E-portfolios are bodies of work that rely on collection, selection, and reflection, says Kathleen Blake Yancey, Professor at Florida State University.The e-portfolio has the ability to bring together multiple types of learning in a single place. It can showcase a deliver curriculum, an experienced curriculum, and a lived curriculum (which may or may not be the same thing).

Every institutional model for an e-portfolio should be deeply tied to the mission of the institution. But, portfolios should not be tied to classes, but rather tied to competencies. They might ask students to recognize parallels between and among disciplines and apply knowledge, skills, etc to student experience.

Learning is not bound by our set of courses, but is rather bound by the experiences afforded to our students. A new learning model based on outcomes can be reflected in a reframed e-portfolio model. Directions must be explicit, specific, and intentional. And reflections must include specific examples from any point in the student’s experience.

The Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) annual conference on General Education and Assessment was held at the New Orleans Marriott in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 23-25, 2012. I attended on behalf of Queens University of Charlotte with four faculty colleagues. Read all the articles on this conference here.