[ Radio Static ] >> You've tuned in to Hub Talk, a podcast about teaching, learning, and technology. [ Music ] >> Welcome to this episode of Hub Talk, in which Bill and I are going to talk about ePortfolios, and how you might use them in the classroom both for face-to-face and online courses. We'll provide a little bit of an overview of what ePortfolios are, what the make up of an ePortfolio might look like, how you might use them in your course, and then in our next segment, are going to interview an instructor who is using them for the first time in her face-to-face and online course. So two different sections. She's going to be implementing ePortfolios. So let's just jump right in. >> Yeah, so an ePortfolio is basically a digital collection of academic work. It could be something that includes reflection on that work rather than just a repository of the work itself, used to document and demonstrate skills, abilities, achievements, and even creativity. They often share a lot of characteristics with physical portfolios, collections of physical documents or artifacts and, in fact, some of the artifacts that an ePortfolio might include are various kinds of media, whether it's audio or video, digital photos, various types of assignments, documents, presentations, things like that. And then, of course, the reflection on those different artifacts. >> Yeah, I think you bring up a great point, Bill, about that really an ePortfolio hopefully is going beyond just that repository of items, and that it's really helping the students connect their learning and thinking about that, the reflection of learning. And there has been a lot of research done about reflective practice, and how important that is for students to be able to connect their different types of learning that they're doing in their courses, and so I always encourage faculty that are using ePortfolios, and remind them that this is a good way that students can display their materials. But to think about having instructors, including those opportunities for reflection, I think, is huge. Another aspect of ePortfolios is that it's really an ongoing process. Bill and I have both used these in our courses, and the idea is really starting out early in the term, and explaining how they're going to be used, then having students really working throughout the term to collect materials, the assignments that they're doing, being able to build as they go, providing opportunities, as we talked about, for reflecting on their learning, and maybe it's through their own individual learning or through group work or different aspects, maybe even connecting it to other courses that they're taking. Some of their reflection. And then having them present their materials. And I think it's important to have them present their materials to their peers. So sharing throughout the term with their classmates, getting feedback, and from the instructor and I think there is, there are ways that you can build in peer feedback and guide the students in their feedback. And that is a way to teach them about providing feedback, as well. Because we know that can sometimes be a little scary for students, and you might just get the "great job!" but really getting them to think beyond that, as well. >> Yeah, it's a great opportunity for students to practice providing feedback and taking the feedback that they're given and doing something with it. >> Yeah. >> A lot of times even with ePortfolios, if the instructor doesn't guide students through the presentation aspect of it, students can really consider it as just the repository that they're uploading their assignments. Maybe they are doing some amount of personal reflection, but without the presentation piece, where they're sharing it with their peers, getting that feedback, perhaps even sharing it beyond the classroom itself, you know, they just don't get that extra bit of motivation, that extra layer of feedback and guidance that could make it an even more empowering process. >> Yeah, that's a great point. The other thing is just thinking about some of the benefits to the learning process. So we've mentioned several times reflecting on learning, and that reflective practice. This is also a way for instructors to assess learning. So going beyond just writing a paper, just submitting that paper, but seeing a whole collection or body of work throughout the term and using that as a gauge of, is what I'm teaching and providing to my students really accomplishing those goals and outcomes of the course? And being able to look at just--not just one thing at a time, but like I said, that whole collection of their materials. >> Yeah, and if you think of it from the instructor standpoint, you can see that growth, so that's--that's good to track, just for your own purposes, is what I'm doing in the classroom or online actually working, but if you think about it from the student side, each student can see that progress as well, so they get, again, a little bit of motivation to maybe take some feedback from the first assignment, do a little better on the next one, and maybe keep that momentum going. >> Yeah, that's a great point. Another benefit to learning or important aspect of using ePortfolios is having students redefine their digital footprint. We