Beyond a Resume, Part Two: ePortfolios in Higher Ed
This is part two of our episode featuring Dr. Lynn Meade, teaching assistant professor in the University of Arkansas' Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. In this episode, Camie and Alex speak with Dr. Meade about the drawbacks, implementation, and experience of ePortfolios as a high-impact learning practice. Dr. Meade teaches a professional ePortfolio course at the U of A and has developed an open-education resource textbook for ePortfolios.
International Journal of ePortfolio from the Association of American Colleges and Universities
Transcript
Welcome to the pedagogy toolkit. This episode is part two of our conversation with Doctor Lynn Meade on the high impact practice of E portfolios in higher education. Thanks for being with us. Here we go.
::Yeah. And now that we were talking about what holds students and instructors back from your portfolios, I think you had another.
::Idea there.
::Absolutely. I was brainstorming with one of my colleagues, Toby Phoebus, and we were thinking about what is it that with with all of these great things happening, why would someone not want to?
::And of course we hit the thesaurus and we looked up Neophobia Neo phobia new fears we are afraid of things that are new. Some of us think about Technophobia we're just afraid that we're not going to do the technology.
::In the communication field, oftentimes we talk about like uncertainty reduction. We're afraid of things that we don't know or don't understand or that are out of our comfort zone. And I think as a teacher, sometimes I have this fear of losing control. I know what works in my classroom and I know what I can teach them and assess and I.
::Know how to get that?
::And at First E portfolio was new and I didn't know how to manage this to control all aspects of this. When I gave students this cream.
::The brain. And so I.
::Think all of those are fears.
::That teachers have and and students have, and why they might not want to try it. And so as we were thinking about this, I thought let's come up with a new fear.
::And that is my students tell me. FOMO is a thing. Fear of missing out. And I think E portfolio is the thing I think it is the the old thing that is being revived. I think it is the new thing. I think it is the wave of the fun.
::Sure. I think we are seeing an increase in it in employers wanting it and in higher Ed wanting to see these large assessment pieces. And I think that our biggest fear should be that we're going to miss out. And if we as teachers do not adopt it, that our students have a potential to miss out.
::Our programs have a potential to miss.
::We do not want them to miss out on being career ready, on being able to show what they know, being able to reflect on their learning, which is why you need to start working on yours.
::I don't want to have FOMO.
::No, no, not at all.
::Were there any other concerns or things that might hold instructors back or students back?
::Even someone that maybe you've heard from instructors here? No.
::Like why they wouldn't maybe want to implement any portfolio at this time at least or maybe not. Yeah, I'm just curious.
::I think the main thing I hear from instructors who think it's a good idea but are a little hesitant.
::Is they're worried about, I don't know.
::That I can.
::Teach the tech or I don't feel like I know the tech, or I'm not confident enough in the tech myself, and I'm not sure I want to invest the time to learn it, which was why we made the.
::OK.
::Videos and we had the website and we have the templates and so an instructor.
::I feel still should spend a little bit of time, which is why I built my own website right away. I built my own E portfolio because First off I was curious, but second off it helps me and 3rd off it helps me to help my students in some really creative ways and so.
::There is an investment, a little bit of time, but as instructors, that's true of any assignment we built. If I create a writing assignment, I'm going to have to research sources and I'm going to have to research the best way to write it, and I'm going to have to create a rubric. This is no different. There is a time investment in creating any kind of good assessment.
::The students use and that is true here.
::Yeah, the C1 do one teach one applies very directly to portfolios just as any other.
::When you said.
::Assessment. Yeah. So I do want to mention here the use of E portfolios in courses is actually one of the high impact practices at our university. We call them hips. But I'm curious.
::From your perspective, Doctor Meade.
::Why is E portfolios included as a high impact practice at our university?
::First off, I do want to mention that yes, the Association of American Colleges and Universities has done extensive research and has found that there are certain things that as a university we can do that help students have significant and meaningful outcomes beyond college. And that's the hips that you just referenced.
::And so when E portfolios was included in hips, it was done so for several reasons. One, it is a great way to document learning. It shows what you know. But on the higher level, it's that reflective portion that we've talked about.
