Overview of SPIF/ePortfolio Approach
The strengths of the SPIF/ePortfolio
approach—its flexibility in addressing multiple complex outcomes
as well as its capacity to assemble significant student data for
analysis—also presents some challenges for implementation. These
challenges include:
Student international learning results from multiple learning
experiences before and during college. One goal of international
learning outcomes assessment is to better understand how specific
learning experiences offered by the institution contribute to this
learning. The SPIF/ePortfolio approach, developed through the ACE/FIPSE
project, seeks to address this goal by collecting relevant
information about students and comparing it with an assessment of
student work. The approach involves student completion of an ePortfolio
focused on international learning and the Student Portfolio and
Information Form (SPIF).
The SPIF/ePortfolio approach does not seek to provide information to
enable institutions to compare the effectiveness of their programs with
that of other institutions. Rather, this approach emphasizes maximizing
the usefulness of information collected about a specific institution's
programs and courses for purposes of improvement.
The ePortfolio is an electronic collection of student work developed
in the context of courses, programs, and educational experiences.
ePortfolios are evaluated by trained raters using a detailed rubric,
allowing the assessment team to review student work and to look at
either individual or aggregate student development over time.
When the ePortfolio is used in combination with a rubric and rating
process, it is a flexible, direct, and qualitative method of assessment
that provides a way to feature multiple examples of student work and
to consider the context of this work.
The SPIF asks questions about student demographics and international
learning experiences. The answers to SPIF questions can be compared,
once team ratings of ePortfolios have been completed, to the portfolio
ratings and analyzed to see what they say about the connections between
student experiences and the learning that results from them.
How can the SPIF/ePortfolio approach be applied?
The SPIF/ePortfolio approach was designed to be relevant for all
types of institutions and to be adapted by each institution to reflect
its distinct international learning outcomes and programs. The
SPIF/ePortfolio can be used in different ways, and can be used to:
- Demonstrate institutional effectiveness in graduating students that
are globally competent
- Evaluate the effectiveness of an entire program, such as a study
abroad program or an international studies degree program
- Evaluate the international learning students achieve in a series of
courses or a specific course
- Evaluate an individual student's performance over time
What can it help you understand about international learning?
The SPIF/ePortfolio method can help your institution to better
understand:
- Areas of strength or weakness in an individual student's achievement
of the specified learning outcomes.
- Areas of strength or weaknesses in a representative sample of
student's achievement of the specified learning outcomes
- Areas of strength or weaknesses of a particular curricular or
co-curricular program in terms of how it contributes to student
achievement of the specified learning outcomes
- Opportunities for developing assignments within international
learning experiences that more explicitly address the specified learning
outcomes
- Opportunities for integrating diverse international learning
experiences across the campus
Please direct questions about this page to:
jill_wisniewski@ace.nche.edu
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This page last updated on: 09/03/2008
| internationalization, fipse, assessment, learning outcomes, ePortfolio ace overview |
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