Material Detail

This manual describes the four phases of the Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process, a methodology that successfully guides students to develop the skills and capacities needed for reflective practice, ethical leadership and life-long learning. Each phase contains an overview, learning objectives, steps, exercises and worksheets.

This 59-page document is the result of several years of action research and curriculum change at the University of Michigan wherein more than a dozen graduate/professional schools (Dentistry, Public Health, Education and Social Work) and undergraduate programs (e.g. Dept. of Chemistry, Michigan Research Community, Health Science Scholars Program, and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) have been planning, piloting, and/or implementing the innovative methods and approaches described in this guide.

During the 2008-2009 academic years, more than 2,400 students, staff and faculty used some or all of the methods in this guide; currently, many more faculty, and staff leaders are working to incorporate these methods into their courses, programs, schools and administrative units. The methods presented here do not require the use of ePortfolio tools. In fact, several programs have adopted the methods successfully without using any technology. Thus, the focus of this manual is on the methods that support students in creating Integrative Knowledge, not the use of ePortfolio tools (the methods can be supported by a number of ePortfolio tools).

This material was developed as part of the Integrative Learning and ePortfolio Pilot at the University of Michigan (see mportfolio.umich.edu after 8/22/09). The purpose of the pilot is to transform student learning, address institutional accountability needs, and to demonstrate how Michigan faculty, students and staff contribute to the public good. In the 2006-2007 academic year, the pilot began with 150 participants testing several innovative pedagogical methods and ePortfolio tools aimed at helping students reflect on and integrate their learning.

The response to the unique integrative pedagogies presented here (especially Generative Knowledge Interviewing) was overwhelmingly positive. Many students reported that going through the Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process was transformative it helped them to fundamentally understand themselves as learners and see areas of knowledge, skill and strength they were not aware that they possessed.

All together, participating programs have spent well over 2 million dollars and hundreds of hours of faculty and staff development time learning how to integrate these approaches and methods into their programs, courses, and curricula. There are many more UM programs currently waitlisted to participate in the project. The author has received over a dozen requests from other institutions to share/disseminate this work. Additionally, the American Association of Colleges and Universities has invited the author to participate in a key conference plenary session at their upcoming national meeting: Integrative Learning: Addressing the Complexities. (http://www.aacu.org/meetings/integrative learning/index.cfm).

This will delete the comment from the database. This operation is not reversible. Are you sure you want to do it?

Thank you for reporting a broken "Go to Material" link in MERLOT to help us maintain a collection of valuable learning materials.

If you feel this material is inappropriate for the MERLOT Collection, please click SEND REPORT, and the MERLOT Team will investigate. Thank you!

You are being taken to the material on another site. This will open a new window.

Do not show me this again