Design ePortfolio-related Course Assignments

As an instructor, how can you incorporate ePortfolio into your course? There is a very practical approach. You can create an ePortfolio-related assignment (or a series of assignments) in your LMS (such as Canvas, Blackboard, Sakai, Moodle, Schoology, or CN), give detailed instructions to students, and ask them to submit their ePortfolio URL. You can view their ePortfolio and grade the assignment directly in your LMS.

In most cases, the ePortfolio assignment will fit into one of the first three scenarios. Case Three of creating a Showcase is the most common course assignment type. It can be paired with Case Four peer endorsement to enhance interaction and reflection. 

Assignment Template One: Design an assignment that asks students to build a basic ePortfolio

If your students are just introduced to CN ePortfolio, this assignment will get them ready to add more advanced content (see cases two through four) later on. 

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You are expected to create a comprehensive ePortfolio throughout your college years. In this assignment, you will be introduced to CN ePortfolio and populate the basic sections. This assignment will prepare you for future ePortfolio-building activities. 

Having an ePortfolio brings many benefits, such as:

• Gives you an opportunity to reflect on your learning experience,
• Capture your learning outcomes and growth in a more authentic way,
• Helps you network with others with the same academic interests,
• Documents your learning evidence and accomplishments, which you can use when applying for jobs.

Please watch this short CN ePortfolio tutorial video https://support.thecn.com/hc/en-us/articles/115006596567, and then populate the following content on your ePortfolio:

• Upload a professional profile picture
• Add a cover image that represents your major
• Add visual resume (at least 5 institution logos)
• Fill out About, including Bio, resume, and Basic Info
• Add at least 10 skills relevant to your major 
• Upload some work samples (such as writing samples, assignment files, PowerPoints you have created, etc.) and certificates to Documents
• Add at least 2 additional sections that may apply to you, such as Education (your high school and college), Courses, and Awards. 

After Nov30, review at least two classmates’ ePortfolio. Leave them recommendations and endorse their expertise. Please complete this peer review by Dec 5^.                                     

Submit the URL of your CN ePortfolio as a link to this assignment by Dec 7^.

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Assignment Template Two: Design an assignment that asks students to create a folder

Instructors who teach a specific subject/course may design an assignment to ask students to add course deliverables to a folder. This assignment can be due at the end of the semester after other deliverables are submitted. Its purpose is to help students collect learning evidence on their ePortfolio and prepare them for creating Showcases with the collected files or adding more artifacts into the folder from other courses. You may treat this assignment as a bonus assignment.

Here is an assignment example of this scenario:

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Please find the Documents section on your CN ePortfolio, create a folder to document the works you have done in this course. Here is how to create a folder: https://support.thecn.com/hc/en-us/articles/115006985727

Use the name of this course as the title of the folder. <The folder may also be titled for a competency, such as "Inquiry and Analysis">.

Add this description to the folder: “This folder contains my course deliverables from SU19: Informatics Foundations.” <if the folder is titled based on competency, the description could be "This folder contains artifacts that demonstrate my inquiry and data analysis skills">. 

Select a visibility setting for the folder. If you do not want to share the folder with others, set up a password. Please note: the folder’s visibility setting will override the visibility setting of the files in it.

Please add the following four deliverables to the folder:

• Informatics History Timeline
• Java Programming Exercise
• Describe an Algorithm
• System Analysis Paper

Please clearly name each file. The file description needs to be detailed, including the following information: 1. What the file is, 2. Why and/or how you created the file. Don’t forget to add demonstrated skills and knowledge, such as Informatics, Java, Computing Algorithms, Critical Thinking, etc.

Please submit the URL of your folder and its password (if there is one) to this assignment by Dec 7.

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Assignment Template Three: Design an assignment that asks students to create a Showcase

Courses and programs that have a major project may ask students to document and reflect on their experience through a Showcase on their CN ePortfolio. If there isn't a major project, you can also ask your students to reflect on their overall learning experience and upload key artifacts. Instead of submitting these contents as a regular assignment, a Showcase on ePortfolio enables students to look at and comment on each other’s work and have life-long access to their contents. They could also present the Showcase to potential employers and other audiences.

Below is a template for a Showcase-based assignment with a potential assessment rubric. Please review and tailor the yellow highlighted parts. 

