Hi there! I'm hoping to hear from a number of Walden students who are currently working towards their Masters in Education. My question for you is, "What do you think of the portfolio process?
Do you think this is truly a valuable learning experience or is it better identified as excessive busy work?"
I am of the opinion that the portfolio is not designed to do what it is supposed to do. I feel like its greatest accomplishments are simply stressing out students and causing hours upon hours of writing while taking precious time away from our own students.
Here are some of my opinions-I'm sure I'll add more as we go....
1. The portfolio does not accurately demonstrate our teaching abilities, merely our ability to write papers.
However-our class assignments show that we are now capable of creating wikis, blogs (I had never really heard much about blogs until Walden, and look at me now!), VoiceThreads, Podcasts, electronic concept maps, participating in online discussions and collaborating globally-skills that we demonstrate we now have, an also demonstrate our understanding of how such items can positively impact our students' learning through the already created reflections.
2. The portfolio does not meet the needs of diverse learners.
(I for one, struggle to write papers, however I am assessed time and again on my ability to write and to use APA formatting despite the numerous resources Walden has had us view regarding ways to use technology to demonstrate understanding in other ways.)
3. I value our coursework and feel that I have learned amazing things about how to integrate technology into my classroom. I have put in countless hours every week (30-40hrs each week) on weekly coursework, and I value the assignments. If the assignments are truly quality in nature (which I think they are even though they don't meet the various needs of Walden's students) then they should be sufficient for our portfolio artifacts.
4. Research shows that portfolios are most effective when teachers are knowledgable about the requirements and able to offer advice for students. However, very few Walden professors have any access to this process at all. I have contacted the portfolio support and often get vague answers that don't answer anything until I express my dissatisfaction with their response.
5. Portfolio scoring is subjective in nature-not offering an accurate evaluation process.
6. I thought our resources stated that assessments should be part of the learning process, not separate. If we were able to just upload artifacts from our courses then I feel this would be the case. However, since we are to do so much stuff aside from coursework to meet the requirements for the portfolio I do not feel Walden is "practicing what it preaches".
7. Walden claims to be student centered...with the immense amount of anxiety and stress shared about these portfolios, it is evident that the process needs to be reconsidered.
8. Research also shows that in order for portfolios to be successful, students must clearly understand the requirements. The steps in taskstream are sometimes difficult to follow and I feel the descriptions of portfolio artifacts are so wordy (some are 40-75 pages), and the terminology used is such that it makes it very difficult to clearly understand what we are being asked to do.
9. The time commitment required to complete the portfolio artifacts is not manageable. (I personally have to take time off work-away from my students just to complete these at a very basic level-this goes against Walden's Student-Centered Motto "With close to 85% of our students pursuing their degrees while working full time or self-employed, Walden is dedicated to supporting busy adult learners, just like you, every step of the way....Our flexible online format offers an engaging online learning model that is designed to fit your busy schedule, which means you can participate in classes on a weekly basis whenever it's convenient for you.")
**I feel that most of us are really feeling the pressure of these transition points. I don't know that anything will change, but I feel I must do something to at least let our voices be heard. Nothing will change if we don't speak up.
I am currently working on a letter to send to the Dean of Education. If you have any other ideas or comments, or quotes to back up these opinions, please share them. I also encourage you to contact the Dean (kate.steffens@waldenu.edu) stating any concerns you may have.
I am asking for your input on the current portfolio process. I am also asking for you to post a sentence or two regarding your stance, whether you value it as a valuable learning experience or simply excessive busy work.
If you agree with these comments, but don't know what else to say, you may also just reply with a brief, "I agree".
I also encourage you to let others know about this posting, I want feedback from as many Walden students as possible. Please let me know if you have any ideas of other actions we should take.
To the Walden administrators, I know that Walden's motto is that they are student centered. I encourage you to demonstrate this by creating and sharing a survey that allows us to share our honest opinions regarding the portfolio process in regards to our learning experiences here at Walden and then sharing the responses with us. Please select the questions carefully as to give an accurate picture of our perceptions, and not to skew the results in one way or another.
