Evaluation and portfolio guidelines
(a variation on Dr. Jim Stroh's theme)
 
Astronomy and Cosmologies, Spring 99
with E.J. Zita
 
Portfolio strategies and mechanics      Self Evals: first person and third person
   Evals of faculty     and       APEL's guidelines and workshops
 
 
First, assemble your portfolio...        write a paragraph for each section...        then write your evaluations...
first, assemble your PORTFOLIO:
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    Your portfolio is your summary of your learning in this program.  It should include all your finished written work this quarter, organized and annotated in a way that is easy to read.  You may be able to use it on open-note exams.  You should be able to refer to it years from now and get a clear recollection of the most important aspects of your learning this quarter. A stranger (for example, a grad school admissions officer or a potential employer) should be able to browse your portfolio and, from your presentation of your material, get a clear picture of the most important aspects of your learning. You can show it to your kids when they study science in 2020, or show it to incoming students trying to figure out how to do their portfolios next year. Look at peers' portfolios for ideas about your own, and have a classmate read yours for clarity and meaningfulness.
 
 
PORTFOLIO STRATEGIES:
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Two common approaches are developmental and representational portfolios. In a representational portfolio, you might emphasize select pieces of work that fairly represent the overall quality of your work this quarter. These pieces would be independently tabbed, and would be explicitly referenced in your cover paragraph for the appropriate section. Their significance in the context of that section and of the overall program would be made clear to the reader. In a developmental portfolio, you might contrast weaker earlier work with stronger later work to show how your understanding has grown. For example, you might rework incomplete homework and demonstrate by your discussion of the work how your understanding has progressed beyond that shown in your initial work. Concreteness strengthens your portfolio and helps your reader focus. If you say you have an especially good grasp of  hydrostatic equilibrium, for example, illustrate your conceptual understanding with a relevant case from your own experience, and explain it in your own words.
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PORTFOLIO MECHANICS:
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Your portfolio should include all your finished written work this quarter. Put your work in a 3-ring binder, in a logical order:
  • Make a table of contents and a cover page summarizing what's included, and why.
  • Tab and label each section of your portfolio.
  • Write a  paragraph to introduce each section, summarizing the important work in the section and how it represents your learning.
  • Include two copies of your self-evaluation (at the end of the quarter) - one to leave in your portfolio, and one to give your prof at the eval conference.

    • Organize sections in a way that makes sense to you, and makes it easy for the reader to understand (for example, homework, prep notes, quizzes, exams, and research project). What should your reader focus on? Tell us, and help us find the most important parts.  Each cover paragraph (say, for the homework section) should also call attention to specific works that clearly illustrate your good work. Also mark these important pieces of work by tabbing them independently.


     
    then draft your SELF-EVALUATION:
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    Your self-evaluation should synthesize your learning experiences in this program, and show your progress with one or two concrete examples. Edit your self-eval to focus on concise insights about your growth and learning. Instead of merely claiming to understand a topic, choose a concrete example to demonstrate your understanding concisely and vividly.  If you need help getting started, use the paragraph that introduces each section of your portfolio, since you've already summarized your work there.  Then edit your self-eval down to a couple of solid paragraphs, based on the trends you've noted in your portfolio.
    Keep one copy of your self-eval in your portfolio, and give one to your prof. It's up to you whether this should be part of your permanent record at Evergreen.
    Say you've written your self-eval in the first person:
    "I started this program rusty in math, and worked hard to complete all the assignments to a high standard.   My understanding improved to the point where I could derive Kepler's third law from Newton's second law, understand when it applies and how, and qualitatively explain the relation between, say, a planet's  period and it's orbit radius.  I used this in my project on dark matter to show how rotation curves vary for different mass distributions.
    "This is important to me because I want to understand what the universe is made of,  how it works, and how other people make sense of their universe.  I also researched how native Orkans understand what the world is made of and how this affects the structure of the universe.  While I have come to believe that micro black holes comprise most of the mass of our universe and  may be responsible for the large scale structure of groups of galaxies, the Orkans believe that the world is permeated with angels and demons who control the movements of the heavens, the growth of plants and animals, and the minds of people.
    "I have become  less reliant on calculators, better at making estimates of large and small quantities, and more skilled at connecting meanings and relationships, with and without mathematics.  I also learned a lot about working with people and speaking in front of groups.  I participated actively in class, workshops, and governance, kept a detailed observing journal, and collaborated effectively with classmates, especially my research partner."

     
     
    next, rewrite your SELF-EVALUATION in the THIRD PERSON:
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     How would you fairly expect your prof to describe your work and growth in the program this quarter? Write that eval. Emphasize the positive (fairly) and keep using concrete examples to demonstrate (not merely claim) your understanding concisely and vividly.
    "Alesia's math skills greatly improved this quarter, due to her clear focus and good steady work.  Her understanding advanced to the point where she can derive force balance in hydrostatic equilibrium, using conservation laws and integral calculus.  This enabled her to effectively demonstrate her clear conceptual understanding of spherically symmetric situations where gas pressure out is balanced by the inward gravitation force, in her homework and exams. Alesia used her new knowedge effectively and creatively in her project on fusion energy,  to show how magnetic confinement fusion can be used for cheap and safe space flight.  Alesia's easy mastery of these important new skills helps to prepare her well for her goal of going into space on a fusion powered rocket.
    In addition, Alesia developed strong skills in collaboration and public speaking.  Her ability to facilitate cooperative work with a diverse group resulted in highly effective co-learning sessions in the classroom.  Her willinginess to work at the board and her courage in sharing new ideas about unfamiliar materials helped to deepen understanding, and strengthened her well-earned confidence.  Alesia shows great promise as a team member in any working team, and is well prepared for more advanced work in physics and mathematics."
    Please spell-check and have peers and APEL proofread your self-eval. After you have discussed your eval with your research team, edit it appropriately. Then have each team member sign your eval. Bring this third-person self-eval to Zita (hardcopy and on disk, as a Microsoft Word document) and she will edit it with you, during your final eval conference. This will become the official "faculty evaluation of student" that goes into your permanent record at Evergreen.

     
    Also write an eval of each FACULTY member in your program.
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    Did they meet the expectations in the covenant and contribute to your learning experience?  Comment on your own personal experiences with the faculty member (not on your perceptions of classmates' perceptions).  If you'd like to comment on other support people and resources, that feedback is welcome too.  Please give these evaluations to your prof or to the program secretary on the day of the eval conference  - do not leave them for next week!
    Constructive suggestions, about what works better and less well, will help us decide how to guide future programs. Anonymous evals carry little weight.  You may find  APEL's guidelines on writing faculty evals useful.

    Return to:  Astronomy home page          Evergreen Home Page
    Maintained by: E.J. Zita
    edited on 25 April 1999