For consistent assessment and accurate reporting, specific guidelines must be followed when setting up ePortfolio assignments in Canvas to assess Foundational Abilities. There are two ways of implementing ePortfolio assessment that were considered by the ePortfolio Board and either is equivalently acceptable:
- Direct assessment (individual work only): The student uploads an assignment to their ePortfolio, submits the link, and the work is assessed based on their achievement of the FA.
- Assessment based on ePortfolio reflection (individual or group work): The student writes a reflection in their ePortfolio of another previously submitted assignment. The reflection may include a link to the original work and/or excerpts, images, and/or other documentation regarding salient details of the original work. The reflection specifically focuses on their achievement of the FA through the assignment.
FA assessments MUST be completed in Canvas with the provided FA rubrics. These rubrics may not be altered by changing the name or any criteria.
Import Templates and Resources
To get started, import the relevant FA Resources module from Canvas Commons to your course site.
- WSE Foundational Ability 1.1: Writing–Instructor Resources
- WSE Foundational Ability 1.2: Oral Communication–Instructor Resources
- WSE Foundational Ability 5: Ethical Reflection–Instructor Resources
- WSE Foundational Ability 6: Conceiving of and Realizing Projects–Instructor Resources
If you are assessing FA3 or FA4 through an ePortfolio submitted during CAL, please contact cmtshelp@jhu.edu.
The module contains assignment templates, links to support resources, and a student instruction page.
Each assignment template includes:
- the objectives of the FA being assessed
- default settings to require a website URL as the submission content
- technical instructions for students to publish, share, and submit the ePortfolio content
- the appropriate rubric and rubric settings
- a default value of 100 points
Identify Grading Goals
One or Two Submissions?
You may wish to use assignment to assess the student on both coursework-specific objectives and a Foundational Ability. This is typical if you are repurposing an existing assignment to assess the FA secondarily to the initial assignment objectives. If so, you must collect and assess the assignment separately from two submissions. This is because the FA assessment must be a “pure” assessment only of FA achievement, and it must be in its own Canvas submission for accurate reporting.
- Course Submission: The work being assessed is first submitted in any format or platform, as determined by the instructor. If the preferred platform is Canvas, a distinct Canvas assignment submission is created. If desired, you may create a rubric to assess the assignment objectives irrespective of the FA assessment.
- FA Submission: The work is then submitted as a link to the ePortfolio via a Canvas assignment using the Foundational Ability assignment template provided. The FA submission is scored using the established FA rubric. Feedback on the FA is provided to the student using the rubric tool within Canvas.
If you design an assignment where the FA is the only thing being assessed, you may use a single Canvas assignment.
Points Towards Course Grade
Point value of the ePortfolio assignment is up to instructor discretion. You may choose apply different grading approaches depending on the type of assessment (dual purpose, Foundational Ability only, or reflection) and how you are awarding points for the other submissions. Some examples include:
- Points based on rubric assessment of the FA (Nascent: 0-84%; Proficient: 85-89% Advanced: 90%+)
- Points for completion
- Assessment only–no points towards course grade
What is the same across all scenarios is that the FA submission needs to be assessed strictly on the criteria in the FA rubric, and the FA rubric cannot be edited.
Create the Assignment
- Open the assignment template relevant to your grading goals–Completion Grade or Grade by Achievement. (If you do not want to award points towards the course grade, use the Completion Grade template.*)
- Edit the assignment name as desired. We recommend that the title retain a reference to the FA being assessed.
- Add assignment instructions.
- Do not edit the assignment objectives. These are specific to the FA being assessed.
- If needed, edit the submission instructions. You may need to inform students to share their ePortfolio with a co-instructor or TA in addition to you.
- Edit the point value if desired. The default is 100 points.
- If you are using weighted grading, move to the appropriate assignment group. If not, you can leave it in the imported assignments.
- Do not edit the Submission Type. The submission option is Online > Website URL.
- Add a due date, then press Save.
- Move the assignment from the Instructor Resources module to a published student-facing module, and publish the assignment.
*You may wish to assess the FA achievement for the student's graduation requirement without providing any points towards the grade in your course.
In this case, start with the template marked Completion Grade. Follow all instructions as above, but also check the box for "Do not count this assignment towards the final grade" in order to remove it from calculations.
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