::Now there's an education term, metacognition, which is thinking about our thinking and the more that we think about our thinking and thinking about why we do the way the things we do and the intention behind it, the more that we move to deeper level learning and what we know with portfolios is it leads to deeper learning.
::Which also translates to longer term learning.
::So if I have done the assignment and then I have had to write about why it was meaningful and then I talk about why it can impact my future. And then in some way my teacher has assessed it or I show it to my parents or I have professionals look at it. Then I'm thinking about it again and then I have this document that maybe.
::In some way I will look back on then the learning just keeps growing and it it's sticky, it's sticky learning. The other thing is it's powerful for connections and I think sometimes what happens is.
::Don't realize what does this assignment have to do with this assignment and how does this in some way relate to an objective and why do I care about objectives? Or how does what I learn in history in some way relate to what I've learned in science class and so depending on the type of portfolio, the connection of course is.
::Going to be.
::Different, but it helps to make those meaningful connections, which again we know leads to deeper level of learning.
::In the case of the portfolio that I present and even the one Alex referenced.
::That he did a program portfolio, I think it helps students to think like professionals. So rather than just, I'm just doing an assignment. So I get my grade. It's like how can this help me and think about my future. And when I talk to my students in the portfolio class.
::And the significant learning points that was one of.
::Them for them. They were like ohh.
::And I'm dealing with sophomore and junior, so I'm like, I never really thought about having to work to be a professional or that, you know, I knew I was going to graduate and there was something on the other end, but I hadn't really thought that direction, and I hadn't really thought about what all of these things I'm doing means for that. And so really helping them to make that cognitive.
::Growth and professional growth, it's really big.
::Depending on the type of portfolio, it can showcase career readiness. So we look at how students are developing leadership, communication, understanding of diversity, different sorts of things to help them to be career ready.
::I have my students.
::Watch a video.
::And and in the video they reference personal branding and I think it was. He asked an interesting question. He says, what is your personal brand?
::And he said, I bet some of you are thinking I don't have a personal brand. And he says, well, that's your brand.
::Because if you tell somebody your name, they may go and search you on the Internet and whatever they find.
::Whether it's your Instagram or whether it's your Pinterest, that's your personal brand for them. And I think a portfolio of all sorts, all three types can become part of that personal brand. And I think it lets students become intentional.
::With developing that brand and then finally, we've already referenced networking. I have the opportunity to share what I've learned with.
::Those outside of the class.
::In lots of different ways, whether it be the stakeholders, my family, whether it they potential employers and a lot of my students, they would send their portfolio to their families because they were proud of it. And then their families were proud of them. So they would send it to their professional network. And then they're already saying.
::Oh, so and so is interested in talking to you once you graduate. And that connection happened because of the networking from portfolios.
::So first I think we're going to be using the term sticky learning again.
::I I really like sticky learning.
::I did too.
::But yeah, so they're getting longer retention of what they've learned and also able to make connections to their lives and what they actually going to do with that learning, yes.
::Absolutely. Yeah. And that applicability?
::Reflecting on the assessment and how it relates to that long term opportunity, I think it's also it's a good vantage point too for the instructor to look back on that too. Is there looking what pieces would I encourage students to put in that portfolio, it helps the instructor even continue to refine their courses and say, do my assessments really match the long term.
::Outcomes that I that I want my students to have that wouldn't do. I have things that I want them to include portfolios and why or why not. So what you can kind of reflect and ask that question as an instructor as well which is is incredibly valuable. So it has this.
::Dual benefit, it's not just for the students, it's for the instructor to continue to to reflect on their own work. Do you? One other question I wanted to to ask here because you work with a lot like you said, with sophomores and juniors most of the time. Who are the on campus students here, global campus. We're working with a slightly different demographic although.
::From my program I was in that demographic. I was a late 20s, early 30s, something completing my online Masters degree and I got to implement a new portfolio through the program assessment. Would you anticipate any significant differences?
::Or things that would need to be kept in mind for a student who's working with this on instructor who's working with new portfolio in that asynchronous online environment versus getting to to deploy them or teach them face to face or do that the.
::Different way to ask that no, I just want to add.
::On to this question.
