Introduction
Students entering JHU as degree-seeking students in Fall 2025 or later with a primary major in WSE must complete requirements in six Foundational Abilities. Required ePortfolio assessments include Writing, Oral Communication, Ethical Reflection, and Conceiving of and Realizing Projects. WSE instructors will collect FA assignments performed within the Digication ePortfolio system through Canvas assignments. Canvas serves as a system of record for the university within which students' achievement of FAs can be evaluated and recorded.
Read more about the CUE2 Initiative. Access detailed Foundational Abilities requirements in the JHU Academic Catalogue.
Quick Start Guide (Just the Basics)
Follow the steps below for a bare bones start to collecting ePortfolio submissions from your students. More detailed information about each step is available in the rest of this guide.
- Go to Digication and log in using your JHED ID to automatically provision your Digication account.
- Import the WSE Foundational Abilities Instructor Resources module for the relevant FA from Canvas Commons to your course.
- Edit the assignment template to add specific instructions and a due date. Do not change the point value or edit the rubric name or any criteria.
- Publish the assignment.
- Go to the Modules page in your course. Move your published assignment from the Instructor Resources module to a published, student-facing module.
- Optional: Publish the page included in the resource module titled Information for Students: Foundational Abilities in your ePortfolio and move it to a published module where students can access it.
How the FA Assessment Works
Faculty select a rating for every criterion in the imported FA rubric. For FA1.1, FA1.2, FA5, and FA6 Final Assessment, Canvas uses the rubric scores and the Foundational Abilities grading scheme to display an overall result of Advanced, Proficient, or Nascent.
FA6 Milestone Assessment uses a point-free progress rubric. After selecting and saving a rating for every criterion, the instructor manually enters Advanced, Proficient, or Nascent in the assignment score box. Not Yet Assessed may be used for an individual progress criterion but is never the overall assignment grade.
Students and faculty will see point values in the scored FA rubrics. Those values are required for the Canvas calculation and must not be changed. Every FA assignment is configured not to count toward the course final grade.
If the same work should also contribute to the student's course grade, create a separate course-grade assignment. Use your normal course grading method in that separate item. A separate course-grade assignment is not needed when the ePortfolio work is being used only for the FA graduation requirement.
Detailed Guides
- Getting Started in Digication–Faculty and Staff
- ePortfolio Assignment Setup for Foundational Abilities
- ePortfolio Assignment Grading for Foundational Abilities
Get Help
Pedagogical Design Support
Contact the Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation (CTEI) for guidance and support in developing your FA ePortfolio assignments. Email ctei@jhu.edu.
Technical Support
Contact the Center for Media and Technology Solutions (CMTS) for individual assistance in using Canvas, Digication, or other educational technology. Email cmtshelp@jhu.edu or submit a request.
Technical Guides