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Purpose: 

This assignment will give you an opportunity to reflect on your learning experience and outcomes in this <course/project/program>. You will follow the instructions below to document your reflection and artifacts on your CN ePortfolio.This assignment is intended to help you deepen your understanding, connect what you learn in this <course/project/program> with your personal growth and your future career, and prepare you for future job interviews. 

Instructions:

STEP1: Create a Showcase on your CN ePortfolio:

• Access your CN ePortfolio.
• If you have not built a basic ePortfolio before, follow this tutorial to populate some basic content on your ePortfolio, such as profile picture, cover image, headline, Bio, and basic information. 
• Create a Showcase on your CN ePortfolio with this title <eneter your suggested Showcase title here>. If this Showcase has already been created by you or the university, directly access it. Add an image to the Showcase summary card that represents the topic of your Showcase, and add one sentence that clearly introduces the Showcase to viewers. Not sure how to create a Showcase?  You can follow these instructions to add Showcases to your CN ePortfolio
• In the detailed showcase section, describe and reflect on your learning experience and outcomes: write 2-3 Paragraphs in detail about:
  • what you have done and learned in this <course/project/program>,
  • which assignments/activities/experiences have helped you learn the most, describe each experience and explain why it has been meaningful to you,
  • what challenges have you overcome,
  • how you would do it differently if you ever participate in this <course/project/program> again
  • how the learning experience and outcomes connect to <course/program/institution competencies and values>
  • How this <course/project/program> has prepared you for your future career 
• Add artifacts: attach or embed (you need to switch to HTML editor to embed content within the text) learning artifacts, such as assignment files, project reports, journals, research papers, and artworks, which represent your learning outcomes. You may also provide direct links to your online content, such as a website, GitHub project, etc. To make your Showcase more convincing and appealing, embed visuals such as videos, photos, charts, and screenshots of the key parts of your work. 
• Add skills and competencies you have demonstrated through the <course/project/program> at the bottom of the Showcase. Remember to use the ones recommended by your major and the institution's core competencies and values>.

Here is a Showcase example for you to view: <insert Showcase URL here> and describe what aspects of the example you would like your students to pay attention to. 

STEP2: Submission: 

Copy the URL (web address) of your Showcase from the top-right corner of the detailed Showcase section, and paste it into the submission box. If you have password protected your Showcase or the entire ePortfolio, remember to share the password with me. 

Assessment Rubric:

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Assignment Template Four: Review and Endorse Peer's Showcases

Asking students to review each other's ePortfolios gives them an opportunity to learn from their peers. It also adds another layer of reflection on their own work and strengthens social connections among class members. 

Below is a Showcase endorsement assignment template. Please review and tailor the yellow highlighted parts. 

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Purpose:

You may wonder what your peers did in this course. This assignment will give you an opportunity to look at others' work and learn from them. You will review your classmates' Showcases created for this <course/project/program>. Endorse at least 3 peers’ Showcases and leave each of them an endorsement comment. 

Instructions:

1. Access your CN course Roster, which lists every course member. 

2. Click a peer’s name, picture, or ePortfolio URL to visit their ePortfolio.

3. Review the Showcase they created for this <course/project/program>. If you think they have done a great job, click the + endorse icon and leave them an endorsement comment.

Submission: 

Once you have endorsed at least 3 classmates' Showcases for this course, submit this Canvas assignment with the names of the classmates you have endorsed. 

Assessment guidelines:

You will earn 1 point for each endorsement and up to 3 points total. 

Note, remember to approve endorsement comments you have received:

If you have received an endorsement with a comment, you must approve it before it shows on your ePortfolio for others to view. 

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Additional resources: 

To look at a real ePortfolio assignment instruction example, please read this faculty experience-sharing article.

ePortfolio introduction and assignment template in Canvas Commons (you can copy and paste the content even if you do not use Canvas)

We hope you get some ideas from this article and realize that incorporating an ePortfolio activity in your class is very doable. Imagine if every instructor encourages and guides their students to add their course learning outcomes to their ePortfolio, course-by-course, by completing their academic program, every student will have an evidence-rich, full-fledged ePortfolio. Their ePortfolio will help them tremendously when applying for jobs, applying for the next level of education, and offering them other opportunities. We hope more instructors should incorporate social ePortfolio into their classes.

If you have any questions about this article, feel free to email us at help@thenc.com.