Using electronic portfolios in a large engineering program

Electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) were incorporated into the freshman engineering program at Virginia Tech, one of the largest engineering programs in the US, in fall 2004. The addition of the ePortfolio resulted from a successful pilot study conducted as a component of a NSF Bridges for Engineering Education planning grant awarded to Virginia Tech's Engineering Education Department and the School of Education in 2003. This paper will present a review of ePortfolio applications in engineering instruction. Sample assignments and grading rubrics for the Virginia Tech assignments will be discussed. Based on evaluation of the student ePortfolios and surveys of the students and faculty involved, the value of the electronic portfolio in the learning process is analyzed. Recognizing that the expected benefit of the ePortfolio can only be realized if the use of the portfolio is continued throughout the engineering curriculum, the paper will conclude with plans for the inclusion of the ePortfolio in the BioProcess Engineering program of Biological Systems Engineering. These plans are being developed as a component of a NSF Department Level Reform implementation grant awarded to the Departments of Engineering Education and Biological Systems Engineering in September 2004. A goal of this DLR project is to develop a model curriculum that can then be used across the entire college. Use of the ePortfolio is an important part of the assessment component of this 3-year long study.