know that students are on social media. A lot of different types of social media, and they may not be always thinking about the footprint that they leave behind electronically. And it's very common now, with generation Z and even millennials, thinking about our students, saying that they're digital natives, but that doesn't really provide much context to what they know about technology or how they use it, or the lasting impact that technology can create with that digital footprint. So I think it's important to help them start thinking about developing that professional presence. That's what I like to use in my class. This is a way to create that professional presence, because you might be using this ePortfolio for a job interview. You might be using it when you're transferring on to another college or university, and that's just important to have something separate from maybe your personal social media tools. >> Yeah, having that more professional face out there to direct potential employers, or you know, if you're applying to other academic programs, having that in addition to the obvious personal presence online is vital. And having an opportunity to practice building those types of ePortfolios during their education helps them develop not only the skill to create an ePortfolio, but all of the little bits and pieces that they're putting into their ePortfolio are developing other types of skills. So perhaps they're recording videos to add to their ePortfolio, so they're getting some video skill. Hopefully the feedback and reflection that they're putting into their ePortfolio will refine their writing skills, so they're going to be developing all kinds of skills while they're in this process, which will certainly help in other classes, and certainly down the road after school. >> Yeah, that's a great point, because I always ask my students early on, how many of you are kind of nervous about this ePortfolio? Because it's kind of a new term, maybe you're not really sure what you're going to do, and remind them that it is part of the goal of this; that they are going to expand their technology skills. By the time they're done, they've developed really their own personal website, really. So you know, that is a legitimate skill that they could list that they have some basic web design, or multi-media, like you said, development. And it really does help work on their writing skills, especially with the reflection piece. I think it's huge, working on their writing skills. So, an obvious question about ePortfolios, then, usually comes up, well how do you create an ePortfolio? Is it in eLearn in our learning management system? What kind of platforms, you know, are used? And the typical answer are the do it yourself websites and blogs. Here at Chemeketa [phonetic spelling], we don't have a specific tool, so we encourage that instructors have students use either Google Sites, because it's available in our Google suite, or a couple of the do it yourself websites are Wix and Weebly. Bill, what has been your experience, in your courses? >> Wix and Weebly, we use quite often. I've seen students who have had experience with other platforms, prefer to use those, like WordPress, for example, but I mean, there are tons of them out there. >> Right. >> As far as platforms to use templates to create your own websites, but a lot of the attention is being focused on user friendliness, and how easy it is to just upload your content. So you've got sites like Wix and Weebly, and even Google Sites, where it's really easy to upload your document, type in your text, add pictures, add video, everything like that. But you're somewhat limited, as far as, you know, the constraints that the template puts on you. You're not able to customize it as much. So if your students get to the point where they've mastered everything that Google Sites or Wix can do, and they want to get a little more creative, or make it a little bit more personal, they might not be able to do as much. But that said, there are plenty of other platforms that do offer a lot more flexibility and customization when students are ready for that. >> Yeah, and I found that students a lot of times, even though these sites are relatively easy for first-time users, some students struggle with it, and it's not the technology piece, it's that there are so many different options. The students have a hard time kind of deciphering. >> Mm-hmm. >> And so that actually becomes another learning aspect, is having them kind of evaluate technology and how they might be using it. Because we know as instructional technologists, there are a lot of different ways that you could accomplish something using one technology tool, let alone five different tools. >> Right. >> And so definitely with say Weebly, there are different ways that you can upload or add files, or display your files, and so I think that's the other great piece about this, is that students aren't just learning how to use the tool, but hopefully they're learning how to evaluate what tool to use. Maybe their skill? And how they might be using some of the features in that tool, as well. >> Right? >> As well. As we have mentioned, Bill and I both have used ePortfolios in our classes. Bill, you actually teach a class on building