Stop for a moment and think about something that has been bothering you, something you’d like to change, if only you could figure out how. Now, gather a group of like-minded but diversely talented people and you’ve got yourself an e-portfolio team that could be in the running for $5,000 in prize money.
Organized by the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, and sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education, the e-portfolio contest is intended to promote collaboration that is not bound by time or distance.
“A global campus means a lot more than just having more courses on global issues or even reaching out to enroll more students from around the globe in traditionally structured courses,” said Gary Brown, director of CTLT. “We envision e-portfolios as a means to help learners engage in real-world issues with colleagues from around the globe, and to document and reflect upon that engagement in ways that expand our notions of what it means to complete a course of study.”
Problems that could benefit from group collaboration abound, said Theron DesRosier, a design consultant with CTLT. For instance, issues raised in the book “Flu” by Gina Kolata this year’s common reading on the Pullman campus might inspire a team to work with local stakeholders to create a pandemic preparation plan.
According to the 2007-2008 e-portfolio contest website, teams must identify a problem or need, develop a solution or plan of action and then take steps toward implementing that plan. The e-portfolios will be judged on how well they document collaboration within the group and communication with outside stakeholders.
DesRosier said there are no limitations on the types of problems a group might choose to tackle.
“It could be working with an NGO (nongovernmental organization) of a Third World country, or it could be working with the WSU Creamery,” he said.
Jayme Jacobson, another design consultant with CTLT, said in some sense the e-portfolio will be a byproduct of what really is an engaged attempt to solve a real-world problem. But, she said, in another sense the byproduct is the main event because it allows for in-depth metacognition of the process: What was effective, what wasn’t and what lessons can be applied to future collaborative efforts?
Teams can register any time between Sept. 21 and Jan. 25. Entries must be submitted by March 25 and winners will be announced on April 11. CTLT is in the process of developing more detailed judging rubrics that will be posted online by Sept. 21. Microsoft, a co-sponsor of the contest, is also supplying two judges, but CTLT is looking for interested community members to serve as judges as well.
For more information,visit https://ctlt.wsu.edu/contest07.
