History
In 1988, President Charles McClain charged a faculty committee to design a local assessment of the liberal arts and sciences curriculum at then Northeast Missouri State University. The Liberal Arts and Sciences Assessment Committee recommended the use of senior portfolios for sampling and assessing materials that demonstrated student achievement and learning
Additional Resources
Several links are provided to help you, whether you are a new student, graduating senior, or faculty member wanting assistance.
- FAQs for Incoming Students
- Portfolio Prompts
- Instructions for Students
- Faculty Guidelines
- The Book of Fours
For other questions or comments, please e-mail Dr. Scott Alberts, the Director of the Portfolio Project, or call him at 660-785-7649.
Portfolio Project
FAQs for Incoming Students | Summer 2008 Prompts | Instructions for Students | Faculty Guidelines | The Book of Fours
Who takes it?All students matriculating in or after the fall of 1999 develop and submit portfolios as a requirement for graduation. In academic year 2006-2007, 1096 students submitted portfolios.
When is it
administered?
Students submit during their senior year. Most students complete the
process as part of their capstone experience.
How long does it
take for the student to compile the portfolio?
The average is three to four hours.
What office
administers it?
The director of the portfolio administers it in conjunction with each
discipline/program. The Office of Assessment and Testing also provides
support.
Who originates
the submission requirements for portfolios?
Faculty readers and evaluators, the Assessment Committee and the director of
the portfolio assessment design, evaluate and publish the requests for
specific portfolio items.
When are results
typically available?
The portfolios are read and evaluated in May or June. The results are
available late in the fall or early in spring.
What type of
information is sought?
Faculty evaluators and the Assessment Committee designate the types of works
requested from students. Many of the requested items have remained constant.
In the 2006-2007 academic year, a portfolio included works demonstrating
critical thinking and writing,
interdisciplinary thinking,
historical analysis, scientific
reasoning, and aesthetic analysis. The portfolio also included a work or experience the student considered
most personally satisfying, and
a
cover letter in which students reflect on ways they have changed while at Truman and
offers any other thoughts they care to express about their experiences.
Other items may be included, and some disciplines may require additional
items relating specifically to their major.
From whom are the
results available?
The director of the portfolio project.
Are the results
available by division or discipline?
Results by discipline are not made available to the general
public. Discipline reports are shared with chairs and deans of the
respective departments.
To whom are
results regularly distributed?
The overall results of portfolio assessment are available to all members of the
Truman community through this Assessment Almanac. More detailed data
are accessible in consultation with the Portfolio Director. Specific
findings are shared with faculty and administrators through planning
workshops, faculty development luncheons, and other forums. In the past,
data and specific findings have been useful to the university in preparing a
self-study report for reaccredidation by the Higher Learning Commission. The Faculty and Student Senates have used the reports in
developing planning documents and in curriculum review. Some faculty use
the information to reform their curriculum, improve their major, and engage
in self-study. Portfolio findings have
also affected the assignments and syllabi of faculty that have participated
as portfolio readers.
Are the results
comparable to data of other universities?
No. While some universities are using portfolios for assessment of general
education or liberal studies, most do not use similar prompts or submission
categories.
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