It is showcase season! Last week, students from across the campus presented their ePortfolios as part of BCC’s Office of Instructional Technology ePortfolio Showcase. The event gave students who have done really great ePortfolio work a chance to show their peers and other instructors the value that ePortfolios have had for their education at BCC. What was really fascinating to witness was that as the students talked about what made their ePortfolio experience worthwhile, was that they were speaking about the very pedagogical goals that instructors so often discuss and aim for. The students who presented talked about how the portfolios gave them a chance to bring in work from other courses, showcase their projects to a wider audience, and bring in personal experiences to their education.

Student participants included: Lissenellys Valdez, Molaven Duarte, Francisco Gil, Yanilsa Estrella and Carlos Aristy. The students showed their work for a variety of courses and showcased how they can upload audio and video elements and use hyperlinking to expand the reach of their portfolios. Most of the students also use their ePortfolio to host their resumes and advertise the link to their portfolio on job applications. They also reported learning a lot about computers and web-design as well as being able to help their peers with the content and personalization of the ePortfolio. The last presenter, Carlos, chronicled his journey of working with ePortfolios, admitting that he wasn’t very excited to begin with but that over time he saw the ePortfolio as a valuable tool for chronicling his process of learning.

Two BCC professors who have used ePortfolios extensively in their courses also presented. Giulia Guarnieri and Julia Miele Rodas discussed how ePortfolios have influenced their teaching and how students have responded to the projects. Giulia explained how she uses ePortfolios as a space to model assignments for her students. Similarly, Julia discussed ePortfolios advantages as a tool for modeling writing as a process and offering a “shared distance” from writing that usually doesn’t occur with traditional term papers.

The event was a success and the OIT office hopes to have a showcase each semester. It was a really nice space to hear students and professors talking to one another about the learning process and how technology is shaping their BCC education experience. Bravo!