AAEEBL/AAC&U Institute on ePortfolios

AAEEBL is pleased to collaborate with AAC&U to offer a new Institute on “ePortfolios for Authentic Student Learning and Success.” More information, including application information and fees, can be found at AAC&U’s Institute on ePortfolios web site.

A New Institute Model

In January 2021, AAC&U and AAEEBL is launching a new institute on ePortfolios, and a new Institute model.  The Institute on ePortfolios for Authentic Student Learning and Success provides a year-long engagement opportunity for campus and/or state system teams seeking to actualize an ambitious strategy to broaden student engagement with ePortfolios.  The new model directly engages the ePortfolio Institute teams throughout the 2021 calendar year via in-person and virtual interactions as participants’ ePortfolio implementation plans are put into practice.

Institute Design

Designed for those seeking to instantiate ePortfolios beyond a single course or major, this institute will help teams of faculty, staff, and administrators design and implement ePortfolio processes and technologies in large scale adoptions. Campuses and/or systems considering ePortfolios for general education purposes or to capture the full range of the undergraduate student experience would be among those ideally suited for this institute. This institute also represents an opportunity for a campus to develop formal collaborations between academic and student affairs in the service of student learning and success.

The inaugural ePortfolio Institute will begin in January 2021. The 2021 AAC&U Annual Forum on Digital Learning and ePortfolios will kick-off the Institute activities and events. Utilizing the ePortfolio Implementation Framework (Penny Light, Chen & Ittelson, 2012), participating teams will design their own implementation plan for bridging curricular and/or co-curricular learning with ePortfolios.  Institute faculty will serve as partners for campus plan development.  Campus teams can expect consultative opportunities to interact with Institute faculty virtually throughout the Spring and Fall terms as their plan progresses and is implemented. In July 2021, AAEEBL’s 2021 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah will provide an opportunity for ePortfolio Institute teams to reconvene face-to-face with select Institute faculty to examine implementation progress and challenges. AAC&U’s 2022 Forum on Digital Learning and ePortfolios in January of that year will be located in Washington, DC and will host closing activities and events for the Institute.

Who Should Attend

The Institute on ePortfolios is designed for any campus, system, or consortium engaged in redesigning learning for students using ePortfolios. Attendees can be at any stage in the process of thinking through ePortfolio The Institute on ePortfolios is designed for any campus, system, or consortium engaged in redesigning learning for students using ePortfolios. Attendees can be at any stage in the process of thinking through ePortfolio approaches and issues emerging from their respective needs and circumstances. Teams should include a diverse set of colleagues and may include a senior academic officer, faculty members, learning technologies professionals, and/or student affairs leaders. Your team may also include assessment and curriculum specialists and others with logical and active roles in advancing ePortfolios, student learning, and student success on campus. Although not restricted, a typical team minimum size would consist of five individuals.

Institute Goals and Action Plans

Teams attending the Institute will complete preparatory work to maximize their learning when they arrive at the kick-off event at AAC&U’s 2021 Forum on Digital Learning and ePortfolios. Each team will complete an implementation plan over the course of the initial convening. Teams will use their time together to discover new approaches and to create, strategize, and rehearse their plans. The Institute schedule at AAC&U’s 2021 Forum on Digital Learning and ePortfolios features:

  • daily team time to work on action plans;
  • individual team consultations with Institute faculty;
  • plenary sessions, facilitated discussions, and interactions with other campus teams; and
  • reflection and skill-building sessions

After AAC&U’s 2021 Forum on Digital Learning and ePortfolios, scheduled opportunities to re-connect virtually and at several meetings throughout the calendar year (AAEEBL’s 2021 Annual Meeting, NASPA Conferences, AAC&U’s 2022 Forum on Digital Learning and ePortfolios) are also part of the schedule.

Institute Schedule

As this is a yearlong experience, beginning in Janaury 2021, there are multiple opportunities for engagement, planning, and implementation. They include the following:

January 2021, AAC&U Annual Meeting, Forum on Digital Learning and ePortfolios (Seattle, WA)

Launch Session at the AAC&U ePortfolio Forum: More information and

  • Friday Morning, January 22 – ½ day session
  • Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, January 23 – Forum Activities and Consulting
  • Saturday, January 23 – 4-8pm – Institute Wrap-Up

March and Early April 2021

  • Two online meetings with Teams and Facilitators

July 2021 AAEEBL Annual Meeting (Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, UT)

  • Institute events will book-end the AAEEBL Annual Meeting
  • Throughout the AAEEBL Annual Meeting, scheduled sessions/individualized consultations will occur
  • Lunch and planning meeting will occur during the afternoon after the conclusion of the Annual Meeting

Fall 2021

  • Optional opportunities to present progress and successes at NASPA Meetings

October and Early November 2021

  • Online meetings with Teams and Facilitators

January 2022, AAC&U Annual Meeting, Forum on Digital Learning and ePortfolios (Washington, DC)

  • Friday Morning, January 21 – ½ day session
  • Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, January 22 – Forum Presentations by InstituteTeams
  • Saturday, January 22 – 4-8pm – Institute Wrap-Up – Planning for the Future