THE ILLINOIS REGIONAL EPORTFOLIOPARTNERSHIP(IREP)Establishing Shared Pathways with Community Colleges through Electronic Portfoliios

PRESENTERS

Michael Day, Director, First-Year Composition, Northern Illinois University

Robert McCord, Chair of Assessment, McHenry Community College

Chris Parker, Associate Vice Provost for Assessment, Northern Illinois University

PROGRAM ABSTRACT

Universities routinely employ ePortfolios to increase student collegiate learning and satisfaction; yet few efforts have focused on establishing a set of shared institutional expectations for college readiness. Northern Illinois University is in the midst of designing such a longitudinal approach regarding the role of ePortfolios in the transfer and articulation process between K-12, community colleges, and universities in the northern Illinois area

. This approach focuses upon the alignment of the Common Core Standards and general education to serve as a “pathway” for college readiness that can catalyze student preparation for productive careers as well as institutional restructuring of advisement, assessment, and professional development that better supports the whole student.

BACKGROUND: EPORTFOLIOS AT NIU AND BEYOND NIU Quick Facts Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research

Cohort I Programmatic Eportfolio in First-Year Composition Strategic Planning: Longitudinal General Education

Eportfolio Progressive Learning in Undergraduate Studies (Gen Ed

Revision) Partnership Between FYComp, Gen Ed, and Assessment Concerns about Transfer of Gen Ed Courses Common Core Standards and PARCC Community College Visits Northern Illinois Eportfolio Symposium and IREP Meeting

IREP DESCRIPTION/PURPOSE

A partnership of Illinois higher education institutions focused on using eportfolios as a means of facilitating student success, articulating competencies among institutions, and sharing strategies for achieving organizational goals.

IREP OBJECTIVES

Share successes and develop a compelling case for the adoption of eportfolios within the IL higher education system

Share lessons learned in the implementation and use of eportfolios Explore ways in which eportfolios can be used to facilitate students’

transfer across institutions in the IL higher education system Demonstrate the use of eportfolios as a means of assessing college

and career readiness and as a way to complement / supplement the use of standardized tests

Explore ways that eportfolios can foster inter-institution articulation at all levels

Establish a nationally recognized model for the integrated use of eportfolios across the IL higher education system.

IREP NEXT STEPS

Establish IREP steering committee Refine IREP purpose, objectives, and implementation

strategies Define and establish a multi-institution eportfolio pilot

project Obtain letters of institutional support Apply for IBHE funding Apply to become a research cohort for a three-year

Inter/National Coalition for Eportfolio Research study on the role of eportfolio in community college – university articulation and transfer in the northern Illinois region

IREP MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL PILOT PROJECT

Focus on foundational competencies required for college and career readiness: Written and oral communication

Critical thinking and problem solving

Quantitative and qualitative literacy

Collaboration and teamwork

Consider limiting initial scope to a specific discipline where there is a high degree of student movement between IL institutions and an occupational demand

Common definitions of core competencies

Clear artifacts that demonstrate college and career readiness

Established assessment rubrics

Focus on articulation and movement of students between: High School

2 yr AAS programs

4 yr BS programs

Graduate Nurse Practitioner programs

Workforce

IREP GOALS

Demonstrate a viable alternative to standardized testing for assessing common core competencies by sharing and collaborating on a mindset of “folio thinking” that requires iterative reflection on learning and professional pathways

Clarify the issues (technical, procedural, and pedagogical) that need to be addressed in order to facilitate the transfer of student portfolios across institutions

Determine whether an eportfolio can help to better assess incoming students’ educational needs as they move across institutions

Show how an eportfolio could help students feel better prepared to transition to a new school or the marketplace

PILOT PROJECT EXAMPLES

We would appreciate your reactions to and comments on each!

First-Year Composition pilot, that would use eportfolio to help partner institutions coordinate their efforts to place, support, and assess students’ writing abilities to make transfer easier

Nursing pilot that would use eportfolio to help partner institutions place, support, and assess nursing students in more general competencies, including writing and critical thinking.

Your suggestions?

PILOT PROJECT PLAN

Identify participating institutions/programs Recruit student and faculty representatives from each

institution/level Develop or buy into existing project outcomes Agree on common definitions of relevant student SLOs Identify possible student artifacts that would illustrate

SLOs at each level/institution Determine the extent to which a common template or

format is needed or desired Identify and share assessment criteria to be used at each

institution or level

PARTNER INSTITUTION PERSPECTIVE Robert McCord, McHenry County College

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Summaries sent to September 12 Symposium participants Follow-up letters, but not until December Limited response to follow-up letters Limitations:

Time

Support

Opportunities: I/NCEPR

P-20

ISBE

Network of ENGL 600 Alumni

Sabbatical Leave Research

AUDIENCE BRAINSTORMING/PROBLEM SOLVING In general, what issues need to be addressed in order to

share eportfolios across institutions? What are the strengths and weaknesses of focusing on

the common core? What are the strengths and weaknesses of beginning

within a specific professional discipline? By what criteria should the success of a regional

partnership (in general) or pilot project (in particular) be judged?

What suggestions do you have for us as we move forward?