Welcome to the first installment of the Husky Folio blog. In the coming months, we’ll explore Michigan Tech’s new Husky Folio program, which builds and enhances metacognition using ePortfolios to inquire about, reflect upon, and integrate knowledge. At its foundation is the concept of folio thinking.
Folio thinking encourages deeper thinking, self-assessment, and growth by maintaining a personal collection of work, ideas, and reflections. This approach helps students track their progress, identify areas for improvement, and develop a habit of continual self-improvement. It fosters a deeper understanding of key concepts, encourages individuals to connect their learning to real-world applications, and empowers them to actively participate in their intellectual development.
You may have heard the term folio thinking used in the last few years as a diverse team of Michigan Tech faculty and staff worked to infuse the curriculum with more opportunities for reflection. This team studied modern learning theory and best practices in helping students succeed in and out of the classroom. One “high-impact practice” recognized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is the use of ePortfolios to “[make] meaning through reflection and thereby [develop] deeper, more intentional identities as learners.”1 Folio thinking is the process of collecting, organizing, reflecting on, and drawing connections between learning experiences. The ePortfolio is a student’s electronic home for this work, their Husky Folio.
Suppose you have a LinkedIn profile and are active on the platform. In that case, you’ve already engaged in a simple form of folio thinking by curating the information you feel best reflects your professional identity. Husky Folio is a more structured yet flexible way of collecting learning experiences and reflective activities and integrating them into portfolios. Depending on the need, students can turn those artifacts into portfolios demonstrating learning to faculty, recruiters, admissions officers for graduate school, or friends and family.
Starting this semester, students taking one of the First-Year Seminar courses will gain experience using the ePortfolio platform PebblePad. Students will have the opportunity to consider where they would rate themselves on the new Essential Abilities and reflect on an experience or concept such as academic planning. They will also create an “About Me” ePortfolio.
Incorporating folio thinking into existing coursework can be as simple as taking a few minutes at the end of class to share their thoughts on how the course material relates to their personal experiences, career goals, or societal issues. For example, “How do you think the concepts we’ve covered so far relate to your future career in [specific field]?” or “Discuss how the material we’ve studied impacts society. What role do you see yourself playing in addressing these issues?” You can also provide more formal opportunities, such as having each student in a group project write an individual reflection on the group dynamics, their contribution, and what they learned from the collaborative process. You can find more examples of ways to incorporate folio thinking into various courses by reviewing the resource document below and learn more about the value of learning portfolios from this helpful video.
In the next installment of the Husky Folio blog, we’ll discuss the tool PebblePad and begin to explore creative applications in each unique course and degree. In the meantime, if you want to know more, visit the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning Open House on Thursday, September 5, between 1 and 2:30 p.m. and see our table! You can also attend a Lunch ‘n Learn on October 22 and learn more about how faculty are employing folio thinking pedagogy in their courses this semester. You can also email Dr. Nancy Barr at nbbarr@mtu.edu to discuss how a Husky Folio could creatively support your course needs.
1 Eynon, B., & Gambino, L. M. (2017). Introduction. In High-Impact ePortfolio Practice: A Catalyst for Student, Faculty, and Institutional Learning (p. 1). Stylus.
Written by: Nancy Barr, PhD, NREMT, Assessment and Writing Support Specialist, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education