::And that is because we see a different population in our asynchronous online courses like Alex was talking about. They're usually kind of our older students who are parents already, you know, working parents sometimes and maybe professionals already so.
::Right.
::So yeah, that's.
::I mean, that's usually kind of, I mean, not always, but a lot of times that's our big difference between asynchronous and in person students.
::Couple of thoughts.
::I think overall teaching and incorporating E portfolios into a class is going to be the same for the the asynchronous as it is for the on campus because the principles are the same, the benefits are the same. The general writing of the assignments are the same.
::I think.
::Again, the videos are already in place, but I think if a if an instructor wanted to adopt and use those, they still need to make some of their own videos in their own voice, because I think that's going to give confidence in their students even if they're like we're going to create this portfolio. This is how we're going to do it. Here's a link to the.
::Help you with these sorts of things, but I do think that that would be an important part that they don't just embrace and use everything that already exists, because I think students need.
::That I think when you're looking at the second question, which was how do you sell that to someone who may already be a career professional?
::One of the benefits maybe to them, I think.
::Again, if we look at the heart of an E portfolio is the portfolio and at the heart of portfolios, reflection, the ability to reflect on learning is going to be the most important. And I don't think that that is age or life area specific and the ability to think about why does this have meaning? I have taught several of the online classes.
::And I find that some.
::Of my working adults tend to be some of.
::The most reflective.
::Because they have opportunities to know what this means and why this means. And I think that they they have some.
::That hindsight as well as you know, the foresight to know how can this help me in the future and I think their ability to help that relate. And I think if you are in a career field and you are documenting the things that you learn in college and you're documenting how that relates to your career field, it seems like it would be nice to put into like.
::Ohh here I want to get promoted here. Look at the progress that I have made and that would help with that natural progression.
::As well, and also sometimes our working adults are wanting to have a career change. In other words, I am working in this field that I'd really like to do something else, which is why I'm going back to school and then it would help them to have the documents they need to supplement a resume that may be heavy in one area but not in the area that they're wanting to move towards.
::Yeah. Yeah, so.
::I'm going to throw a little curveball, Alex, and put you on the spot. I would like to say that normally I wouldn't do this, but that's that's not quite true since you've used that portfolio in a program as a student.
::What was that like for you and what do you think the benefits or maybe obstacles that you found were and?
::How did you use it?
::Yeah, that's a good question.
::More questions just sorry.
::I think I've been able to do some.
::Key term reflection over the last few years after completing it because again I was first really introduced to the concept at the end of my my E tech program and I didn't have the language at the time to understand this was a program assessment portfolio.
::And it was marketed a little.
::Bit from the instructor level as a professional portfolio, but I think in some ways it it was blending the two. It was definitely a program assessment in a way to.
::Provide at the end of the core or the the program to demonstrate How I Met these learning outcomes and.
::Forced me to sit back and think about what were the key elements of this program that I both enjoyed the most and also saw the most benefit from. It helped me see the strategic planning wasn't my my strong suit. It was the the visual literacy, it was the.
::Development of of learning outcomes and objectives and that helped me kind of hone in what I was hoping to do more with educational technology coming out of the program. I saw my aptitude and desire and how it linked to my previous background in.
::Secondary education with my undergrad to want to target my my goals into instructional design and into if possible, the higher education sector.
::So it did help.
::Me. Think about, you know, I wasn't necessarily wanting to go at least in the initial phase of my venturing into this new potential career field into that corporate side of things. If if that opened up, I was fine with that. But it it, it helped me kind of reflect on, OK, what do I want to do with this? And then I completed the the.
::E portfolio for the program assessment.
::UM outcome.
::And then I did have to take some time as I was getting ready to enter into the job application to think, OK, depending on what job I was applying for. The portfolio did evolve. I substituted out certain.
::Artifacts for other artifacts and it it very much I I realized as I've gotten into and I I still update it about every three to six months. I kind of reflect on what have I done quarterly or what have I done so far this year and how can I answer maybe and I've I've swapped out artifacts continuously as it's become more of that professional portfolio.
::I just want to continue to reflect on what am I, what skills am I continuing to develop as a professional in this field that I want to be able to showcase? Should I have the need to showcase it and so it continually has that.
