Frequently Asked Questions

Baccalaureate Portfolio Project: Guidelines for Faculty

What is the Baccalaureate Web Portfolio?

The Baccalaureate Web Portfolio is an electronic student portfolio that is a collection of 12 papers or projects created over time and across courses at UW Eau Claire. The purpose of the Baccalaureate Web Portfolio is to assess student learning and growth in terms of the Goals of the Baccalaureate Degree.

What are the Baccalaureate Goals?

The Goals of the Baccalaureate Degree are broad statements of expectations for student learning that form the core of the baccalaureate experience. The goals emphasize the broad academic areas of communication, writing, science, and mathematics; as importantly, they detail the necessity of acquiring an appreciation of the arts, intercultural experiences, the interconnectiveness of knowledge, and critical, analytical and synthetic thinking. Although the baccalaureate goals do not encompass the entire educational experience at UW-Eau Claire, they are foundational for liberal arts and professional degrees.

What is assessment? What is the purpose of assessing the Goals of the Baccalaureate Degree?

At UW-Eau Claire, assessment is not an end but a means by which to improve student learning. Academics have always reflected on teaching practice. Baccalaureate assessment extends this tradition by reviewing and reflecting on student learning in a planned, careful, and purposeful manner. As Barbara Walvoord (2004) writes, “Assessment of student learning . . . [is] the systematic collection of information about student learning, using the time, knowledge, expertise, and resources available, in order to inform decisions about how to improve learning” (p. 2).

Assessing the baccalaureate goals is also part of UW-Eau Claire's institutional Plan for Assessment of Student Academic Achievement. This plan is in response to mandates from UW-Eau Claire's accrediting body, N.C.A., and from the UW System Board of Regents' Academic Quality Program. These mandates are founded on the premise that assessment of student learning must focus on what students have learned and learned how to do during the baccalaureate experience.

How do faculty and students get to the WebPortfolio?

Go to: http://webportfolio.uwec.edu/
Login with UWEC username and password
Go to: View My Portfolio

How can I orient my students and advisees to the WebPortfolio and the Baccalaureate Goals?

You and your students can download the WebPortfolio orientation used in FYE classes.

Why use a portfolio to assess students' baccalaureate experience?

Portfolios are an alternative to standardized tests. These tests have been criticized because (a) they are often not aligned with curricular goals and (b) they assess a very narrow range of content knowledge or thinking and writing skills. Portfolios provide a contextualized learning experience that can be used to evaluate higher level-thinking, writing skills, and understanding of core areas of liberal learning. Portfolio assessment, in contrast to standardized examinations, is based on UW-Eau Claire faculty definitions of curriculum and learning goals.

Using a web-based portfolio to assess student learning in terms of the baccalaureate goals is non intrusive. Students are asked simply to upload a paper or project and complete a brief cover sheet. Faculty need only to point out to students the paper or project in the class that is suitable for portfolio submission.

How do students participate in the Baccalaureate Portfolio Project?

Portfolio assessment begins in the FYE classes. There, mentors and FYE faculty orient students to opening the Baccalaureate Web Portfolio and uploading files.

The Baccalaureate Web Portfolio includes specific guidelines for students to select the appropriate papers.

How do faculty participate in the Baccalaureate Portfolio Project?

The University Senate Action of May 8, 2001 provides the following procedures for faculty to support the assessment of the baccalaureate degree.

The official course syllabi will indicate the goals of the baccalaureate that the course help students to attain. College/school curriculum committees will monitor the inclusion of this information in the course syllabi.

Faculty are encouraged to indicate on the course outlines which papers and other work required in the course can be used as evidence of attainment of the goals

Faculty ARE NOT asked to create special assignments for the Baccalaureate Portfolio.

What happens to the portfolios after they are collected?

The portfolios are evaluated by a scoring committee of 12 faculty members. The committee represents a variety of disciplines and has representatives from all colleges and schools. The committee is trained in the use of rubrics that are specific to the goals and outcomes being assessed. All student work is anonymous. Students can retrieve their portfolios once the contents have been duplicated.

What happens to the findings from the scoring committee?

Findings are useful only insofar as they are available to those who are responsible for curriculum and instruction. The University Assessment Committee reviews and disseminates the findings from the scoring committee to appropriate individuals/groups, particularly the Provost/Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs who has responsibility to lead and administer the academic programs of the university. Additionally, the following committees have specific responsibilities for reviewing, monitoring, and implementing assessment activities/results at UW-Eau Claire:

Schools' Curriculum Committees -- It is the responsibility of each school's curriculum committee to recommend policies for the academic programs of the Schools as they relate to the creation and/or abolition of departments, degree requirements, academic programs, and standards. Assessment data will assist the members in evaluating how proposed and existing courses may contribute to the achievement of the goals of the Baccalaureate Degree. Academic Policies Committee (APC) -- This governance committee is responsible for recommending policies for academic programs of the University. Assessment data will be forwarded to APC for examination and action regarding general education curriculum as appropriate. Departmental Curriculum Committees -- Departmental curriculum committees will review assessment data to effect change of general education courses at the departmental level. Review of assessment results should provide the impetus for curricular discussion and reform, where appropriate. University Senate -- The University Assessment Plan and certain curricular changes are reviewed by the Senate. The University Planning Committee -- This committee is chaired by the Chancellor of the institution and has primary responsibility to chart the course of the university over the long range.

Walvoord, B. (2004). Assessment Clear and Simple. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.