By Emily Cook, TLS Staff Writer
In English as a Second Language for Academic Purposes, students now have the ability to better understand the process of learning itself, thanks to Carleton’s electronic portfolio system, cuPortfolio.
Instructors in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies, Peggy Hartwick and Julie McCarroll (Lepine), began experimenting with cuPortfolio when the tool became available as part of a pilot project in 2014. They decided to use the new technology to replace the term’s research project.
“[Students] were so tired of doing the same type of research project over and over again for every professor that they’ve ever had,” McCarroll says.
Because of the way the tool is designed, McCarroll says it makes connections between different assignments more visible to students, allowing them to see how they are working towards a goal, which helps counter procrastination.
“ePortfolios have really helped show my students that research is actually a process. And if you treat it like a process, your vested interest is you’re going to get a better grade,” she says.
Hartwick says both she and McCarroll want students to know that they value their work, so they put a lot of emphasis on the cuPortfolio project, giving it an overall weight of 35-40 per cent.
However, McCarroll adds that the project is structured with a number of smaller assignments throughout the term, cumulating in a major paper and a presentation, worth 10 and 15 per cent respectively.
McCarroll and Hartwick say the rubric continues to evolve each year, and does take time to learn to assess.
“It’s work for sure, but assessing anything new, any new pedagogy is going to be work,” Hartwick says.
Students do a few reflections each term, and Hartwick says that while finding the right prompt is challenging, the results are rewarding.
“[Reflection is] really important for learning, not only in terms of being a student, but also in their future careers and whatever they’re doing,” says McCarroll.
For instructors planning to use cuPortfolio, Hartwick says the EDC is an invaluable resource, but McCarroll adds that if you don’t articulate to students why you’re using the tool, they won’t buy in.
“Don’t just put ePortfolios into your classroom pedagogy or your lesson plan because you think it’s the cool, new hip thing to do,” McCarroll says. “Make sure that that the technology has a valid place in what you’ve chosen to do.”
To find out more about Hartwick and McCarroll’s experience with cuPortfolio, watch their full interview below. You can also watch interviews with a variety of other instructors on the cuPortfolio instructor peer support site.
Below is a list of time codes related to the start of a new question in the video. You can jump to a new topic by moving the video time bar to the respective time codes.
1:26 – What value does using cuPortfolio add to your course?
4:16 – How much is the ePortfolio assignment worth in your course?
6:02 – How do you assess student ePortfolios?
8:44 – How do you use reflection in your ePortfolio assignments?
10:53 – What advice do you have for an instructor who is thinking about using cuPortfolio in their teaching?