This is a space for you to document your ePortfolio Grant experience, from the initial proposal to your final report at the end of your semester integration.
Reflecting campus priorities to support equitable access to engaged learning for all IU Indianapolis students, the Institute for Engaged Learning (IEL) will focus the 2025-2026 academic year funding to support ePortfolio integration at the course level. The goal is to increase, improve, and sustain ePortfolios as part of the curricular structure assignments and activities in a course or series of courses. Given this priority, we seek new and veteran faculty dedicated to implementing ePortfolios in new ways or deepening/transforming their ePortfolio-engaged initiatives in credit-bearing experiences. For applications that meet these criteria, the IEL will offer support through additional funding streams, summer/faculty development session, communities of practice [CoP], and online resources.
This is my third time teaching this course and the first year I am incorporating a significant semester-based project where students will create their own ethnographic films on a subject they are passionate about. The course will begin with a theoretical and historical overview of the genre of ethnographic film. Students will then identify a real-world issue, context or community they are interested in exploring from a visual ethnographic perspective. We will then learn about research methods in visual anthropology and students will embark on their own fieldwork journeys collecting data. I envision several workshops in the later half of the semester for students to learn how to create compelling stories and narratives with their visual and ethnographic data. At the end of the semester we will have a film screening to showcase each of the student films. The course aligns with PBL high-impact practices that allow students to explore and identify real-world problems to critically engage and produce a meaningful project that they can share with their classmates and community. Because many students will also develop an e-portfolio in their senior capstone, I envision their ethnographic films to be showpieces that demonstrate their skills and unique perspectives.
This course is closely aligned with several of the NACE Career Readiness Competencies. Perhaps the strongest and most unique, particularly for a social science course, is Technology. In the production of ethnographic films, students will have the opportunity to learn new technologies and programs and utilize them to create visual portraits of ethnographic data. In the collection of their data, they will learn Communication skills and engage with a range of interlocutors. In crafting the narratives for their films, students will develop strong Critical Thinking skills. They will not only gather and analyze data, but make editorial decisions to create the most compelling and effective products. I have not yet decided if students will work in teams/groups, or on their own (would love to chat with colleagues about this!), but either way I hope to create a classroom community that supports creativity and Teamwork. My goal is to create a learning opportunity that will give students a complete and finished project that they can then showcase and discuss with future employers. The ultimate goal of the course is to give students the concrete skills to enhance Leadership and Professionalism.
Explain why you chose to integrate ePortfolios? What questions will they address? How will they connect to SLOs and The Profiles?
What expectations did you have going into this experience?
What did you wish to gain from this experience?
Explain what you will do during this experience. If you have a Co-PI, introduce/explain that role as well. *If you have a Co-PI, you can share these Google tabs--no need to create a duplicate.
Later, you can return to this area to comment on obstacles, opportunities, and outcomes--then link to your December Progress report and Final Report.
Explain what you learned/valued during this experience. [This is a short version of what you describe in depth in the December Progress Report and May Final Report, which can be added to this page as PDFs -or- copied/pasted as subtabs: this is your area to manage.]
What did you learn during this grant experience? What do you think your students learned? How did this influence your ideas of ePortfolios as a pedagogy? ePortfolios as a tool for reflection? Did you improve on any current skills you have?
What can you take with you from this experience? Is there anything you learned that can be applied to other areas of your academic or professional life?
If you would like, you can share artifacts below. These might be assignments, rubrics, samples, classroom photos, survey results, your own ePortfolio, and more.
Information across the full cohort, including every student that submitted after January 13th, start of semester.
Report disaggregated March 4th, 2026
CONGRATULATIONS on your completion of the ePortfolio Institute!
You played a valuable role in our faculty cohort; we served 130 students as part of the Spring of 2026 IEL ePortfolio Institute. Your contributions to the institute added an experiential component to student engagement, helped students become more technology-savvy, and expanded students' openness to new technologies.
