Millennial Learning: April 16-17, 2009
Susan L. Bosworth
Course Portfolios to Assess Student Learning

Dr. Susan Bosworth is the Associate Provost for Strategic Planning and Analysis at the College of William and Mary. She has been actively involved in assessment for twenty years. At the College, she has worked extensively with faculty members and administrators to define a university-wide process of institutional effectiveness, to develop a system of academic unit reviews, and to integrate assessment into a broader planning model. She has presented assessment strategies and results of assessment research at regional and national conferences and for government organizations and serves on accreditation review teams for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Along with a research agenda in assessment, Dr. Bosworth studies and writes about the social responses to disasters. She has collaborated with faculty members to embed assessment and disaster research in graduate and undergraduate methods courses and independent research experiences. She earned her doctorate in sociology from the University of Virginia.

Course Portfolios to Assess Student Learning

With increased calls for accountability, colleges and universities need viable and defensible approaches for assessing student learning. This session offers a practical demonstration of a course-based approach to assessment. Participants will explore the use of course portfolios as a manageable alternative to traditional assessment strategies. Often, course portfolios are confused with student portfolios. Both types of portfolios are intentionally structured and focus on student learning. However, course portfolios are much less labor-intensive than student portfolios and they emphasize curricular issues and the connection between teaching and learning. Participants will discuss key components of a course portfolio. They will see how faculty members at one institution construct web-based portfolios for general education courses, how those portfolios are rated, and how results are shared to enhance student learning and the curriculum. Based on the demonstration, participants will identify challenges and limitations of a course portfolio approach and discuss ways to adapt course portfolios to meet various local needs and external assessment mandates.