Dear Department Chairs,

 

Despite the advancements made in the technology realm, students seem to be falling behind when asked to take full autonomy over the work they are producing. This in part can be due to the fixed instructional belief that lecture based instruction followed by in-class assessment is the best path towards mastery. However, the complication lies in the ownership of those assignments. Are the assignments proof of a student’s mastery and understanding of a concept, or just a means to an end to check a box? Currently, students transition from High School to college or into the professional world, and  find themselves ill equipped on how to learn or grow their skills. More often than not students are unable to showcase anything tangible from their years of hard work across complex courses. So what if there was a way to arm the students with a collection of work that showcases not only their mastery of content, but a dedication to it, would you try it out? While some teachers have started incorporating more digital components into their curriculum, more can be done on a larger scale. If the goal is to create meaningful engagement through the assignments given, then a look at how to engage continuously and with autonomy is what the students need. 

 

With traditional hard copy/ physical portfolios, various assignments are produced based on the specifics given to the student, possibly discussed with the teacher or their peers, a grade or completion check provided and then it is deposited into that folder. Additionally, with such short class periods, student work can be rushed and inefficient due to the time constraints. If there has been time at the beginning of the year the folders were set up in a specific way with a table of contents to showcase its organization. If not, then the pieces inside merely accumulate over time. Here lies the problem. If the purpose of the portfolio is to move with students through their educational career span, then a folder, year after year just becomes bulky and difficult to keep organized. The solution is going digital. 

 

My proposal is to utilize ePortfolios to create and track content over the course of the semester.

• Each student is designing a business model, so their eportfolio content will be specific to that student, giving them autonomy over its design and content. 

  • Throughout the course students' content will be created both asynchronous and on-campus. Their online pieces will be an extension of their on campus work, all related to the creation of their capstone project. 

  • Asynchronous components will have checkpoints that will take place via digital feedback and interaction, and additional assistance will be provided when students are in person.

  • All pieces will be added to the ePortfolio created by the students through the use of a platform such as Wix or Weebly. Components not added to their ePortfolio will be stored in both their school issued and personal Google Drive for easy reference.

• Students will use their school issued or personal devices to access their asynchronous assignments and develop their ePortfolios.

• Students will have the opportunity to connect, reflect and expand their knowledge as they develop their ePortfolios. As some pieces in the portfolio will be selected by the student its contents will be unique to them and will provide opportunities to reflect over their learning. This will be done by producing a write up or digital reflection over each piece added to the portfolio. 

• Students will utilize their ePortfolios throughout the course and carry over the content for the following course and beyond their high school careers. 

 

The student’s ePortfolio will move from course to course with them within the program and post graduation. This allows for students to consistently revisit their work and make connections to their current learning. Furthermore, it allows teachers to see what prior knowledge the students are coming to them with and make adjustments to lessons as necessary. It can also be used as another form of assessment to gauge progress and critical understanding of various topics.

 

I am excited  about the opportunity to transform learning through the implementation and guided completion of the eportfolio. This will allow students, teachers, administrators and support staff to hone in on the benefits of the digital world while empowering the notes to reflect, make connections and learn from the development of their work through asynchronous and synchronous learning. 

 

I'm asking that the plan be piloted through the Entrepreneurship Department at The Village School . The Department Chair TeKedra Pierre has agreed to pilot the ePortfolios in her Senior Strategy and Marketing course for this year.

 

Sincerely,

Naima Bagot