ePortfolio Exploration Project

An ePortfolio Task Force was formed at SOU in the spring of 2014 to conduct a consultative process for systematically exploring the place of ePortfolios in teaching, learning and assessment. Sponsored by the University Assessment Committee, the Task Force worked with constituents (students, faculty, staff and the broader community) to tackle the questions listed below. The Task Force identified needs, determined the functional requirements of potential ePortfolio software applications that would meet those needs, chose Google Sites and WordPress as ePortfolio tools for piloting, designed formal pilots that began in Fall 2014, reported to the Assessment Committee periodically concerning the status of the project and lessons learned, and made recommendations based on pilots in Spring 2015.

The questions that guided the Task Force's investigations:

1. What pedagogical needs (e.g., reflection) might ePortfolios serve?
2. What administrative needs (e.g., program or institutional assessment) might ePortfolios serve?
3. How can ePortfolios help students transition from SOU to their post-college endeavors (work, grad school, etc.)?
4. How and why have other similar institutions implemented the use of ePortfolios (specific technologies, proven practices and other lessons learned)?
5. What functional requirements do the needs dictate?
6. What would it take to successfully implement the use of ePortfolios at SOU?