{"id":20505,"date":"2017-11-20T10:16:56","date_gmt":"2017-11-20T15:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/edc\/?p=20505"},"modified":"2021-08-13T10:10:03","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T14:10:03","slug":"eportfolios-helping-esla-students-learn-process-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/tls\/2017\/eportfolios-helping-esla-students-learn-process-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"ePortfolios helping ESLA students learn the process of learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emily Cook, TLS Staff Writer<\/em><\/p>\n

In English as a Second Language for Academic Purposes<\/em>, students now have the ability to better understand the process of learning itself, thanks to Carleton\u2019s electronic portfolio system, cuPortfolio.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s research project.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Students] were so tired of doing the same type of research project over and over again for every professor that they\u2019ve ever had,\u201d McCarroll says.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cePortfolios 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\u2019re going to get a better grade,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

McCarroll and Hartwick say the rubric continues to evolve each year, and does take time to learn to assess.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s work for sure, but assessing anything new, any new pedagogy is going to be work,\u201d Hartwick says.<\/p>\n

Students do a few reflections each term, and Hartwick says that while finding the right prompt is challenging, the results are rewarding.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Reflection is] really important for learning, not only in terms of being a student, but also in their future careers and whatever they\u2019re doing,\u201d says McCarroll.<\/p>\n

For instructors planning to use cuPortfolio, Hartwick says the EDC is an invaluable resource, but McCarroll adds that if you don\u2019t articulate to students why you\u2019re using the tool, they won\u2019t buy in.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t just put ePortfolios into your classroom pedagogy or your lesson plan because you think it\u2019s the cool, new hip thing to do,\u201d McCarroll says. \u201cMake sure that that the technology has a valid place in what you\u2019ve chosen to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

To find out more about Hartwick and McCarroll\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n