G T F Fall Report
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The GTF position for ePortfolio at the University of Oregon became active in the second week of Fall 2005. The first few weeks were spent getting up to speed on ePortfolios and familiarizing herself with relevant classes. She helped many students with technical issues on their websites and organizing their online content. The GTF worked closely with Lori Hager and the ePortfolio team to develop the ePortfolio website and standards system. By the end of the term, research had been compiled on rubrics and an overview of standards had been started. Student and tutor feedback was collected and analyzed. Meetings were also held to explore collaborations between ePortfolio and other programs.
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G T F Fall Report
- 1. ePortfolio Department of Arts & Administration School of Architecture & Allied Arts University of Oregon GTF Fall Report – 2005-6 Allison Bryan •The position of ePortfolio GTF became active in the second week of the Fall Term, 2005. This was a retroactive contract, so much of the first couple weeks of this position were spent researching ePortfolios and familiarizing myself with the concept of the ePortfolio. I went to both Lori Hager and Eric Schiff’s classes in order to introduce myself to the students and get a grasp on where they were coming from, and what type of work they were doing. Because Lori’s Internship Class had upcoming presentations, I became familiar with what they were trying to accomplish in order to provide sufficient help to the students. •The next couple of weeks I met frequently with the Internship II students by appointment only. Many of them had technical questions concerning their websites, such as links not working, etc. I spent much of the time helping the students to organize their files in a simplified manner, allowing them to better understand how their ePortfolio was working on the web. Students had questions about how they should organize their information and how much of it should be on-line. I tried to help students keep only content that pertained to their focus, as well as trying to keep it to a minimum since we were dealing with a time restraint for their presentations. Some students had simple questions regarding programs such as Microsoft Powerpoint and Photoshop. •Lori Hager and I met very often, sometimes several times a week in order to brainstorm about where this project was going, and what needed to be done to get it there. The ePortfolio team met weekly in order to recap the week. I touched base regularly with the ePortfolio tutors regarding any questions or concerns. •A large part of my efforts this term was spent working with Lori and Media Services learning wordpress, as well as trying to sort out the kinks in the website in order to get www.eportfolio.uoregon.edu where it needed to be in terms of content and visual aesthetic. It was very important that I gained administrative access to the ePortfolio server in order to achieve these goals. This took much more time than we had bargained for, thus, the website remained stagnant for a portion of the term. When I was finally given admin access to the server, I was able to update the necessary content, and add image links to the AAD students’ ePortfolios in time for their Internship Presentations. •A good deal of time was spent researching rubric systems for the ePortfolio standards system. Most of the research I was doing was on-line and through educational institutions. By the end of the term I had complied a packet of research
- 2. materials, and began developing a general overview of the ePortfolio standards. While creating this overview, I kept in mind the various departments within the AAA that ePortfolio could be working with, and how the standards would differ within each field of study. •On a regular basis, was compiling data from student evaluation sheets, as well as tutor evaluation sheets. When all of this data was compiled, I was able to make line graphs and charts recording all of the information. This was very helpful for the team in order to see what was working with the students, and what was not. (ie: lab hours, what programs they needed help with, etc.) •Lori Hager and I met a few times with Kassia Dellabough, the director of the PODS program within the AAA. (Office of Professional Outreach and Development for Students). During these meetings, we spoke about the potential of ePortfolio collaborating with PODS in order to teach a series of workshops on the ePortfolio process during the Winter Term of 2006. These workshops would be taught by Erin Walrath, Colin Williams (ePortfolio tutors), and myself. Observed Improvements: •As the team settled into more of a routine, things became more productive. Communication improved immensely; fewer emails were sent and when things needed to be discussed they were placed on the agenda for the weekly meeting. I think that it became clearer to everyone what their job responsibilities were, thus making it easier for everyone involved. •The first half of the term consisted of hurdles in the realm of communication among our team and those who were technologically linked to the project. It was very important that we learn how to successfully communicate with these parties in order to achieve progress within the ePortfolio website. After much correspondence, we were able to have successful meetings. I think for everyone involved, there is much more clarity regarding the website and what needs to be done in order for it to be properly maintained. What could we do better? •There is always room for improvement in communication when it comes to a group project that is growing at the rate in which ePortfolio is growing. This is in regards to the ePortfolio team in general, as well as with outside parties. Positive and successful communication will greatly benefit the ePortfolio project itself, as well as those involved in the project’s development.