ePortfolios: How 3 Scholars Programs Used the Pandemic as an Opportunity to Encourage Technical, Communication, and Reflection Skills

Kelly Brower & Heather Bremenstuhl | Scholars

Abstract

ePortfolios are websites that allow students to curate a collection of their classwork, experiences, and reflections to highlight their learning and growth over time. They allow students to build technical skills in web-design, professional communication skills, an appreciation for the peer-review process, and demonstrate their capacity for critical and integrative thinking through written reflection. In summer 2020, supported by a UMD Teaching Innovation Grant, members of College Park Scholars developed an ePortfolio toolkit as an intervention for Fall colloquia. While developed for use by freshmen and sophomores throughout the 4 semester Scholars program, ePortfolios can easily be adapted for single semester courses.

Kelly Brower In this presentation, we will review the benefits of incorporating ePortfolios into the curriculum, and review examples of the ePortfolio project as implemented in the College Park Scholars Media, Self & Society, Public Leadership, and Arts programs over the past year. In addition to outlining the general structure of ePortfolio projects, we will review the success and challenges of these projects, and provide the audience with practical tips for implementing similar projects in their courses or programs. While originally developed as an innovative way to meet some of the challenges of online learning necessitated by the ongoing pandemic, we will demonstrate the power of ePortfolios to work both in online and in-person learning environments, as a pedagogical tool that challenge students to develop transferable skills and deepen their capacity for critical thinking.

Presentation