What Do You Mean ‘Superman’s Not Coming?’ Well, is Batman Available?

Atomic Level

Molecular Level

Let’s get something out in the open: nobody likes accreditation. It often creates parallel processes of questionable value that are removed from the day-to-day, semester-to-semester work that is done in our core tasks of educating students and advancing knowledge. However, we do need systems that generate feedback to students, faculty and programs. These systems must be designed so that the feedback generated can be authentically used in the workflow of the unit without taxing the human capital (i.e. help people do work that matters without killing them). A driving philosophy for the Open Portfolio project is that using the tools does not have to be additive, but ideally captures, refines and makes explicit what is already happening at a tacit level in a program. The Open Portfolio project was originally an attempt to see if programs could move from a file-cabinet based data infrastructure to a digital one using open source technology. Since then, the project has evolved to working with programs to collect “high-resolution” artifacts from experiences both in and out of the classroom. These atomic level data can then be combined to form “molecular” snapshots of an individual student’s progress over time. Going a step further is to repackage data into “complex compounds” that look at multiple students at a specific point or across time. The most important (and difficult) part is getting the right atomic level data. Current partners include programs in College of Education, College of Fine Arts and School of Journalism. External partners include Envision Charter Schools and UVA’s Curry School of Education. Trying to spin accreditation straw into assessment gold is unglamorous work, but necessary for achieving the holy grail of programmatic reflection and improvement. While solving these problems could certainly use someone with superhuman abilities, Superman has to deal with cataclysmic events, like stopping asteroids and exploding volcanoes, and typically doesn’t have time for smaller issues like muggings, street crime or generating reports for SACS. The Open Portfolio project is about tackling the nitty-gritty work in the “alleys” of assessment. Could this just be tilting at windmills? Maybe, but so is putting on a cape and running around the city at night. The point of the work is to make a dent in the problem and give people the hope of making program assessment a not-so-unpleasant process. Sometimes; people deserve to have their faith rewarded. If you are interested in Open Portfolio please email Gerry Swan (gswan@uky.edu). It’s the assessment tool UK deserves, but not the one it needs. So you can kick its tires, because it can take it. But it won’t be your hero. It’s a silent partner, a watchful collaborator… A Dark Knight. (Cue the theme music)

Complex Compound