ePortfolios. >> I do. >> Yeah, can you talk just a little bit about what you're doing in that class? >> Yeah, that course kind of fell in my lap suddenly one term. Wasn't expecting it, but having used ePortfolios in different classes, just in some regards, it was a nice transition for me. But with that class, we start with the reasoning behind using ePortfolios, like we discussed a few minutes ago, and I kind of build build it over the course of five weeks, I have the students choose a platform, I give them some options, I tell them to go evaluate, see what might fit there, their style, and preferences, the best. Then I tell them, okay go ahead and make a home page. Add a little bit of information about yourself, add a picture. So they kind of get used to the template that they're using. Then I have them create another page, so like you said earlier, they're basically building a website, so they're adding a page to this site, where they're going to embed some videos about a specific topic, and then the next week, they add a second page, and then they embed some documents. So they write a paper, then they embed that paper right there on the website, so visitors can read the document, they can set it up so visitors can add comments and feedback, right there on the page. >> Oh nice. >> We could get into all of that in a whole episode, but-- >> So, are they getting to choose the topic of their paper and their videos that they're creating? >> They are, yeah. >> Yeah, so they're, they're choosing a topic at the beginning of the term, and then everything they add to their ePortfolio is related to that topic. And it's really serving as practice for a lot of these students are using ePortfolios as their exit requirement for this Master's degree program, where they're going to take documents, papers, and presentations that they've done over the course of their entire grad program, put them in this ePortfolio, reflect on them, add some research and theory behind what they've been doing, and really use this as this culmination and this synthesis of their learning over the last two or three years. Share that, not only with their faculty, that they've been working with but their peers in the program. So that they can share their knowledge, and what they've been working on. >> I did a very similar thing in my graduate program, that was the Capstone Project. So I use ePortfolios in an online course, ED235 here at Chemeketa, which is Technology for Educators. So it's kind of a great course to implement ePortfolios, because it's all about using technology in the classroom. So, I use ePortfolios as the Capstone project for a 10-week term, and I introduce it early on, so I introduce it the second week. And similar to you, I have them evaluate the different tools. I suggest, you know, Wix, Weebly, Google Sites, but I let them evaluate the tool, choose which one they want to use, then just like you, have them create a home page. And add a little information about themselves. Then, every week, the lessons that I'm providing in class and their assignments, they are creating different types of media or using technology tools, whether it's creating a video or a screencast, or even writing a lesson plan for using technology in the classroom, they're adding all of those assignments to their ePortfolio, and then there are opportunities for them to share it both with me and their peers, because I definitely want them to get that peer feedback. All these students in this class are in the education program, they want to teach, so this is a great way for them to feed off one another and give feedback on hey, what's working, what might you do differently? And then their final is submitting that last ePortfolio link with all their assignments, you know, and as we're going through this, it's not just building the ePortfolio and adding the items, it's getting them to think about the context of what they're adding, and adding some description about those items so that if it is a prospective employer looking at this, that they know what they're creating and why they were adding it to their ePortfolio. And then also, having them just think about design principles, and some of those other elements that are going to go into technology use. And then having them share it with their peers at the very end of the course. And then that's how I'm evaluating their work and using that as a gauge. Did I hit all those outcomes that I needed to for the course? And like you said early, on, it's a great way to see them progress throughout the term, and learn more about not just using technology but really why are they using technology, which I think is important for all of us as educators, it's not just about using a cool tool. >> [Chuckling] No. >> It's what are the benefits to the learning process. >> And if you can get that perspective from your students, as to why we're using this, you know, that really instills that, you know, sense of purpose beyond, oh, this is a cool, new, shiny piece of technology. So they don't have to trust you on, you know, why are we using this? They can form those decisions for themselves. >> Yes. I think another key aspect is that it is a way to raise the bar for our students at a community college level, because like