Using e-Portfolios to Assess Program Goals, Integrative Learning and Civic Engagement: A Case Example

Providing opportunities to foster students’ civic engagement during their undergraduate education is a goal of many universities. There are a variety of ways in which students participate in community service and in community change efforts and social change initiatives; capturing how students integrate these experiences into their broader learning goals can help both students and educators to understand better the impact of civic engagement programs on educational outcomes. ePortfolios are one method being used to assess this type of integrative learning and the transformative civic engagement experiences involved. Using a case example of an interdisciplinary undergraduate minor focused on community action and social change, this paper draws on an analysis of 51 ePortfolios completed by students in the capstone class for an Interdisciplinary Community Action and Social Change Minor to demonstrate how ePortfolios can be used to assess individual student outcomes related to civic engagement, as well as to provide input about program impact.