Portfolio Assessment

Assessment plays a critical role in portfolio development, student growth, and opportunities for reflection. The American Association of Colleges and Universities has developed the well-known VALUE Rubrics (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education), and many faculty have adapted these rubrics for their own course and problem level assessment purposes. The following collection of links archived by Jennifer Hughes provide other helpful assessment resources:

• The VALUE of Assessment: Transforming the Culture of Learning 
  Terrel L. Rhodes (2016). The Magazine of Higher Learning. 
  This article discusses the benefits of using the VALUE rubrics to create an institutional culture of assessment as a high impact practice for improvement and learning. It chronicles the creation, adaptation, and advantages of the VALUE rubrics over standardized tests.
• On Solid Ground
  In a report released on February 23, 2017, AAC&U shared the results from the first two years of data collection for the VALUE (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education)initiative, a nationwide project that examines direct evidence of student learning. It concludes "it is possible to evaluate undergraduate students' achievement without relying on standardized tests and by using existing material".
• Big Progress in Authentic Assessment, But by Itself Not Enough
  Daniel F. Sullivan & Kate Drezek McConnell (2017). The Magazine of Higher Learning.
  This article emphasizes the usefulness of VALUE Rubrics due to the ability to deconstruct its results into specific dimensions. It utilizes the MSC (Multi-State Collaborative to Advance Learning Outcomes Assessment) Demonstration Year (2015-2016) results to conduct this research. Analyzing assignments using the VALUE rubric dimension can enable faculty adjust assignments so that time is allocated to the outcomes of an assignment least engaged by the students, or where new assignments can be created to engage that outcome. It ultimately contends that faculty should be able to decide on what kinds of pedagogical approaches even when strong evidence favors some kinds of pedagogy over others.
• MSC Demonstration Year (2015-2016) Results 
   Download PowerPoint slides of MSC (Multi-State Collaborative to Advance Learning Outcomes Assessment) Demonstration Year (2015-2016) Aggregate Results
• MSC Pilot Year (2014-2015) Aggregate Results 
   Download PowerPoint slides of MSC (Multi-State Collaborative to Advance Learning Outcomes Assessment) Pilot Year (2014-2015) Aggregate Results
• It's Time to Get Serious About the Right Kind of Assessment 
   A letter from Daniel F. Sullivan, President Emeritus, St. Lawrence University; Senior Advisor to the AAC&U President; and Chair, AAC&U Presidents' Trust (May 2014) regarding the importance of providing meaningful evidence of learning. The VALUE rubrics are suggested as a solution.
• How Reliable Are the VALUE Rubrics? 
  Ashley Finley (2012).
  This article presents results of a national inter-rater reliability study on the VALUE rubrics. "This study was [...] designed to address the degree of reliability and consensus in scoring across faculty from different disciplinary backgrounds". It engaged "three of the fifteen existing VALUE rubrics —critical thinking, integrative learning, and civic engagement".
• List of Informational Webinars and Links from the MSC 
  (Multi-State Collaborative to Advance Learning Outcomes Assessment)
  The States (aka SHEEO) are comprised of nine states—Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Rhode Island and Utah.

Additional suggestion:

A Sample ePortfolio Reflective Assessment Assignment: Inserting a Reflective Assignment into a Culminating Semester Assessment
This is a reflective assessment assignment that could be modified for an ePortfolio. It includes a link to a sample reflective memo rubric.

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