you mentioned, in the graduate program that you teach in, that is one of the requirements. >> Yeah. >> So that may be five or six years off, or even longer, for some students, by the time they get to graduate school. But if they have a foundation and a basis of using and evaluating tools and creating things, it's going to make it that much easier when they go on to a university for a Bachelor's or a graduate program. >> Yeah. In the past two or three times I've taught this ePortfolio class, I think maybe one or two of my students has had experience building ePortfolios in the past. So the vast majority, this is brand-new to them. >> Sure. >> So if we can get this in our courses earlier on, that's going to be huge. >> Yeah, and it's very easy to think about having programs here use them as a capstone. Whether it's the education program, early childhood, other CTE programs, or even general education programs, I think this is a great way to have them create some kind of Capstone project to show their learning here at Chemeketa before they even go on somewhere else. So this is the first in a three-part series about ePortfolios, and in our next segments, we're going to be talking more about how you might be implementing ePortfolios in your own classroom, and how the Tech Club faculty can help you with that implementation, provide some training, not only for instructors, but also some guidance in the classroom as well. So, in the next segment of this episode, we are going to be sitting down with Carrie Beaver, an instructor here, teaching SSP112, Study Skills. She's utilizing ePortfolios in both her online and face to face sections of that class, so stay tuned. [ Music ] >> Welcome back to Hub Talk, and our episode about ePortfolios. In our first segment, Bill and I gave an overview of ePortfolios, and how we're using them in our own teaching. And now, we are going to talk to an instructor who is using ePortfolios for the first time, and get some insight on how she's going to use them. So with us right now is Carrie Beaver. >> Hi. >> And Carrie teaches in the Study Skills program. Carrie can you tell us what course or courses you're going to use ePortfolios in? >> Mm-hmm, Study Skills, so it's called Effective Learning, and I'm going to use the ePortfolio both in a face-to-face section and an online section. >> So Carrie, what was kind of the reasoning behind it, or your driving force behind wanting to venture into the ePortfolios? >> I had used a portfolio in the face-to-face effective learning class previously. And it was a huge success. And now I get to teach it online. >> Okay. >> Which is scary, but there is not...the only way to facilitate an online class doing portfolios, obviously, is online, or ePortfolios. >> Sure. >> So I thought, well, we'll just have the face-to-face folks do it also, and that will give me twice as much experience, and then give both of those sections experience in doing online stuff. >> Yeah. Do you--I'm curious, if the digital nature of ePortfolios is going to bring any new avenues or opportunities for assessment or types of work your students will be doing, or you're going to kind of mimic the face-to-face kind of tangible version of a portfolio in the ePortfolio. >> Well, I don't know that I fully understand what the ePortfolio is going to look like. >> Okay. >> Colin has shown me a little bit. I set up my own template initially. >> Yeah. >> I've gone back in and played with it and dabbled with it. But the--I'm expecting the students to surprise me. >> Okay [chuckles]. >> In good ways. >> Yeah. >> The one thing is, maybe I already said this? That the online students can't produce a physical-- >> A physical ePortfolio, or a physical portfolio-- >> Yeah, a physical portfolio I needed to be able to give them a way, an avenue, to demonstrate what they've done over the course of the term. >> And so this is brand-new to you, and you mentioned Colin is working with you to kind of flesh this out. What other types of preparation or experience can you draw on that is going to help you through this, that maybe you could use as advice to other faculty who might be considering starting brand-new with ePortfolios, or brand-new with some other type of technology? >> Well, I have previously worked with another instructor who used ePortfolios. >> Oh, okay. >> I didn't necessarily do a lot of hands-on with her, but I got rave reviews, both she loved it, as well as her students loved it, and then I'm really relying on you all [chuckling] to help me get the tools that I need to understand how to do it, and then to come in and help me set it up initially with students. >> And we can definitely do that. Come into your classroom, help you kind of figure out the path of how you want your students to use them. Talk a little bit about, if you could, the students who typically take these study skills classes, and maybe some of their--what you know about that demographic? The background with technology use? >> So, I think the demographics at Chemeketa are changing some. Generally we're going to have, we're going to see a little bit younger student on campus than we've seen in the past. They will have a little more exposure and experience with just the online world in general. With gadgets, and all