Abstract:

This paper will focus on how the design and development of e-Portfolios can help to prepare senior undergraduate students to design and realize future career pathways with the use of this electronic assessment tool. In particular, this paper will illustrate how one university has changed their focus in evaluating student learning in a strategic approach to incorporate a new type of “capstone” course for business undergraduate students. As Knowles (1987) noted that “everyone [learners] should be able to participate and control their own learning process.” As a result, there are still students leaving educational institutions not fully prepared as to how to approach the job hunting process. Instead of focusing solely on a teacher-centered approach, this assessment tool helps students to customize their final project work in the context of an e-Portfolio, as well as focusing on the use of a strategic tool for future career endeavors and personal reflection.

The author will discuss potential applications of e-Portfolios to include academic works and achievements, which best represents the student’s ability to demonstrate what they have learned and what they can offer to potential employers. Further, this paper will discuss how the e-Portfolio was created and developed in this university program in terms of assessing the intellectual capital of their senior undergraduate students, as well as using this approach to help them prepare for their future career paths. This particular academic tool has been helpful for the instructor to evaluate the students’ abilities and skills to apply content knowledge gained from the core business administration programs, as well as prepare students for their next career endeavor.

Since it implementation, this particular assessment/strategic tool in the final capstone course has been perceived and evaluated as a valuable final course offering. The use of e-Portfolios has been used as an assessment tool to evaluate the overall content knowledge gained by senior undergraduates during their program of study. Each e-Portfolio is a work in progress throughout the term as the instructor works with the student in the creation of each phase of their e-Portfolio development.

The end result of this course has two purposes. First, it serves as a final assessment of the student’s ability to apply core course concepts, principles, and theories into a final electronic portfolio for evaluation. Second, the student will prepare a final portfolio, which can be used on future career endeavors and interviews. While many students leave the university setting with their final academic achievement, the diploma, they are left to the task of finding their future career /position or seek additional educational opportunities. In any event, this final e-Portfolio can be used in either situation to help the student in obtain future employment or additional educational opportunities.

Keywords:

Lifelong learning, e-portfolio, career development, assessment, evaluation, capstone.