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Call for Applications: Cohort VII of the Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research

11.15.11

Call for Applications

Cohort VII of the Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research

Cohort VII of the Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research will focus on assessment through the lens of four propositions. Those propositions center on the interaction of pieces of evidence, the relationship of evidence and reflection, material practices, and meaningful comparison without standardization. The propositions are

  • For meaningful assessment, interaction of pieces of evidence within an eportfolio is more important than single pieces of evidence.
  • Reflection on pieces of evidence within an eportfolio and on the eportfolio as a whole provides information for assessment that is not available by other means.
  • The material practice of eportfolio composition generates distinctive knowledge about learning.
  • Eportfolios enable meaningful comparison of student learning across institutions (and other contexts) without standardization.

If your institution is interested in exploring these ideas in a systematic way to influence the direction of assessment of learning and in conducting research on your own eportfolio practices or programs, you are invited to apply for participation in Cohort VII.

The cohort will constitute from Fall 2012 through Spring 2015. Building on the findings of Cohort VI and other research, cohort members will examine their own practices in the context of other Cohort VII institutions. They will also test propositions that have significant ramifications for assessment in general. Institutions with current eportfolio practices or programs, including those who have participated in earlier cohorts, are invited to apply for participation in this cohort. Institutions will meet twice a year for a total of six face-to-face meetings at which they report on and advance their own work, provide feedback to other institutions, and advance the knowledge base of the cohort.

Institutions selected for the cohort commit to

  • Creating a research team that is committed to use of eportfolios for assessment and that will engage in research for the three years of cohort membership
  • Supporting their researchers through recognition and dissemination of their work on their own campus
  • Funding a membership fee of $6,000 to be paid upon acceptance and the participation expenses of the research team in six face-to-face meetings Each research team will include at least two members with
  • Knowledge of and access to eportfolios in use on campus
  • Commitment to learning through designed inquiry how portfolios can be assessed according to the evidence they contain, the audiences they address, and the learning that they foster
  • Allotted time for full participation in the cohort, which includes conducting the inquiry, preparing for and participating in face-to-face meetings, and collaborating to disseminate the cohort’s findings in such venues as conference presentations, print and/or web-based publications, and applications to practice and to other research

To apply for Cohort VII participation, submit the application form to the Coalition directors: Darren Cambridge at dcambridge@air.org, Kathleen Yancey at kyancey@fsu.ed; and Barbara Cambridge at bcambridge@ncte.org. Applications are due January 13, 2012. Selected teams will be notified by January 30, 2012.

Download Application Here.

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