is Authentic Assessment?
“the assessment drives the curriculum”
First determine the tasks that students will need to perform to demonstrate their mastery
Then develop the curriculum that will allow that performance
And designed so that the acquisition of essential knowledge and skills must occur.
Borrowed heavily from Jon Mueller
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

8. Attributes of Traditional Assessment vs Authentic Assessment
Selecting a response
Contrived
Recall / Recognition
Teacher-structured
Indirect evidence
Performing a task
Real-life
Construction / Application
Student-structured
Direct Evidence
Quoted from Jon Mueller
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

9. Why Use? Authentic Assessments …
Are direct measures
Capture the constructive nature of learning
Integrate teaching, learning and assessment
Provide multiple paths to demonstration
Borrowed heavily from Jon Mueller
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

10. How do you create Authentic Assessments?
Set standards or proficiencies
Design authentic tasks
Look for achievement of criteria
Discriminate performance based on a rubric
--Jon Mueller
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

11. How do you create Authentic Assessments? 4 questions!
Set standards or proficiencies “What should students be able to do?”
Design authentic tasks “What indicates students have met these standards?”
Look for achievement of criteria “What does good performance on this task look like?”
Discriminate performance based on a rubric “How well did the students perform?”
--Jon Mueller
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

12. Are Portfolios Authentic?
Considers process and development of skills
Not just test scores
Focuses on meaningful collection of student performance
Includes meaningful student reflection
Includes evaluation of that work.
--Jon Mueller
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

13. Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers
Walstad suggests student portfolios in assessment of the economic major…
“Assessing the economics major is a more difficult challenge than assessing student performance in a particular economics course.
“Assessment using student portfolios offer a solution for evaluating whether a student has the attributes or proficiencies of an economic major.
“Those students with difficulties would be given time to prepare new items or revise previous work. The process of portfolio assessment … merits further exploration.”
William B. Walstad, “Improving Assessment in University Economics,” Journal of Economic Education, Summer 2001.
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

14. Bill McKeachie suggests…
portfolios “…demonstrate the progress that has been made, … the student’s best work, or better yet, the student’s descriptions of how the work helped his or her development” (p. 92).
He often finds evidence of learning he would have otherwise missed, but warns that “unless you provide instruction on how to construct a portfolio and describe the criteria you will use in evaluating it, assessing reliably will be difficult” (p. 94).
Bill McKeachie. McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 11th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002.
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

15. Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers
OK, with that motivation, lets address Assessment of the Economic Major…
What learning outcomes, standards or proficiencies do we care about?
How aligned are our processes to these outcomes?
How committed are we to continuous improvement?
How can we integrate undergraduate learning across the various major and allied courses ?
Zippy
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

16. (1) What Learning Outcomes Do We Care About? The Hansen proficiencies…
“Completing the major, even with … grades that may suggest … mastery, does not mean that graduates are effectively equipped to use their knowledge and skills, … nor be good value to prospective employers, society and themselves.”
“… the economic profession gives too little attention to what we expect majors to do with their knowledge after they graduate.”
W. Lee Hansen. “Expected Proficiencies for Undergraduate Economics Majors,’ Journal of Economic Education, Summer 2001
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

17. (1) What Learning Outcomes Do We Care About? The Hansen proficiencies…
“the proficiencies approach focuses on what graduating majors can do with the knowledge and skills they acquire in the major.”
“The question we face is how to best move towards a proficiencies approach to economics teaching and learning.”
W. Lee Hansen. “Expected Proficiencies for Undergraduate Economics Majors,’ Journal of Economic Education, Summer 2001
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

18. (1) What Learning Outcomes Do We Care About? The Hansen proficiencies…
… via the undergraduate curriculum:
Access to existing knowledge.
Display command of existing knowledge.
Interpret existing knowledge.
Interpret and manipulate economic data.
Apply existing knowledge.
… via a Senior Project
Create new knowledge.
W. Lee Hansen. “Expected Proficiencies for Undergraduate Economics Majors,’ Journal of Economic Education, Summer 2001
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

19. Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers
(1) What Learning Outcomes Do We Care About? (an example for comparison)
Six Principles of Undergraduate Learning
Core communication and quantitative skills
Critical thinking skills
Intellectual depth, breadth, and adaptation
Integration and application of knowledge
Understanding society and culture
Values and ethics
ePort project of IUPUI
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

