4.2 Developing and implementing an effective online educational  (Page 4/7)

An examination of the abilene christian university educational leadership internship

The internship is just one component of the ACU Student-Centered Learning Model. Before examining the internship in detail, an overview of the ACU Student-Centered Learning model is offered in order to contextually place the internship within the learning model.

Figure 2: acu student-centered learning model

The two-track e-portfolio (Internship and course), the capstone, and the interactive resume are integrated components of the student-centered approach to teaching and learning that is central to the ACU experience. Using portfolios to showcase and assess learning is not a new idea. Portfolios have been used in the arts for many years. What is new, however, is the power of the computer for portfolio assessment.

The e-portfolio enables students to creatively use their strengths to demonstrate learning by sharing authentic examples of academic work and achievements. These examples are called artifacts. The e-portfolio process allows individual learners to develop a stronger sense of identity by reflecting on how the artifacts demonstrate mastery of course learning outcomes.

At the completion of the program, the e-portfolio will contain collected and organized examples of the student’s learning and represent the full spectrum of academic and professional experiences. As a final requirement, each student creates a capstone experience, using the e-portfolio to creatively demonstrate accomplishments by integrating authentic examples of learning into an Exhibition. The Exhibition is a student-centered and student-directed presentation, which allows the student to creatively mix evaluative styles and artifacts to demonstrate learning strengths.

The e-portfolio also allows the student to use authentic learning examples to create a web-based interactive resume or vita. Potential employers can access resumes containing authentic work examples. Students will have the capability to retain and update their interactive resumes throughout their careers.

To access the e-Portfolio students select the My Portfolio link in Moodle where they see five tabs at the top of the page – Student Folder, Course Matrix, Internship Matrix, Capstone Area, and Career Folder.

Student folder

Course matrix

Internship matix