Online Session Locator

View Session

U495F·SUNDAY WORKSHOP: Enhancing Learning with ePortfolios and Reflective Practices
Workshop Sponsored Workshops
Sun. June 23, 2024 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
C123, Oregon Convention Center
Session Description

Free ticketed event
Reflection is a necessary but often underemphasized part of the learning process that warrants more attention. Recognized as a high impact learning practice by AAC&U, ePortfolios are an effective strategy to structure, encourage and archive student reflection. ePortfolios also encourage integration of often disparate aspects of the student experience including courses and co-curricular endeavors and may help students better organize and transfer knowledge. In addition to supporting the learning process, reflection and ePortfolios expose aspects of student experiences and learning often invisible with conventional assignments but which are key in understanding individual students and their unique context.
In this workshop, we introduce ePortfolios with a purposeful emphasis on reflection to support learning and elicit student narratives in engineering courses. We will provide an overview of reflection and ePortfolios and discuss example prompts and student responses to them. Drawing on our experience, we will share practical insights and lessons learned from successfully integrating ePortfolios into multiple courses. We will also share our research findings, which provide evidence that students are able to transfer reflective thinking across courses following a single ePortfolio activity. Participants will understand the features of electronic portfolios, explore different types of reflection and consider how each aligns with their learning goals, analyze ePortfolio prompts and example student responses, and learn to create targeted reflection prompts that span multiple levels of reflection.

This work is funded by the National Science Foundation under EEC-2022271.

Speakers
  1. Dr. Rebecca Thomas
    Bucknell University

    Rebecca Thomas holds a B.S. and M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisville and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University. At Bucknell University, she is the inaugural director of the Pathways ePortfolio Program where she leads implementation of the university-wide ePortfolio initiative. This initiative focuses on promoting reflective thinking among students throughout their undergraduate journey, encouraging exploration of their academic and personal growth. Additionally, Rebecca holds the position of Teaching Assistant Professor within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, where she is dedicated to educating students that can both comprehend complex issues and develop effective technical solutions.

  2. Dr. Stu Thompson
    Bucknell University

    M. Stu Thompson is an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He started his teaching career with a traditional focus on computer engineering and engineering design. Over the last 15 years that focus has shifted to look for new and interesting ways to create impactful learning experiences for students as well as connect engineering with other disciplines like the humanities and education. He engages students in the classroom as well as on multidisciplinary research projects. When he isn’t spending time with his family or working with students he is out riding his bike. He completed his undergraduate work at NC State University in engineering and his graduate work at Virginia Tech in the same area.

  3. Dr. Stewart Thomas
    Bucknell University

    Stewart Thomas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He received the B.S. and M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY. and the Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He is a member of ASEE and IEEE.

  4. Dr. Alan Cheville
    Bucknell University

    Alan Cheville studied optoelectronics and ultrafast optics at Rice University, then spent fourteen years as a faculty member at Oklahoma State University working on terahertz frequencies and engineering education, developing resources in photonics and engineering design. After serving for two and a half years as a program director in engineering education at the National Science Foundation, served as chair in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department and secretary of the faculty at Bucknell University. At Bucknell he helped found the Maker-E, an electronic MakerSpace for students. He is currently interested in engineering design education, engineering education policy, and the philosophy of engineering education. He has served as associate editor on several journals, an ABET PEV, and on several national-level advisory boards.