This chapter will discuss electronic portfolios, and how the work of Kathi Yancey has impacted the field of ePortfolio practice. ePortfolios are digital collections of learning artifacts that are arranged and curated by their creators to accomplish a particular purpose. As Abrami and Barrett (2005) note, there are different purposes—sometimes called types—of ePortfolio. Some ePortfolios are learning or process portfolios, documenting the story of a student’s learning journey in a course or across a program. Others have more professional or showcase purposes, aiming to communicate competencies or abilities to potential employers with the creator’s central professional identity in mind as the main message. Still others are used for assessment purposes, highlighting artifacts that demonstrate mastery of program outcomes for evaluators. Finally, hybrid ePortfolios can mix the purposes of learning/process, professional/showcase, and assessment portfolios.
As you may have noticed, the chapter has been designed to be ePortfolio-like with digital media, hyperlinks, artifacts, and—of course—reflection. Like any ePortfolio, there are different ways you can read or navigate this chapter. It has been organized into several themes, which you can explore individually via the icon fixed at the bottom-center of your screen or in order via the links that appear at the bottom-right of each page. We list them here by way of introduction:
Each of the numbered sections is organized to include the same components: a brief introduction, a summary of Kathi’s work in this theme, a brief blurb from a member of the ePortfolio community, and a short reflection from the authors. At the end of this chapter, additional resources are available for readers who want to learn more about these areas of ePortfolio practice. All photos included in each section were taken by Kathi and we appreciate her willingness to let us use them in this chapter.
We also want to thank members of the ePortfolio community for contributing their voices to this work: Pablo Avila, Amelia Parnell, Terrell L. Rhodes, Tracy Penny Light, and Kristina Hoeppner. These individuals have made rich contributions to ePortfolio scholarship and practice and voice how Kathi’s contributions have impacted ePortfolio practice across the globe and in institutional sectors beyond writing studies or English departments.
Helen L. Chen, Ph.D., is Research Scientist in the Designing Education Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and co-founder of the Integrative Learning Portfolio Lab in Stanford Career Education at Stanford University. Kathi Yancey’s early writings on reflection were influential in shaping Helen’s understanding of the unique affordances of digital portfolios. Stanford’s participation in the first cohort of the Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research from 2003–2006 hosted by Kathi at Clemson University established a community of researchers and practitioners, many of whom went on to advance ePortfolios through organizations such as the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the Association for Authentic, Experiential, Evidence-Based Learning (AAEEBL) and scholarship via the International Journal of ePortfolio (IJEP) and the Publications on ePortfolio: Archives of the Research Landscape (PEARL). Helen has been privileged to participate in the evolution of “e” portfolios beyond a simple reference to the electronic platform to leveraging technology to encompass experience, engagement, evidence, equity, and empowerment (Blackburn, 2015) and is eager to see what opportunities are yet to be realized.
Amy Cicchino, Ph.D., is Associate Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She first encountered ePortfolios as a doctoral student at Florida State University, where Kathi held the position of Kellogg W. Hunt Professor of English and Distinguished Research Professor. After integrating ePortfolios into the classrooms where she taught and completing many portfolios as a doctoral student at FSU, Amy joined Auburn University’s ePortfolio Project as an Associate Director and went onto research ePortfolios in practice and collaborate with faculty across the disciplines as they developed ePortfolio curricula. Currently, in her position at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, she supports educators and administrators interested in bringing innovative teaching practices, like ePortfolios, into their courses and curricula. She is a member of AAEEBL and HIPs in the States. Amy’s perspective on ePortfolios includes that of student, teacher, staff member, and administrator and is located in different contexts—the writing classroom, a centralized ePortfolio Project across the university, and a teaching and learning center.