Performance Funding Making Its Way into Higher Education

Very interesting and compelling research and presentation by AACU (American Association of Colleges and Universities), Loyola, and Taskstream looking at what employers and legislators (funding) are demanding from Higher Education in preparing students to become innovative, productive, contributing members of society.  Legislators are sending the funding message to Higher Education, “If you want more money, prove you deserve it.”  They’re frustrated about completions, transfers, and students taking over six years to graduate.

Employers expect students to

  • complete a significant project before graduation that demonstrates their depth of knowledge in their major AND their acquisition of analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
  • complete an internship or community-based field project to connect classroom learning with real-world experiences
  • work through ethical issues and debates to form their own judgments about the issues at stake.

They want to be assured that students develop the skills to research questions in their field and develop evidence-based analyses.  They want proof.

The Loyola ePortfolio Continuum (developmental, scaffolded, and progressive build) is presented with the AACU’s LEAP Program’s High Impact Practices and the Value rubrics.  The Loyola model begins with eportfolios started in the University 101 gateway courses and continues with Service Learning and Internships to the capstone Career ePortfolio.  Please review.  I was impressed right from the start with Loyola’s Motto –  Preparing people to lead extraordinary lives.

This is a compelling study and presentation that all educators (faculty, staff, and administration) need to consider and ask the question, “Are we preparing our students to lead extraordinary lives?”

STIMULATING INNOVATION WITH E-PORTFOLIOS
http://www.umkc.edu/provost/facet/Eportfolios01-31-13.pdf

  • Dr. Terrel Rhodes, Vice President, Office of Quality, Curriculum, and Assessment
    Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) rhodes@aacu.org
  • Dr. Patrick Green, Director, Center for Experiential Learning
    Loyola University Chicago pgreen@luc.edu
  • Ashley Kehoe, E-Portfolio Program Manager Loyola University Chicago akehoe@luc.edu
  • Taskstream, events@taskstream.

Find more information on the AACU study and ensuring employer involvement program at  https://you.stonybrook.edu/eportfolioconsultants/2014/01/17/do-employers-value-eportfolios  

IT TAKES MORE THAN A MAJOREmployer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success
An Online Survey Among Employers Conducted On Behalf Of:
The Association Of American Colleges And Universities
By Hart Research Associates
April 10, 2013

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3 thoughts on “Performance Funding Making Its Way into Higher Education

  1. Sanjay.Kapur@stonybrook.edu

    Does any one know if any department (especially in the Sciences and Engineering) at Stony Brook looks at eportfolios when making graduate admissions decisions?

    Reply
  2. Nancy.Wozniak@stonybrook.edu Post author

    Hello Sanjay,

    That’s an excellent question and one that is asked at all levels of education, K-12, Higher Education, and Workforce Development, across the globe. The use of ePortfolios for admissions and promotions are catching on. The eportfolio is an organized container of connected knowledge, work, achievements, and experiences that provide evidence of the owner’s inquiry and integrative, evidence-based reflective skills. The ACCME is requiring eportfolios for admission to medical schools and that they be maintained by the students throughout their studies. Since Stony Brook is ACCME, our medical school will comply. It makes sense, since medical education involves problem-based learning (inquiry and evidence-based reflection), the eportfolio process facilitates and provides evidences of these learning outcomes.

    Our School of Engineering is piloting eportfolios to document ABET learning outcomes and the School of Business is including eportfolio use in their program goals and outcomes. ePortfolio will soon be included in the admissions process for these schools. ePortfolios are gaining ground here. The hindrance is that a majority of our faculty and staff still view eportfolios as software or an application. They can’t see past the tool to understand the learning process. One of my colleagues, Melissa Peet from University of Michigan, dropped the term ePortfolio and calls the learning process, Generative Knowledge Interviewing – https://sites.google.com/site/generativeknowledge/about-generative-knowledge-interviewing. I tied this in with the article I wrote for JETS (Jounal of Educational Technology Systems) about the use of integrative learning eportfolios at Stony Brook – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SediBugyog-J8SRbDZkKgXblBVBS_u275m-gEsm4ssc/edit?usp=sharing

    More and more K-12 institutions are using eportfolios for document Common Core Standards and I believe in the next 5 years, we’ll start to see more and more institutions of Higher Education use them for admissions. Makes sense. I think presenting a package of you knowledge, work, experience, and achievements throughout high school in an eportfolio is a better representation of your capabilities to learn and perform on a college level.

    Reply
  3. Pingback: Do Employers Value ePortfolios? | Brainstorming with Team eP

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