Using Electronic Portfolios to Prepare Undergraduates For Lifelong Careers Jodi Cataline - Clinical Associate Professor Dana D’Angelo – Clinical Professor Drexel University LeBow College of Business May 2013

Electronic Portfolios Electronic Portfolios are defined not as “a scrapbook of college course assignments and memorabilia…[but as] as organized documentation of growth and achievement that provides tangible evidence of the attainment and professional knowledge, skills and dispositions.” (Campbell 2000) “A portfolio typically includes evidence drawn from practice.” (Baume, D and Yorke, M. 2002) “Although the simple act of documenting personal or group work fills an important archival need, the full impact of e-portfolios is realized when the author(s) and others reflect on the content.” (Reese, M. and Levy, R. 2009) More than Repositories, they are used for Curriculum Integration, Career Preparation and Reflection on Learning.

Overview and Agenda LeBow’s Integration of E-Portfolios Approach to E-Portfolio Use Career Planning Capstone Course Research Advice and Discussion

LeBow’s Integration of E-Portfolios Mission and Strategic Plan Platform Options Curriculum Connection Resources and Support

Approach to E-Portfolio Use Across and Through the Curriculum General Education Foundations Core Capstone

Approach to E-Portfolio Use My LIFEfolio Named “My LeBow Integrated Focused Experience folio” Launched in 2006 Highlighted as one of the colleges “best practices” by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in the 2010 re-accreditation

Approach to E-Portfolio Use LeBow’s Course Specific Examples Business Foundations (1 st Year) –Financial Statement Case Study –Personal Ethics Statement –Business Plan Accounting Principles (1 st or 2 nd Year) –Financial Statement Case Study Business Law(2 nd Year) –Personal Ethics Organizational Behavior (3 rd Year) –Corporate Ethics Marketing (3 rd or 4 th Year) –Business Plan Career Planning Capstone(4 th or 5 th year) –Personal Pitch and Career E-Portfolio

Approach to E-Portfolio Use The Importance of Reflection To avoid the “learn and purge” mentality To be more than just document and file repositories –Curriculum Integration –Career Preparation –Reflection on Learning Image Source: John Zubizarreta Columbia College, SC USA

Think about your views of business in high school. Describe how these may have changed as a result of the classes you have taken this year? How can the skills and knowledge acquired in [fill in the course] apply to other areas of business? How did your problem solving abilities grow throughout the completion of these math assignments? What strengths of your writing will help you in your co-op positions? What do you still need to work on? What coursework were you able to use in your co-op employment? What do you still have to learn? Approach to E-Portfolio Use Reflection Examples

Career Planning Capstone Course The E-Portfolio Assignment Suggested Components Academics Document your major, concentration(s) and minor(s) Professional Background Reference any internship, part-time, full-time and volunteer positions Accomplishments Showcase awards, initiatives and successes Leadership Activities Highlight leadership positions within professional organizations, clubs, athletics and relevant extracurricular activities Differentiators Set yourself apart with unique experiences or skills (travel, language, hobbies, etc.) Career Goals and Plans State your post-graduation objectives (1-5 years)

Career Planning Capstone Course Example E-Portfolio Introduction The student in this example is a Marketing Major.

Career Planning Capstone Course Example E-Portfolio Work Experience

Career Planning Capstone Course Example Study Abroad and Travel

Career Planning Capstone Course Example Competencies and Skills

Career Planning Capstone Course Example Goals and Plans

Research Benefits Domains Learning Assessment Employment Visibility Ritxhaupt, Singh,Seferth and Derick, 2008 Stakeholders Student (Primary) Faculty Administration Employers

Research LeBow’s Question Does a student’s perception of learning increase with the use of electronic portfolios? Does a student’s perception of learning increase with the uses of both the electronic portfolios and reflective activity?

Research LeBow’s Methodology The Survey Perception of Knowledge  Balance Sheet  Income Statement  Retained Earnings  Liquidity  Profitability  Financial Statements  Dividends Confidence in Choice of Major Choice of Business as a Career Interviewing Skills The Control Groups 3 Sections of Accounting Principles Financial Statement Case Study Project  Section 1: Case Study Only (CS)  Section 2: Case Study and E-Portfolio (CSP)  Section 3: Case Study, E-Portfolio & Reflection (CSPR) The complete article can be read at ugust2012/2.pdf ugust2012/2.pdf

Research LeBow’s Results Highlighted

Advice and Discussion Stakeholder Feedback “I had taken an economics course in high school, but it was mainly conceptual. I had also taken three years of calculus. Not once did I see a connection between these two subjects. My experience in this calculus-based section of microeconomics has shown me otherwise. I would never have thought to pull up previous math assignments and to find a correlation between what he had done and what we were currently learning in economics.” From a student evaluation “Our students are always so busy that they just "do" but not stop to think "why". I have had many students say that the process of building and presenting the portfolio forced them to do something that they all put off - figuring out what to do with the rest of their lives and how they plan on getting there. ” “Many students discover when preparing their career presentations and reflecting on their past academic assignments, that they really have learned valuable things in their classes. Student use their academic projects as examples of skills and industry experience they have gained and leadership roles they have assumed.” From faculty teaching Career Planning Capstone

Advice and Discussion Emphasize Cross Disciplinary Use Reflection Have a Consistent Message for Students –Student perception is extremely important –“0% is better than 50%” Assume s Constant Work in Progress –Continue to Learn/Adapt/Improve –Keep It Manageable –Go Slow and Steady THANK YOU!