Institution Created Showcases and Assessment

Note: Institution-created Showcase and assessment are only available to licensed institutions. 

1. CN Channel admin creates a Showcase Channel members’ ePortfolios

In order to use ePortfolio to conduct assessments, institution admin needs to first create a new Showcase on Channel members’ ePortfolios. To do so, the institution admin needs to log into their CN Channel, go to the “ePortfolio Assessment” page, then under the “Institution Created Showcases” section, click the “Add New Showcase”.

Fill out the Showcase creation form. Only two fields are required: Showcase Title, which can be the competency or project that will be assessed; Default Visibility sets the original visibility of the Showcase. 

Hint:

• You can assign this Showcase to all ACTIVE members of your Channel, users with specific labels, or students from selected courses. You may assign user labels to add the Showcase only on ePortfolios of selected members, for instance, students who majored in Informatics. Please read user labels related articles for instructions.
• Users may change the default visibility setting when they edit their Showcase. Assessors can always view this Showcase regardless of its visibility setting.
• Institutions may choose to limit some functionality on the Showcase. You can disable endorsements on this Showcase, and you can also hide the Showcase for a chosen timeframe (in this case, only the Channel members can view this Showcase on their own ePortfolio). 
• You don't have to use the assessment features provided here (Assessors and Grade Scale). If your institution has an LMS (such as Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, etc), the assessment can be done using the LMS' assignment and grading functions: instructors create an assignment in the LMS; students complete the Showcase and submit the URL of the Showcase on the LMS assignment. Please read Design ePortfolio-related Course Assignments for instructions. However, if an assessor is added, a grade scale must be selected, and vice versa. Once a grade scale is selected, it will not be allowed to change. 
  • One or multiple assessors can be assigned to a Showcase. They do not have to be your Channel admins but must be a member of your Channel. 
  • Three types of Grade Scales are available at this time: Pass/Fail, Green/Yellow/Red Flag, and Points. You choose one to use for a Showcase. Only the Points grade scale supports assessment rubrics. 

Below is the original institution Showcase creation form:

Below is an example of a filled form. Please note that both the Completion Instructions and Assessment Guidelines can be more detailed. If a CN rubric is set up, the Assessment Guidelines could be: Please view the assessment rubric below.

When you choose to assess the Showcase in CN and select Points as the grade scale, you will have the option to add a rubric. Here you may import an existing rubric to use (you can still make changes) or create a new one. 

If you choose to create a new rubric, you must give it a name and define each criterion with rating scores and points. Editing the total points of each criterion will automatically distribute an appropriate amount of points in each scoring box. Once a rubric is set up, the assigned assessors will be prompted to grade using the rubric. Students will be able to view the rubric when creating their Showcase and view the assessment in the rubric as well.

2. Channel members (students) complete the Showcase 

After the predefined Showcase is created by a Channel admin, students will see this Showcase on their ePortfolio. By clicking the blue tab, they will be taken to the detailed Showcase section. 

Students follow complete instructions and assessment guidelines to complete their Showcase. 

If the Showcase has a rubric attached, it will be displayed for the student here as well. 

Here is a completed Showcase.

Note: Students may change the Showcase visibility setting based on their preference. However, regardless of the visibility setting, assessors can always view this Showcase on a Channel member’s ePortfolio. 

3. Assessor makes assessment

If a Channel member is delegated to assess a Showcase, they can access the assessment dashboard from the account settings gear icon, which is located in the upper right corner of full CN. Then, select ePortfolio Assessment. 

On the ePortfolio Assessment dashboard, select the name of the Showcase from the dropdown to begin the assessment.

Directly below the dropdown are the details of the Showcase, such as the creation date, guidelines, and a pie chart showing assessment details.

Below this graph is a table showing the users who have made edits to this Showcase. The assessor can view the date and time the user last edited their Showcase content and their latest assessment (if any). 

To begin assessing a user, click on the "View Showcase" link.

Clicking this link will directly take the assessor to the corresponding detailed Showcase section. After reviewing the section, click the “Add Assessment” link to make an assessment.

Below is the assessment form. Assessors can re-assess by either editing an existing assessment or giving a new assessment.

Note: when there are multiple assessments on a Showcase, CN records the result of the last assessment. 

If the Showcase has "Points" as its grade scale and has an associated rubric, it will be displayed here for the assessor to use. Assessors can click on the relevant scores to grade and can leave comments for the student as well.

4. Students view assessment results

Once their Showcase is assessed or has been re-assessed, students will receive a notification:

By clicking this notification, they will be directly taken to the corresponding Showcase on their ePortfolio. From the “View Assessment” link, they can see all the assessments they have received with the latest one on the top.

If the Showcase has an associated assessment rubric, it will be displayed here for the student to view their grade and comments.

Please note that all assessments are only visible to the ePortfolio owner and the assessor regardless of the visibility setting of the Showcase. 

If you have any questions about the institution-created Showcases and assessment, please contact help@thecn.com.