kinds of things, and I think there is a certain amount of curiosity there. I anticipate that some of what I might bump into is I already know how to do it, and then I'll have to explain that I want it done a certain way. >> Sure. >> If I have, we'll say returning students that are a little bit older, they often times don't have quite as much comfort and experience and skill with technology, but they often times pick things up equally fast, once they get over the shock of it, and I'll say shock and awe of it. Because they're usually very intimidated, but they give me really good quality work. So I am hoping that I have a nice mix of students we'll see. I don't know that I completely answered that whole question though? You asked about the demographics-- >> No, I think you did. >> Okay. >> Yeah, I think you did. And if it's changing, I know when we worked with Robin Gilley, and she first started using ePortfolios, there was a pretty wide range. There were some nontraditional students coming back to school who had little or no technology experience or comfort level. We had a few traditional students who had some technology experience, and could help others, and then there was that group of kind of the traditional college-age student that was a little caught up in the shock and awe, like you mentioned, like, you're making me do what? So the building the digital skills, I think, is going to be an offshoot for you using the ePortfolios for sure. >> And another great thing about ePortfolios in general is that you can utilize them with almost any experience level, so you've got your really tech savvy kind of more traditional college student who is ready to go, they know how to use technology, they know how to publish content online already, so maybe they take what you want it to look like, and take it a step further, or maybe add their own customization on top of that, whereas someone who is brand-new to technology is going through all the steps, and certainly learning the technology, and learning how to fit within your guidelines for the ePortfolio, and then they can take it beyond, later on, after they feel more comfortable with it. >> I am excited because I feel like, well, I love to kind of embed things that students get doses of things that they don't even realize they're getting. So I see ePortfolios as being something that they can use in other life situations. Maybe more in school, but certainly just in other life situations. >> Yeah, that's great. >> And so it will be fun, if I ever hear back from any of them, oh, I got to use my ePortfolio, and I'm hoping they'll say, oh, I remembered to use my learning strategies also, but the more skills that can be embedded, and honestly made to be a little more fun, a little more interactive. And I see ePortfolios as an avenue toward that. >> Kind of piggy-backing on that, what are some of the outcomes you're hoping to get out of using ePortfolios? You mentioned hoping your students will kind of take that and run with it, and be able to utilize ePortfolios down the road, but apart from just that general knowledge and skill, what other types of outcomes do you see coming out of ePortfolios? >> Well, Portfolios to me are a grand finale of the things that they've learned over the course of the term. >> Mm-hmm. >> And often times those skills and those strategies that they've learned can be kind of left behind and forgotten, and I'm hoping that they'll create something that will be kind of a constant reminder as well, even as they--so they're going to start their ePortfolio in week 2 of the term. Surprised, Colin? >> No, [laughter] that's, I think, the earlier the better for other instructors who haven't used ePortfolios. I do think starting out early is a good way to go. So I think your plan is a smart one. >> And, then their first bigger assignment is going to be time management, and priority management, and I am working, weaving these two things together. So they need to use a lot of time management and priority management to keep adding to this portfolio. So you're going to help us get it set up, but then I'm going to have them checking in on a pretty regular basis. Every couple of weeks, to see how much they've added. They're certainly welcome to take stuff out and add something new in. There are certain requirements I want, a basic amount of assignments in there, but they're going to have some flexibility on what they can pick and choose from. >> Are you going to have them doing any kind of reflection along the way to about the assignments and the work that they're doing, or is this just mostly a Capstone project finale like you mentioned, and a way to collect their assignments? >> The answer is both. They will do reflections on almost everything they do. Short, but I'm looking for quality thought, and then it will be a Capstone, again, with its own reflection. So they'll have little mini reflections all the way through, and then a bigger one at the end. >> That's great, because I think you know, as Bill and I talked about, in the earlier section about ePortfolios in general, reflection is a huge piece or can be a huge piece of ePortfolios. And I think sometimes that gets overlooked, depending on the course, because there is so much that needs to be done, and