The E-Portfolio Forum: Deepening High Impact Learning Sessions
January 29, 2011 - San Francisco, CA
View All Forum Sessions  |  About the E-Portfolio Forum  |  View the Keynote Presentations

Students ask, "Do e-Portfolios Have To Be "E"? Fundamental First Steps For Successful Learning Portfolios.

Presenters: John Zubizarreta, Professor of English, Director of Honors & Faculty Development, President, National Collegiate Honors Council, Diana Lynde, Student, DeAnna Rich, Student, Katie Rose, Student, Columbia College

Session Description: The power of reflection in enhancing learning is the heart of portfolio projects that engage students in deep learning. But do portfolios have to be electronic to achieve such transformative learning? Come listen to students join a professor in discussing first-step fundamental principles of successful learning portfolios which can lead later to more complex electronic versions. Do students think portfolios are meaningful, worthwhile, relevant, or essential? What do students say about the role of reflection in their learning and the intellectual and practical merits of portfolios in creating significant learning experiences?

View the multimedia presentation below in 15 minute increments:

Part 1

Part 2 

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Dowload the Presentation Files:
PPT:  Students Ask, "Do E-Portfolios Have To Be "E"?

More Information about the Honors Program at Columbia College: 

According to Dr. John Zubizarreta, Director of The CC Honors Program, "Honors is about risk. A student accepts great risk in pushing herself to the highest intellectual levels. Our responsibility is to encourage students' intellectual growth, provide them with valuable experiences, and challenge them to reach higher."

Read reflections from the student presenters: 

Diana Lynde:

Preparing to present on reflective learning in front of professors and administrators challenged me to dwell both on what I have learned as a student and how my experiences might be helpful to more than just students like myself. The actual presentation brought all of that metacognitive reflection into step with the input from the audience, who asked probing questions about just how such reflection enhanced my learning. I was struck by their willingness to engage in a discussion led by students, and just how great of a conversation resulted from their involvement. I left the session with the lingering impression that I had not so much presented information as participated in a process of learning, a process that happened on both sides of the microphone.

Katie Rose:

Presenting at AAC&U was an enlightening experience for me. As an undergraduate, I appreciated the opportunity to communicate with those involved in higher education about students' experiences and needs. Our interaction with participants in the session allowed for a free exchange of ideas in which we were able to connect the expectations of faculty and of students when it comes to reflective learning. Overall, I feel the experience was one that enriched my view of the learning process and encouraged my own aspiration to teach at the college level. 

DeAnna Rich:

Presenting at AAC&U was a nerve-wracking but extremely rewarding experience. Because I talked about my reflective learning projects, I deepened the learning of those endeavors because I had to metacognitively think about why I was thinking about those projects. I've never presented my thoughts to professors, deans, and other "higher-ups" in higher education, so it made me feel intelligent and valued when we filled the room in which we were presenting. I had to think on my feet when participants asked questions, as well as ponder the importance of the work I've done in a portfolio. Portfolio learning is just that: thinking about your thinking, learning about your learning. It is not enough to compile a binder full of all the work you did in a semester; in order to make a portfolio meaningful and help your portfolio stand out in a crowd of other learning projects, reflection is necessary. You won't get much out of a compilation; you will get tons out of a deep reflection.

Resources Archive