Posts Tagged: portfolios

Work in Progress, 6^th Ed., pp. 505-507

• Distinguishes between working portfolios and presentation portfolios.
• See separate handout.

The Call to Write, 3^rd Ed., Chapter 23

• Includes extensive samples.
• Explicitly discusses reflecting on peer commentary.
• Suggests strategies for representing collaborative writing in portfolios.

The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing, 4^th Ed., Chapter 25

• Presents portfolios as opportunities for reflection and self-evaluation.
• Provides extensive support for reflective writing, including analysis of rhetorical strategies.
• Suggests that portfolios should represent a variety of the writer’s abilities, should respond to course goals, and should reflect the writer’s personal investment in the individual pieces and the larger portfolio.

The New McGraw-Hill Handbook, pp. 133-139

• Introduces portfolios as a collection of work that represents a selection of a larger body of writing and emphasizes including a reflective element.
• Includes strategies for assembling a print portfolio or an electronic portfolio.
• Highlights strategies for reflecting on the writing process.

Note:   The texts on our short-list of recommended textbooks for English 110 (A Meeting of Minds, Everything’s an Argument, Work in Progress) all support students’ writing process, further facilitating portfolio assessment. A Meeting of Minds is particularly strong at providing explicit strategies for invention, drafting, revising, and editing, making it a good choice for classes that incorporate writing portfolios.

Portfolio Guidelines (Due May 1, 2006; 50% of Overall Grade)

A Note About the Portfolio (From the Course Policies)

Your portfolio will include a reflective introduction and four projects—an annotated bibliography, a field research report, a rhetorical situation analysis, and a proposal. You will be working on these projects throughout the semester and will receive feedback on your drafts, but I will not grade your projects until you submit them in your portfolio. As a result, you will have the opportunity to revise your projects as you continue to develop your writing proficiency. You also will have the chance to select one project that you must include but that you do not want graded. Therefore, your grade will reflect your work on the three projects that you consider most reflective of your writing ability.

Required Components (Checklist)

Reflective Introduction

Annotated Bibliography (Draft)

Annotated Bibliography (Final Revised Version)

Field Research Report (Draft)

Field Research Report (Final Revised Version)

Rhetorical Situation Analysis Memos (Drafts)

Rhetorical Situation Analysis Memos (Final Revised Versions)

Proposal (Draft)

Proposal (Final Revised Version)

Project Reflections for Each Project

• Annotated Bibliography Reflection
• Field Research Report Reflection
• Rhetorical Situation Analysis Memos Reflection
• Proposal Reflection

Format

You should use the Blackboard Portfolio system to submit your portfolio. We will discuss this system in class on Friday, April 21^st, and I will hold a review session during our Open Lab time on Friday, April 28^th.

Reflective Introduction and Project Reflections

Your reflective introduction should introduce the components of your portfolio and identify the three projects that you would like evaluated. You should explain why you have selected these three projects from the four required projects. You also should discuss what you think are the strengths and weaknesses of the three projects and what you would continue to revise if you had more time. Finally, you should indicate how you have developed as a writer over the course of the semester. Have you learned new strategies for writing or for managing writing projects? Have any aspects of your writing improved?

In addition, for each of the four projects, you should reflect on the revisions you made. What changes did you make between your draft(s) and your final version? Why did you make those changes? What informed your decisions about your revisions? Your can include these project reflections as part of your introduction or in the section of your portfolio that is specific to the project; in other words, you can include your project reflection on the project page in your portfolio (annotated bibliography project reflection on the annotated bibliography page, field research report project reflection on the field research report page, etc.).

Evaluation Criteria

Your portfolio points will be distributed as follows:

Resources

I encourage you to visit the Writing Center (online or in person) for feedback on your portfolio projects. If you visit the Writing Center, remember to take your assignment guidelines, class notes related to the project, and your draft. Also keep in mind that the Writing Center operates on 30 minute sessions, so you should plan to visit about only one project during each visit. You can visit the Writing Center multiple times, though.

Questions

If you have questions about the portfolio or any of the projects included in it, please ask during class, see me during my office hours, or make an appointment to visit at another time. I am happy to meet with you to discuss your revisions and to offer additional feedback.

Schedule

This schedule is subject to change. Check Blackboard for the latest information.

Reasons for Using Portfolio Assessment

1. Assesses writing after semester-long development
2. Encourages student-management of revising and editing processes
3. Supports student reflection on writing processes

Strategies for Implementing Portfolio Assessment

1. Models
   • Semester-long portfolio: Select x out of y projects for grading
   • Extended project portfolio: Combine related projects as one unit/project
2. Early introduction of requirements (handout from A Work in Progress)
3. Draft due dates and integrated peer review
   • Specific to certain assignments
   • Open for student selection
4. One-on-One or Small Group Conferences
5. Clearly articulated evaluation criteria; rubrics
6. Texts that support portfolio assessment

Pros/Cons of Portfolio Assessment

Pros

• Delays assessment until instructor has provided more direct instruction in writing
• Encourages self-reflection and self-assessment by students
• Supports reflection on the writing process (facilitating course objectives)
• Facilitates student management of a larger writing project

Cons

• Articulating mid-semester grade can be challenging
• Grading can be time-intensive at the end of the semester