::Opportunity to be a a space of self reflection as a professional, continuing to grow in my field and continuing to want to develop and.
::So and it's there if you.
::Again, can our manager, I I love my job. I love what I'm doing here. I'm not looking for.
::Something else?
::But you know should should the situation ever arise where I I need to use that for job applications in our field? I think it does become something that's much more applicable. It's there and ready to go.
::Well, I was thinking even 4 hour yearly or annual evaluation that's really great evidence that could be easily linked on our self evaluation forms.
::Sure, sure.
::Yeah. Yeah, because I keep tracking and this is how many new developments I've done this is.
::How many revisions I've done? This is how many ultra conversions I've done? I I try and keep a running total in.
::The portfolio was going to ask was it?
::Polio and.
::A running total? Or is it per turn?
::It's well, it's.
::At the end of those three to six months, kind of, I go back and say, OK, I did these many courses. I'm gonna update that number from 12 to 16 now or or whatever it might be. And so it it does have that not even just professional from a job hunt standpoint, but professional from a how am I growing as a professional in the development side to to really benefit. And so that's that's become more of what it is.
::Currently, again it might become something that helps me in the in the market down the road if that's necessary, but it it, it has multiple benefits.
::And I think one of the benefits of it being the electronic part is that you can turn parts on and off. And I do that with mine, depending on who's looking. I might say this is not important to them and I'll just turn that page off when I send it out to these folks. And then I might turn it.
::Back on later for another.
::Audience. Absolutely. Yeah. It's. And it's it's a fun creative outlet too, because I it it, it's my space that I get to determine. I use Wix for mine again. It's it the the platform doesn't really matter. Whatever you're comfortable with, whatever you can develop with. And so for my personal profile, it's fun to get in there sometimes. Say I want to change my color.
::You know, and that's you're talking about brand. It's like this is what I want to showcase to others.
::This this is the font style I want. This is the color scheme I want. This is the photo I want.
::Seen yours, you probably have, because I think we talked when we're creating our BIOS for the podcast. Yeah. Ohh, now that you were talking about your workspace, I'm like.
::And I think I have my students attach it to their signatures. Yes, and I'm amazed at how many people will look at mine.
::And they'll, they'll comment. They'll be like, oh, I was looking at your portfolio and this and this and this and how it has opportunity for contacts that I didn't go looking for sure.
::Speaking of it from a from a networking standpoint too, I actually when I started working here about a year ago for my business card and this also worked when we were doing the portfolio or the the hips presentation over the summer to to faculty and staff on campus. I have it as a QR code on the back of my.
::Business card so.
::Anyone who I'm networking with and connect with. Oh hey, here's my card.
::On the back of you scan that QR code. It's going to take to My Portfolio, which will show some of what I do.
::And I used.
::It during our our hips.
::Go and tell to give people an example and but it also has that dual benefit and also you get to learn a little bit more about me and as a professional and there's a connection point there. You know me beyond.
::Just a name. Here's something else. So.
::And again with my students, I have them put it on their signature. If they have business cards, they put it on their cards and they put it on their LinkedIn. So again, you've got this huge networking potential.
::For sure.
::Yeah, all kinds of cool Aqua.
::Benefits portfolio.
::You do have to work on this for sure. Yeah, absolutely. You can read.
::The book and.
::This is a fun fact I told you I put it on my signature. Well, I sent my parents an e-mail.
::And my dad got into My Portfolio and he and I get this call and he says your mom and I spent the whole day looking at your portfolio.
::We had no idea you've done all these things and so, you know, I've been in education more than 20 years and my parents are still proud of me and we talk about just that larger piece that gets to be part of who you are and what you know with these. And that's it's just a lot of.
::That's great.
::Fun that is so sweet.
::I do think the other thing I wanted to mention.
::That is the hot topic right now is artificial intelligence.
::Yes, we're talking about that quite a bit soon.
::And as teachers, we are sitting in a position where we're like, how can I create assessments that students can't cheat on? And I think that it's the wrong question. I think we need to be asking how can I help my students to be ready?
::For a world a workplace, a future that includes AI, and I think that we can teach our students to leverage AI as they build their portfolios.
