Group Eportfolios and Collaborative Learning
I’ve now started my eportfolio-based American Literature class, hoping to capture the success I had last year with the eportfolio-based composition classes and also hoping to enhance the active learning for the students. What’s different about my design for a literature version and what incorporates the active learning more directly is that rather than having each student create their own individual eportfolio, I am assigning six groups of five students each to create a group eportfolio. That is, the eportfolio each group creates is a website to showcase the thought and work the group members do in this class this semester (and so the assignment calls for both collaboration and individual reflection). The group will collectively examine the connection between literature and just one of the following broad themes (allowing the individual members to specify their analyses within the larger thematic framework the group elects)
Civil Rights
Medicine
Domestic Events
World Events
Science
Journalism
Disease
Education
Environment
Special Needs/Disabilities
Technology
Music
Art
Business/Industry
Law
Sport
Mental Illness
War
Demographics
Transportation
Literary Trends
Economy
Economic/Social Class
Religion
Philosophy
Each member of the group will contribute a reading memoir, an overview essay, and an analysis paper to this group eportfolio, which will also include a brief abstract on the main page that explains what the site is about and that contains links to the other pages in the group eportfolio. So, then, each project will have
a welcome page
a contributor page for each member (this will be the reading memoir adapted to this context)
an overview page for each member to highlight individual work on the group project
a set of links to the pdf versions of each member’s analysis essay
For these pages they will paste in the revised text of their earlier assignments artfully combined with artifacts. In addition to the texts themselves, the whole eportfolio should contain a minimum of fifteen other artifacts, which may include additional active links beyond those already assigned, photos, charts, graphs, audio or video files, PowerPoint shows, and/or pdfs. I am allowing them to choose the platform on which to build the eportfolio. They might choose Canvas, Google, Wix, Weebly, or WordPress, for instance. If they are practiced at web design and HTML, then they may create their own site using the space that the University provides them. And they may go beyond the minimum requirements as long as this does not detract from or diminish the professional quality of the site. I am providing time in class to allow them to consult with one another, review each other's work, and assist each other in the web design. Finally I will require them to email me the link to the group’s eportfolio so that I may assemble them on a special page in our class Canvas site.
