Professional Development Day, January 2020
My current role encompasses that of a supervisor and a program developer, so I have tried to balance my professional development to improve in as many areas as possible. I have read some interesting studies on motivating students to use their ePortfolios (see my earlier “Reflection…” post) and “Developing Self-Directed Learners Through an ePortfolio Peer Consultant Program” by Joanne Britland. Most notable to me in this article is the role of the ePortfolio Peer Consultants (ePPCs), who were providing technical support but also mentoring for students and faculty in ePortfolio use. The model is similar to our Writing Fellows program where consultants are matched to a specific class to provide writing support, and they also participate in a weekly meeting to discuss pedagogy. The student ownership of the University of Virginia program is most notable as ePPCs coordinated a “FolioFest” where students viewed each other’s ePortfolios and got inspiration for developing their own ePortfolio. As we continue to develop our ePortfolio program at UNE, a similar model may round out our offerings at SASC.
My professional development reading helped to inspire the creation of UNE’s Multimodal Literacy Badge as a path to encourage students to develop their ePortfolio through project creation and reflection. One key element is student autonomy to reinvent and reimagine a project into a different digital form. A primary goal for our program should be the element of student ownership of their ePortfolio.
As I anticipate my professional development in 2020, I am most looking forward to leading a faculty learning community (FLC) about high-impact ePortfolio practices. I have enjoyed locating potential resources, including some chapters from Catalyst in Action, edited by Bret Eynon and Laura Gambino. I look forward to my new role as Teaching Scholar, and I expect that my experience will continue to build my ePortfolio knowledge.
