Frequently Asked Questions 
What is an electronic portfolio?
What is the purpose of CTE's Electronic Portfolio
(EP)?
Who developed the Electronic Portfolio?
What are some of the key features of the application?
Why has CTE built three separate interfaces
for the EP application?
What are the specific functions of the three
interfaces for the EP application?
Who benefits from using the Electronic Portfolio?
How does the Electronic Portfolio differ from
a traditional paper portfolio?
How many teachers are using the EP now?
Can my school use the Johns Hopkins Electronic
Portfolio system?
What is an electronic portfolio?
An electronic portfolio is a collection of materials and artifacts
gathered together to demonstrate the capabilities and achievements
of community members in relation to a pre-determined set of professional
standards.
In the case of a teacher, an electronic portfolio is a collection
of exemplary evidence gathered during preservice education and
ongoing professional development to demonstrate targeted competencies,
and allow multiple people to review and give feedback on the teacher's
work.
What is the purpose of CTE's Electronic
Portfolio (EP)?
The EP is intended to facilitate professional assessment for
preservice teachers; help those teachers find jobs; and provide
teachers with a simple way to investigate and expand on their
own learning and professional development. Members will publish
selected artifacts, interpretations of standards, and critical
reflections, in an attractive, Web-based format with well-organized
links to related support materials.
Who developed the Electronic Portfolio?
The EP application was developed by the Johns Hopkins
Center for Technology in Education
(CTE), mirroring and extending the portfolio process in use for
a decade in the JHU Masters of Arts in Teaching program.
What are some of the key features of
the application?
The EP's tools include the Portfolio, Message Center, Filing
Cabinet, and Journal—all designed to emphasize collaboration
amongst community members. The Portfolio serves as an organized,
annotated electronic repository of a member's work. It allows
community members to collect and display evidence—lesson
plans, student assignments, and audio or video—in order to
demonstrate competency in relation to a pre-determined set of
professional principles or standards. The Message Center allows
members to request feedback, respond to feedback requests, and
quickly and easily communicate with other members of the community.
In the File Cabinet, members can upload and organize files, folders
and links that may eventually be added to the Portfolio. The Journal
provides community members with an electr onic tool for recording
personal and/or professional observations.
Community members can take advantage of the EP to:
- Bring together multiple sources of evidence
- Demonstrate growth over time
- Create contextual links between theory and practice
- Reflect critically on professional development
- Set future goals and track progress
Why has CTE built three separate interfaces
for the EP application?
Johns Hopkins University is committed to the principles of reflection
and collaboration as important components of teacher education
and professional development. In order to facilitate both reflection
and collaboration within the portfolio community, without compromising
individual students' freedom to experiment with new approaches
and strategies in their teaching, CTE decided to create three
separate interfaces within the EP application. The working
portfolio is accessible only to the student (with the option
of allowing peers to view parts of the unfinished product). The
reviewer interface allows access to the portfolio only
after the student has "published" their finished work.
It also allows for communication between faculty members. The
presentation interface is publishable on a larger scale,
which allows students to showcase their work (and progress) in
job interviews.
What are the specific functions of
the three interfaces for the EP application?
The working portfolio is the student's starting point;
this is where the portfolio owner gathers and develops evidence
of their professional development over time. This interface also
includes a feedback component that allows student's to grant access
to their work to peers in advance of completing their project.
The presentation interface is a Web-based copy of the student's
finished portfolio-which can be called upon during a student's
portfolio defense or for interviewing and job searching. The reviewer
interface provides faculty access to a student's finished
(or published) portfolio-allowing the reviewer to take notes or
collaborate with other faculty members as they review a student's
work.
Who benefits from using the Electronic
Portfolio?
The Electronic Portfolio is used by educational institutions
and organizations interested in providing program members with a
platform on which to reflect on past learning, set and assess goals,
and highlight progress towards those goals.
How does the Electronic Portfolio differ
from a traditional paper portfolio?
The Electronic Portfolio serves exactly the same purpose
as a traditional paper portfolio. The only difference is that the
entire portfolio process, from gathering evidence to writing interpretations
of standards, and producing a presentation for reviewers, is completed
online.
Benefits of an electronic format include:
- Accessible anywhere—by students, select peers, advisors,
and reviewers
- Easy of content entry, assessment management and revisions
- Allows clear connections between standards and portfolio artifacts
- Develops skills in using multimedia technologies
- Eases the transition from an assessment portfolio to an employment
tool and professional development portfolio
- Promotes technology integration throughout a degree program
- Ease of use for program evaluation and accreditation
How many teachers are using the EP now?
Version 2.0 of the EP is being used by about 2000 teachers across
several universities, including Johns Hopkins University, Morgan
State University, and the University of Texas - Pan American.
Can my school use the Johns Hopkins
Electronic Portfolio system?
Yes, the JHU Office of Technology Transfer is licensing
the EP to interested schools, colleges, universities, and educational
organizations. See the next question for contact information.
How can I find out more about the Electronic
Portfolio developed by CTE?
Contact CTE's electronic portfolio team: http://cte.jhu.edu/epweb/contact.htm,
or send email to cte@jhu.edu.
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