Assessment
When to evaluate ePortfolio work
Whether you evaluate student work throughout a course or program (i.e., formative evaluation), at the end (i.e., summative evaluation), or both, you should clearly define the evaluation process at the beginning. Students put a lot of work into showing what they know, so it is important that they show what you need to see, in the form you need to see it.
During a course, formative evaluation can include a peer review cycle or a period of time where you as the instructor will provide feedback on specific assignments. To facilitate this, some instructors provide their rubric or guidelines at the beginning of the term for the students to use during the peer review process. They then use the same rubric or guidelines for the summative evaluation. [See example evaluation tools]
Throughout a program, formative evaluation can take the form of evaluating artifacts as part of normal coursework. It can also mean setting specific times when the ePortfolio will be evaluated as part of the advising progress. For example, after completing 18 out of 30 units, the program or department might require each student to meet with his or her advisor to review the assignments completed by that point.