::Yes, this is actually something we talked about in our first episode on AI and we kind of think of it as the new kind of redefining literacy, if you will. This is a new kind of literacy.
::Ohh like that, that's good.
::And so I think that we can help them to learn to use the tool and to leverage the tool. But at the same time, because they have to be writing about experiences that are unique to them.
::Them they can't just AI those assessments. So we are helping them be prepared, but we're also creating meaningful assessments where I don't have to spend all of my time going. How can I?
::Catch them.
::Yeah, that's a key function of.
::If they're cheating.
::Not AI proofing, but creating assessments that only use AI as a supplement rather than the the main focus of it, because the reflection is the key piece there. I am working on a course right now where the instructor has the students do a lot of journal reflecting through videos that she has the students watch.
::And not just answer the quiz questions after, but actually like what are your thoughts on this and how does this impact you and and?
::I always try, I say always. I sometimes try to run certain prompts and assessments that instructors create through ChatGPT or another AI to see what it gives and I'll send that to the instructor to say hey, just so this is on your radar. These are the kinds of responses that AI is going to generate from your.
::Or prompt so that you can be aware of it. One to know does it actually meet the prompt? And two does. If a student starts to utilize it, are you going to see certain similarities? But one of the key things I've noticed in this particular course that I'm assisting with is the way she designs her prompts. If you run it through an AI, the first thing AI says is.
::As an AI software model, I do not have personal experiences and therefore cannot fully meet this prompt, and so it it even kind of leverages that. So the reflection piece is that very human and unique.
::Synthesis of of ideas and synthesis of experience. That AI isn't going to be able to fully replicate, so it might give students a little bit of a of a leg up it. It will provide some of the, but it does it from that.
::Cold, like robotic, reflective piece. It's not thinking of the the human experience. It's thinking of just the logical this is the answer to your question, but it's not providing that actual experiential component and so.
::So I think that's again you want to see how does AI actually function and helping maybe the east side developing My Portfolio, making it function in a in a particular way, but I need to provide the the flair and the the humanity of the the reflection of it and I can't replicate that.
::Well, and I think that's kind of the question that people are struggling with and the fear.
::People have is where do humans fit into this world? And especially in terms of career and work with AI in the next and and that's the piece. That's the piece that I cannot give. What can humans give that AI cannot? At least at this point?
::That's if you explained it the other.
::That's what makes.
::Sharing your portfolios so helpful because an employer is going to have a resume which are kind of boring, they're useful, but they, you know, are are are not that great at describing what you know and then you're having a cover letter, which these days are written more and more with artificial intelligence. And so they know that. And we know that.
::Well, again, this is not a very good piece of who I am. And so if I'm including My Portfolio in that there's a level of personalization, yeah, that I think that we all hope.
::Sticks around, right? And that we can leverage it again to help I I I for 1:00 AM grateful. I don't spend so much time correcting my students grammar. Right? So we are grateful that this exists.
::I I do.
::Think that personalization will be more of a commodity?
::Because that lack of connectedness has been such a big deal.
::Now, but also I mean if it's been coming on for a long time, you know the pandemic kind of accelerated the lack of connectedness, but.
::When you actually meet with someone in the business world and you're able to get that personalization, you're able to find some connectedness with them.
::It's such a big impact now because it's not something you experience.
::All the time.
::I think students are hungry to do work that's meaningful, and I think departments are looking for faculty who are willing to create assessments that provide proof of impact. And I think teachers are eager.
::To create assessments that are going to create opportunities for long term learning for our students. And I think E portfolios works for all of those groups and really we are committed at the university to learning.
::And at the heart of good learning is reflection.
::At the heart of good learning is creating meaningful things that gives students an opportunity to learn and to reflect and to share what they know in meaningful ways.
::Which is why I am so supportive of something that helps them to show what they know.
::Well, thank you so much for joining us today. Doctor Mead. It was great having you. For those listening. Don't forget to check out our show notes where we'll have lots of great resources referenced throughout the episode, including the OCR textbook. Thank you so much for joining us on the pedagogy toolkit. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button. We'll catch you next time. Thanks.