of course, in a term, so you keep moving on to the next thing. And I think you building it so that they're thinking about the time management, working on it a little bit at a time, and reflecting on their earlier work, as or on their work as they go, they can look back and see, hopefully, that progression like you're talking about. >> So, Carrie, what challenges or concerns do you have going into this project, or what might you think your students will run into as far as challenges, getting started with all this? >> Well, the first thing that makes me just real nervous, white-knuckled, is that they're going to ask me how to do something and I'm going to say I don't know [laughter]. But I will have Colin's, and perhaps your, contact information. >> Of course. >> Linked right on eLearn, so that if I'm not able to ask a question, I will shoot you guys emails, or contact you in some way, or the student. So it's a learning, it's a huge learning curve for me. >> Sure, yeah. >> And I'm not super comfortable walking into the classroom not knowing exactly what I'm doing, but I also think that it's good for students to see that I have white hair and I'm still learning new stuff. >> That's a good point. >> I think that's really critical. And I think that is a cool aspect of what you're doing, that you're trying something new and modeling that for your students as well. >> So what about your students? What, I mean, historically you can probably draw on some challenges your students have faced with technology, but specific to ePortfolios, do you have any concerns about what they're going to be facing? >> So, access to the technology that they need, I think they have more opportunity to be connected to technology than sometimes they realize. There is an assumption that if you're taking an online class, that you know that you need to have some basic technology at your disposal. >> Sure. >> Regular internet access, and that sort of thing. They will often times forget, which I did, just the other day. Where is my ePortfolio? And it took me a few minutes. I had to go back through my notes. And I went oh yeah, Colin told me about sites. And so just remembering the steps. And so I anticipate that for the students they're going to be nervous, a few of them, about going back and once Colin gets them set up and kind of turns them loose, that a few of them might say well I'm not ready to be turned loose. I still need some hand holding. >> And that typically is, what you just said, is typically the issue with students, kind of forget maybe where it is or what it is, yeah, that they're getting back into. So that's exactly why Bill and I like to come to the classroom and kind of help instructors, and how we'll help you is to make sense of all that new technology. Not just for them, but for your sake too. >> So any questions you have for us, then, getting started with all this, Carrie? >> Not yet. There will be questions for sure, but I don't know what I don't know yet. >> Okay yeah, that makes sense. >> I do have one more question. What excites you about the idea of using ePortfolios in your classroom? >> Well I'm excited to learn how to do something new, so you know, there is a little bit of selfishness there. It's always fun to figure out what new technology can do, and I definitely think that it's--it's going to be a future life skill for students, and this gives them just a little step up for it. I've taught this class for a long time, and if I don't introduce new things it can get stale. If a student ever retakes a class, it's better for them to have new experiences than to just be taken through the exact same thing again. >> Something that we like to remind instructors of, and not to scare you off, is that any time you introduce something new in the classroom, there is that disruption. So you're using ePortfolios as a part of your curriculum and the pedagogy, but there is the technology piece that will be new, and there could be disruptions with that, so keep that in mind, that's normal. That's why we're here to help you. That is also a part of the learning, both for you and the students. >> Mm-hmm. >> Disruptions can be exciting. >> Yeah, they really can, yeah. Well Carrie, thanks for joining us. Don't forget to tune back in to Hub Talk in future episode, when Bill and I are going to be going into Carrie's classroom, and following up with her partway through a term, and interviewing her, and hopefully talking to a couple of students as well, about how ePortfolios are going. And then we're going to talk to Carrie at the end of term, to find out how this all plays out, and what she learned about using ePortfolios with her students, and what she plans to do in the future. Bill, anything that you want to add? >> No, I think that's great. Thanks for joining us, Carrie? How are you feeling? Getting ready to-- >> Excited and nervous. >> That's good! That's typical. Yeah. Okay, well thank you for joining us on Hub Talk. And we hope that you'll join us again soon. Hub Talk is produced by the Center for Academic Innovation at Chemeketa Community College. Visit our website, facultyhub.chemeketa.edu. To find helpful resources about teaching, learning and technology integration. 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