Electronic Portfolios for Course Assessment

Assessment is a major focus on college campuses, as University administrators and accreditors seek evidence of achievement of desired educational outcomes. Professors can be a major component of the process, by self-assessing to determine whether each course they teach has achieved the objectives in its own syllabus. To satisfy accreditors, the assessment process must be outcomes-based, providing evidence that course objectives have been satisfied. Accreditors are not seeking evidence of what has been taught, but what students have actually learned. ePortfolios provide the means to link course objectives with evidentiary artifacts (assignments, test questions, multimedia projects, etc.) that demonstrate an objective has been met. The synthesis of this study was a new perspective on outcomes-based assessment of college courses through the collaborative process of course ePortfolio development by the instructors. The portfolio development led professors to deeper insights into the strengths and weaknesses of a course, and ultimately to more effective teaching of the course, by strengthening those areas where there was little or no evidence that an objective had been met.