Your successful integration of a High-Impact Practice into your course helps IU Indianapolis support students as they develop expertise in their chosen field/s and expand their career readiness skills. These are important steps in navigating IUI's Path to 2030 and Beyond.
VERIFICATION OF WORK COMPLETED
This correspondence serves as verification that you completed the "When Done Well" institute requirements which included:
AWARDED FUNDING: As a finalist/participant in the "When Done Well" ePortfolio Institute: You responded to a CPF [75% acceptance rate] and were awarded $1,500 in funding for integration of ePortfolios into your course
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: You participated in full-day workshop as part of your professional development in the "When Done Well" High-Impact Curricular Engagement Institute
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: You participated in the ePortfolio Community of Practice
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: You participated in the ePortfolio Faculty Learning Community
SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING [SOTL]: You supported opportunities for your students to participate in a multi-year, ePortfolio study of student perceptions of ePortfolio curriculum and the benefits of ePortfolio integration into the curriculum
INVITED PRESENTATION: As an invited presenter, you presented your ePortfolio work in an IUI, Institute for Engaged Learning, Community Of Practice: Zoom webinar
OPEN-SOURCE, COHORT PUBLICATION: You had the option to publish your work in an open-source ePortfolio pedagogy website which includes details of your ePortfolio integration experiences, samples of students' work, and reflection
Access to your COP Presentations
As part of the Institute, you presented your ePortfolios integration/optimization in your course for the previous semester. You can NOW access the entire presentation, featuring other faculty, on our shared Google Sites page.
ACCESS YOUR STUDENTS' SURVEY RESPONSES: ePORTFOLIO SURVEY RESULTS ARE IN
As part of your contributions, you were asked to have students respond to pre/post surveys of ePortfolio use in your course. Students reported benefits from ePortfolio integrations. You can access cohort survey responses and your disaggregated student responses on your ePortfolio participant page.
With Your Help the ePortfolio Showcase Topped 1,400 Student Entries
The IU Indianapolis is officially the largest open-source repository of public-facing, student ePortfolios. In May, the Showcase topped 1,400 entries and is itself an example of engaged learning in action. Thank you for encouraging your students to participate and helping us reach this milestone.
CONTINUING YOUR WORK with ePORTFOLIOS:
Collect Surveys + Require Student ePortfolio Showcase Participation
You are welcome to continue ePortfolio surveys of your students. Our team will add these to your ePortfolio Participant page each semester that students identify you as the faculty member. NOTE: The old survey links are closing as we pilot new HICE surveys. Please stay tuned for the new and improved survey links!
Please continue to encourage students to share their work in the Engaged Learning & ePortfolio Showcase. The best way to get students to participate is through a point-bearing Canvas Assignments. The Showcase as a "public display of disciplinary competency" shows that your class meets this Essential Element of a High-Impact Practice. Students benefit from creating work that targets audiences beyond the classroom and can use their Showcase entry as a way to expand their digital footprint and to take control of their professional persona.
The ePortfolio Team is here to support your continued work with ePortfolios.
As you continue your work with ePortfolios, our IEL team is here to meet with you, to build ePortfolio tools to support your work, to help with design of research/analysis tools, to explore dissemination options, and to connect you with grant opportunities. Please email anytime to talk about your ePortfolio work or to share success stories.
We invite you to work with The Institute for Engaged Learning as you pursue other high-impact curricular practices. Please watch your email for future HIP opportunities and contact eportfol@iu.edu with any questions.
Best Regards,
Caitlin Lowenthal
Grant recipients have been asked to...
Present at a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) or Community of Practice (COP) Zoom for the Grant
Share aspects of their work with peers [department chairs, program cohorts/faculty, department faculty meeting]
Response to a Call for Proposals (CFP) or Consider presenting or publishing locally, nationally, or internationally [optional]
Use the space below to highlight this.
May 8th, 2026 @ 11a.m.
Via Zoom
Colleagues in the Community of Practice
Day/Date
Location
Audience
Day/Date
Location
Audience