20. (2) How aligned are our processes to the Learning Outcomes?
Review the curriculum.
What kind of students are we producing?
How do we currently meet the Learning Outcomes in our present courses?
How can we insure that the current courses produce the desired learning outcomes?
What’s missing at UAkron?
A Computer Skills for Economic Analysis course.
Doing economics
Scaffolding computer skills
Creating an electronic portfolio
A Capstone Course
Senior project that creates new knowledge.
Perfecting the electronic portfolio
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

21. Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers
2000 Curriculum revision
Capstone Course
Electronic Portfolio
Course
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

22. (2) How aligned… Why a course to scaffold computer skills?
Students can not adequately function in class or in the job market without good computer skills.
Students have different initial endowments of computer skills.
Too much class time wasted in upper division classes on computer skill scaffolding.
Professors will not require or expect a skill if they do not have the time to provide the scaffolding needed.
Professors may try and students get frustrated and the professor gets disappointed.
Too much opportunity for learning is missed without the requisite skill being assumed.
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

23. (2) How aligned… Why electronic portfolios?
Students learn to build and update a website.
Students learn the value of appearance and presentation of their work.
All submissions to the portfolio is instantly available to all faculty in the department including their advisor.
Students may choose to place their portfolio on the world wide web (but not required).
Students may represent themselves to potential employers by offering a web address or providing a CD.
The department requires the portfolio for graduation.
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

24. (3) How committed are we to continuous improvement?
The faculty needs to know whether students are achieving the Hansen proficiencies.
At least one artifact per proficiency required
A written reflection on the artifact is included
An assessment of the artifact and how it meets the Learning Outcome.
Students demonstrate growth by the progression of artifacts and reflections included in the portfolio.
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

25. (3) How committed are we to continuous improvement?
The portfolio allows for both formative assessment and summative assessment of competencies learned.
Begins as a course portfolio for assessment by the instructor.
The portfolio allows for formative and summative assessment of the major through graduation.
Becomes a comprehensive portfolio for assessment by the advisors and other faculty.
The portfolio allows for summative assessment of the curriculum in the department of economics.
Emerges as a professional portfolio to show employers.
Becomes an artifact in the department’s portfolio of portfolios for assessment by the faculty.
Provides authentic assessment and evidence for accreditation visits.
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

26. Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers
(3) How committed are we to continuous improvement? Portfolio Evaluation Form
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

27. (3) How committed are we to continuous improvement?
Comprehensive Assessment (formative and summative) includes:
CATs (Classroom Assessment Techniques)
During class, often applied
Graded Assignments (summative and mastery)
SETs or Assessment of Learning
Midterm assessment
End of course (college requirement)
Electronic Portfolios
Once a semester
Exit Interview and Alumni Surveys
At graduation and periodic intervals
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

28. Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers
Not on the web
On the web
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Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

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Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

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February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

34. Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers
How can we integrate undergraduate learning across the various major and allied courses?
Electronic Portfolios
Heightens students’ perspective that courses are indeed related across the curriculum.
Are available to all faculty who can look up students past work in relevant courses.
Other students can learn from prior students’ experiences.
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

35. Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers
How can we integrate undergraduate learning across the various major and allied courses?
The Senior Project
Culminates a theory track and a quantitative track of study.
Integrates by definition much of what has been experienced before.
Is the opportunity for the student to “create new knowledge” (Hansen’s 6th)
Becomes linked in the portfolio.
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

36. Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers
Reviews of Electronic Portfolios from Syllabus, NLII, Educause, AAHE, …
Batson, Trent. “The Electronic Portfolio Boom: What’s It All About?” Syllabus, December 2002.
NLII. “Electronic Portfolios -NLII Key Theme, National Learning Infrastructure Initiative” (website) at cited March 2004.
Barrett, Helen. “Using Technology to Support Alternative Assessment and Electronic Portfolios,” (website) cited March 2004.
Cambridge, Barbara L. Electronic Portfolios: Emerging Practices for Students, Faculty and Institutions, American Association for Higher Education (AAHE), 2001, 204 pp. (
Ittelson, John C. “Building an E-dentity for Each Student,” Educause Quarterly, Number 4, 2001.
February 18, 2005
Electronic Portfolios and Assessment GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers