Document Type

Other

Publication Date

Spring 3-28-2020

Department

Teacher Education & Foundations

Abstract

ePortfolios, and portfolios in general, are typically used to collect student work across time to show evidence of learning and development, enabling students to reflect upon and demonstrate their unique understandings and mastery of concepts. However, besides being useful longitudinally, they can also prove valuable as summative assessment tools within quarter or semester long courses. As an alternative to traditional examinations that require students to conform their learning/memorization to information pre-selected by instructors, ePortfolios allow students to show what they have learned in highly individualized ways that are applied to their unique lives and social contexts. In the example presented here, ePortfolios are used as a summative assessment in a gender studies class meant to teach students gender-based conceptual lenses to interpret their lives and the world. The activity can be easily adapted to a number of different learning outcomes across a wide range of courses and disciplines. As a culminating project for the class, students create digital portfolios to assess their success in meeting four broad course objectives that student individually interpret. A portfolio gives students control over how their knowledge is presented, allows for creativity, and stretches them to find example of theoretical constructs in the world beyond the classroom.

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