Making Connections Community

Ellen Smiley, Ph.D.
Academic Director, CUNY Online Baccalaureate, Communication and Culture and Gen Ed 

Barbara Walters, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Consortial Faculty for the CUNY Online Baccalaureate 

B. Loerinc Helft, Ph.D.
Academic Director, Online Business Programs
BS in Business, MS in Bus Management & Leadership 
 
William Bernhardt
Associate Professor of English
Consortial Faculty for the Online Baccalaureate 
 
Philip  A. Pecorino, Ph.D.
Professor, Philosophy
CUNY Online Baccalaureate Program
School of Professional Studies 
 
Mariette J. Bates, Ph. D.
Academic Director
Disability Studies Programs
Distinguished Lecturer
School of Professional Studies 

Sarah Morgano  
Content Manager and ePortfolio Communication Coordinator
CUNY School of Professional Studies  

Ericke Wong
SPS Operations and Support Services Coordinator 

 
George Otte  
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, SPS
CUNY  School  of  Professional  Studies

The School of Professional Studies is now in its third semester of piloting ePortfolios in the CUNY Online Baccalaureate Program, having used both Digication and Expo for our platform. Our pilot project followed a year-long period during which we defined basic competencies Communication and Culture baccalaureate students will have upon completion of the B.A. Achieving consensus was especially challenging with our multi-campus and multi-disciplinary team of Consortial Faculty.  

In Fall 2008, Summer 2009, Fall 2009, and Spring 2010, students enrolled in selected Gen Ed courses, ART 210 Modern Art in the City, ENG 102 College Writing II and COM 110 Digital Information in the Contemporary World, as well as students enrolled in selected courses in the concentration CC 401 Introduction to Research Methods, CC 409 Studies in Communication and Cultural Change, CC 411 Advanced Research Methods and CC 499 have participated at various levels in the development of ePortfolios using either Expo or Digication.  The pilot programs are evaluated at the end of each semester.  Most recently we have developed a Model Student ePortfolio, a Basic ePortfolio Template  and a Student Resource Site.

Walters, Barbara, Howard Wach, Sarah Morgano, Carl Grindley, and William Bernhardt.  2009. ePortfolios in the CUNY Online Baccalaureate:  Building Cross-Campus Consensus on Platform Independent Principles and Procedures.  CUNY IT Conference. 

Drs. Aliya Holmes & Brenda López Ortiz, Assistant Professors of Educational Technology, School of Education

The ePortfolio Project is an effort led by Drs. Aliya Holmes and Brenda López Ortiz to integrate ePortfolios in the Teacher Education Program at St. John's University.   The initial effort was funded in 2007 by the Making Connections Mini-Grant administered by LaGuardia Community College and FIPSE.  As a result of research and development surrounding ePortfolios, the School of Education launched a pilot project in 2008 and adopted the venture for the Undergraduate Education Program in 2009.  All undergraduate students in the School of Education receive TaskStream accounts and have the opportunity to start working on their Program ePortfolio. The Program ePortfolio catalogues the products and valuable lessons drawn from the academic and service related experiences at St. John's.  In addition, graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in Associate Teaching Courses will also have an opportunity to develop a Professional ePortfolio as a part of their course work and final project.  Although the Program ePortfolio utilizes the same structure, the Professional ePortfolio serves more as a digital resume and highlights exemplary work in the following areas selected by the School of Education:

·         Subject Knowledge

·      Pedagogical Knowledge

·      Caring & Teaching Skill

·      Learning to Learn

·      Diversity & Multicultural Understandings

·      Technology Integration

From the initial pilot in 2008, our ePortfolio community has grown from approximately 50 to 480 students, and though we notice room for improvement, the results are promising.  As a community, we continue to explore ways for integration, faculty development, training, support, funding, assessment, and satisfaction.