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The goal of the Learning Portfolio Program is to provide resources and support for faculty, staff, and students so that they may receive the maximum benefits of learning portfolios. Loyola University Chicago has contracted with Digication to be the university’s official learning portfolio platform. Click below to learn more about learning portfolios and how they are used at LUC.

What is a Learning Portfolio?

  • A high-impact learning tool
    • A learning portfolio (also referred to as an ePortfolio) is a digital collection of a person's work, ideas, and personal expression.
    • Learning portfolios may showcase learning progression, evidence of growth, achievement, personal goals, and self-reflection. They include carefully selected artifacts in the form of essays, research reports, videos, audio recordings, images, and much more.
    • Learning Portfolios are one of the 11 high-impact teaching and learning practices identified by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
  • More than a repository
    • Learning portfolios are like a digital scrapbook. While many traditional assignments and assessments create a snapshot of a moment in time, learning portfolios provide an opportunity for storytelling and a holistic understanding of a person's learning experience. Stories told in a portfolio can exceed the boundaries of traditional assignments and assessments. 
    • While learning portfolios can function as a product (an archive of artifacts), their benefits are maximized when portfolios function as a process that supports student learning.
  • Not an LMS (Learning Management System)
    • A big difference between learning portfolios created in Digication and an LMS (Sakai) can be found in ownership. Sakai is "owned" and managed by instructors. Learning portfolios are "owned" by students: they can control access, design elements, and which artifacts are added.
    • In most cases, students lose access to Sakai courses when the semester ends. Students will have full access to Digication for as long as Loyola University Chicago is contracted with Digication. This means students will continue to have ownership over their learning portfolios long after graduation.
  • A tool for critical reflection
    • Critical reflection goes beyond describing a student's experience-- it is a thinking and reasoning process that makes meaning of an experience.
    • Learning portfolios allow students to curate reflections that reveal the intersections of their backgrounds, personal identities, and experiences in and out of the classroom.
    • You can learn more about critical reflection here.
  • A tool for assessment and accreditation
    • A learning portfolio can be a powerful tool for assessment and evaluation. By establishing a set of criteria of evidence each student is required to submit, evaluators can measure what concepts students have mastered and where they are falling short.
    • Learning portfolios can be used as formative assessments (throughout students' course of study) or as summative evaluations (at the end of the standard degree program).
    • Portfolio assessment has advantages over other modes of evaluation in that students often have the opportunity to select what they feel is their best representative work. With the ability to include multiple formats, including multimedia, learning portfolios address a variety of learning styles.
    • Learning portfolios provide a space in which students can receive meaningful feedback that informs them of their strengths and deficits. This feedback can be based on an established measure, called a rubric, that provides specific information about a student's performance.

How Are Learning Portfolios Used?

Loyola University Chicago supports four different types of Learning Portfolios. 
  • Course Portfolios
    • Typically used in a single course for students to submit assignments, connect course concepts, reflect on their learning, receive peer and instructor feedback, and integrate academic and co-curricular experiences.
  • Integrative Portfolios
    • Used within an entire major, minor, or academic program for students to connect content across multiple courses, create an interdisciplinary learning experience, integrate beyond-the-classroom experiences, and assess student learning.
  • Assessment Portfolios
    • Used by instructors to evaluate student learning outcomes, competencies, or skills as defined by a program's standards and/or outcomes. Students upload artifacts that demonstrate attainment of the aforementioned areas.
  • Professional/Showcase Portfolios (in partnership with the Career Services)
    • Used by students, faculty and staff to share skills, competencies, or experiences with professional colleagues or prospective employers.
    • Students use the portfolio to track professional growth and make meaning of professional experiences over time.
    • Faculty may consider creating a portfolio to support their promotion and tenure processes.

 

Where Can I Learn More About Learning Portfolios?

Here are some great resources related to learning portfolios:

Instructor Tips, Tools & Templates

Here are some tips and tools that will help you make the most of learning portfolios:

  • Start early! Introduce the learning portfolio early in the semester and embed it into your course. 

 

Digication Self-Help Tutorials

Digication Basics
Topic
    Video    
Digication
Help Desk
Introduction to Digication
Youtube Video Logo  
How to log into Digication
Youtube Video Logo  
How to create a portfolio
  Website button with mouse click image
How to add content to your portfolio
Youtube Video Logo  Website button with mouse click image
How to utilize the conversation tool
Youtube Video Logo  Website button with mouse click image 
How to add and format portfolio pages
Youtube Video Logo  Website button with mouse click image 

 

Help For Students
Topic
    Video    
Digication
Help Desk
How to access a  portfolio template
Youtube Video Logo   
How to add a template to an existing portfolio
  Website button with mouse click image
How to copy content from one portfolio to another
Youtube Video Logo  Website button with mouse click image
How to submit an assignment
Youtube Video Logo  Website button with mouse click image
How to share your learning portfolio
Youtube Video Logo   
How to upload edTPA materials
  Website button with mouse click image

 

Help For Instructors
Topic
     Video     
Digication
Help Desk
How to create a course or assessment group
Youtube Video Logo  Website button with mouse click image 
How to create an assignment in a course
Youtube Video Logo 

-Assignment
-Rubric 

How to create a  portfolio template for your course
Youtube Video Logo  Website button with mouse click image 
How to share a portfolio template with a course or assessment group
Youtube Video Logo  
How to add a template to an existing portfolio
Youtube Video Logo  
How to add prompts to a portfolio template
  Website button with mouse click image 
How to add new students, faculty, or a TA to your course
Youtube Video Logo  Website button with mouse click image 
How to view student submissions
  Website button with mouse click image 
How to use rubrics and standards to score student work within a course
  Website button with mouse click image
How to change course dates
Youtube Video Logo  
How to unlock an assignment
Youtube Video Logo  

 

Accessibility Features
Topic
     Video     
Digication
Help Desk
Adding alt text to portfolio images
  Website button with mouse click image 
Adding subtitles or closed captioning to portfolio videos
  Website button with mouse click image 
Screen reader guide for ePortfolios
  Website button with mouse click image 

 

Contact Us

Contact the Learning Portfolio Program Manager
  • What can the Learning Portfolio Program Manager do for you?
    • Collaborate to find the most effective way for you to use learning portfolios in our program or course.
    • Provide individualized training as you learn how to use Digication.
    • Meet with your students to provide instructions or to answer questions about learning portfolios.
    • Support you as you take ownership of your portfolio development
      • Due to program growth, we can no longer build entire learning portfolio templates or courses for you. However, our team is here to guide and support you every step of the way!
  • Email: learningportfolio@luc.edu 

 

Reach out to Digication directly