This is a working research document for the ufolio group in conjunction with INCEPR, Cohort V

1. July 28, 2008
The University of Oregon ePortfolio group is a multi-disciplinary coalition, which has been working together for
two years to share resources and knowledge in order to build recognition for eportfolios on campus. Within the
School of Architecture and Allied Arts (AAA) a prototype eportfolio was developed, which focuses on integrating
IT coursework with professional preparation curriculum through eportfolios as authentic assessment. At the
institutional level, the project is expanding in scope to integrate student learning assessment strategies, and the
utility of eportfolio as a measure for institutional accountability and student-centered learning outcomes.
Broad goals include:
• For students: encourage deeper, more reflective learning, more significant connections across
learning experiences, and professional career development.
• For faculty: encourage new, more appropriate formative assessment, approaches to teaching, and
evaluating learning.
• For administrators: support assessment goals and accreditation interests
Research Question: What eportfolio process/system best suits UO regarding student-centered assessments,
multi-disciplinary curriculum development, and career eportfolios? Related questions include: How might student
performance criteria be used to increase consistency in team-taught courses? How can eportfolios benefit
instructors and students? What community-building activities, online aides and face-to-face guidance provide the
most effective support? What core competencies can apply to all UO students, and how can they fully reflect
community values?
Research Methodology: We will use an Integrative Learning Design Framework (Bannan-Ritland, 2003) as the
over-arching framework for accomplishing an effective design and implementation of an ePortfolio system for
students and faculty, and to engage the campus community in an iterative process of inquiry, feedback,
prototype, and redesign. This framework will support the development and implementation of an ePortfolio
project at the University of Oregon, known as the “UOfolio”. The UOfolio Group will advance through four (4)
stages in a collaborative effort to provide informed, tangible solutions for the students, faculty, and other
stakeholders at the university:
1. Informed Exploration
2. Enactment
3. Evaluation: Local Impact
4. Evaluation: Broader Impact
We will:
• Engage Faculty and Staff to gain awareness, professional development and support
opportunities through various existing campus mechanisms.
• Collaboratively develop a UO ePortfolio Design Specifications document based on input
and feedback from students, faculty, administration, and other stakeholders.
• Continue the practice of an open, monthly face-to-face forum relative to specific
successes and challenges, of the ePortfolio at UO.
• Report results and gathering of feedback from relevant campus stakeholder groups,
programs, and administration.
• Distribute results through campus listserv, project website, publications and
presentations, and other formal and informal communication strategies.
Project Goals: Research and assess existing platforms for one that satisfies the need for a fully public
professional portfolio, linked to academic storage space where students house artifacts created throughout
academic career, and which can be accessed by faculty and academic advisors across units, and which is
flexible enough to include course gallery spaces for course-related collaborative projects, and for showcasing
best work. Each area includes standards and assessment components related to the academic area, allowing
students to integrate and demonstrate learning outcomes across courses and experiences.
EPortfolio Project Team: Lori Hager, Nancy Cheng, Ron Bramhall, Jonathon Richter, Andre Chinn