Presented for the Graduate School Teaching and Learning Committee at Keiser University as part of the Education Technology Seminar Series on August 8, 2017

1. The Blackboard
Portfolio Tool:
Features and Uses
August 8, 2017
© 2017 Northern Illinois University

2. Presenter
Stephanie Richter
Assistant Director
Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center
Northern Illinois University
srichter@niu.edu
@slrichter

3. Agenda
• Background information
• Blackboard Portfolios: Features and examples
• Campus-wide implementation process
• Portfolio usage across campus
• Considerations

4. Background Information

5. Northern Illinois University Overview
• Main campus in DeKalb, IL
located 65 miles West of
Chicago
• Total enrollment: 19,015
• 1,174 Instructional faculty
• Student to instructor/faculty
ratio: 15:1

6. Why the Institutional Emphasis on Portfolios?
NIU PLUS Taskforce
High Impact Practices
(HIP’s)
Focus on student
retention and success

7. Who has taught with portfolios (electronic or paper)?

8. Overview of Portfolios
8 Presentation Footer – Edit in Insert Menu > Header & Footer (then Apply to All)

9. Portfolios
A “collection of work and reflections that together
describe learning experiences and professional
accomplishments.”
Source: https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/teaching-talk/e-portfolios-creating-your-professional-identity

10. Purpose of Portfolios
Learning
Showcase “best work”
Assessment
Employment

11. How might you use a portfolio?

12. Blackboard Portfolios:
Features

13. Building Portfolios
o Add artifacts from files or from prior Blackboard
Assignment submissions
o Embed media directly in the page
o Customize and preview features
o Manage multiple portfolios for different purposes
o Use templates for standardized portfolios

14. Grading Portfolios
o Faculty can create an Assignment with Portfolio Submission enabled
o If Portfolio Submission is enabled, students can only submit a Portfolio
o Faculty can grade and provide feedback as usual in the Grade Center

15. Sharing Portfolios
o Share snapshots internally with institution users
o Share snapshots externally with people outside the institution
o Download entire portfolio as zip file for future use and portability

16. Sample Portfolios

17. Brief Demonstration

18. Any questions I’ve missed?

19. Portfolio Usage At NIU

20. Usage
• First Year Composition
o Students create portfolios with their best
work
o FYC team reviews the portfolio for writing
assessment

21. Usage
• Family, Consumer, and
Nutrition Sciences
o Students create professional
portfolios in a capstone course

22. Usage
• School of Nursing
o Students submit specific key assignments as a portfolio
o Faculty assess portfolio for program effectiveness

23. Usage
• Department of Educational
Technology, Research and
Assessment
o Students create portfolios to complete
their Master’s degree, in lieu of a thesis
or exam
o Portfolio are assessed for competency;
students must pass to graduate

24. Considerations

25. Considerations
• Provide support to students, such as training or samples
• Use Portfolio Assignments when grading a portfolio, instead of Sharing
• Students can create Artifacts from within a course, saving their work for
future use in a Portfolio
• Templates help students to know what to do, and you can require that
they keep a consistent structure

26. go.niu.edu/portfolios

27. Presenter
Stephanie Richter
Assistant Director
Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center
Northern Illinois University
srichter@niu.edu
@slrichter