Mindy Hart
Here is my final letter to the Dean: (It is not perfect, but I don't have time to make it perfect at this point.)
November 24, 2012
Dear Dean of Education,
Walden University is proud to offer
higher education while being student-centered.
They proudly boast on the website, that “We understand how important it
is to provide you with the resources and services you need to meet the needs of
both your professional and personal lives”.
It is in regards to this claim that I find myself contacting you with my
concerns about the current portfolio process, questioning why our coursework is
not sufficient for portfolio artifacts, and asking you to reconsider the
requirements for portfolio artifacts.
Although I do value portfolios as an
effective way to demonstrate growth, I do not feel that the current portfolio
requirements are accomplishing what it was designed to accomplish. As our Walden courses have taught us, “Making
an educational experience relevant and meaningful should include making the
method of assessment relevant and meaningful” (as cited in Lambert, DePaepe,
Lambert & Anderson, 2008, p. 77). At
this point it seems the portfolio’s greatest accomplishments are stressing out
students and causing hours upon hours of writing papers while taking precious
time away from the students in our classrooms.
I would like you to consider the
use of our Walden coursework to meet the requirements for the portfolio for
these reasons:
- The current portfolio doesn’t accurately demonstrate our teaching
abilities-merely our writing abilities.
“Student assessments that are
limited to a single medium immediately impose barriers that prevent some
students from accurately demonstrating their skills and knowledge” (Cennamo,
Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 125). The current portfolio process and rubric
more accurately assess our abilities to write papers, and follow APA guidelines
instead of our ability to create meaningful learning experiences for our
students. I, for one, am not a strong
writer, so the fact that the portfolio is comprised of extensive papers, limits
my ability to demonstrate mastery of the content to the fullest extent. Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer state that, “You
should use a variety of assessment formats and tools that are matched to your
students’ learning goals and that provide an adequate picture of student
understanding” (2009, p. 143). They go
on to say that, “Assessments are useless unless you score them to evaluate
students’ progress and determine whether your students learned what they set
out to learn” (2009, p. 153). I ask you to reflect, is the portfolio really
assessing what we have learned or is it just assessing our ability to
understand murky directions and the ability to regurgitate what we think they want
us to say?
“Assessments should be woven
throughout instruction to serve many purposes and can take many forms. Just as you should vary your instruction and
select multiple methods for presenting your instruction, you will draw upon
multiple assessment formats and tools to support them” (Cennamo, 163). Our assignments through our Walden courses
have provided a variety of assessment and varying ways for us to demonstrate
our newly acquired knowledge. Our
courses have introduced us to many new forms of technology and have required us
to partake in authentic experiences by engaging with the technology and gaining
a solid understanding of 21st century skills. Our weekly assignments have demonstrated our
ability to create wikis, blogs, podcasts, VoiceThreads and our ability to
collaborate with a global network. The
reflection component of these assignments demonstrates our ability to apply our
newly acquired skills to design meaningful experiences for our students, which
directly aligns with NCATE standard 1 that “requires teacher candidates to
demonstrate that they are able to facilitate student learning of the subject
matter…through the integration of technology” (NCATE, 2012).
It is amazing to me how many of my
colleagues and I have worked hard to earn and maintain a 4.0 in our classes but
still risk not getting our degree due to the portfolio process. If we have demonstrated that we are able to
utilize these various technologies and that we are able to create learning
experiences for our students using the technology, then why is this not
sufficient for our portfolio? As students, we greatly value the education we
have obtained through our courses; it is unfortunate that Walden does not value
these course assignments.
- It does not meet the diverse needs of Walden students.
“Culturally responsive pedagogy
suggests you have to know and understand the learning styles, preferences, and
abilities of your students in order to provide successful learning
experiences” (Cennamo, p. 166). ISTE NETS-T Standard 4.b indicates that you
will address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered
strategies”(Cennamo, p. 167). However
the current portfolio falls short of this.
Just as Daniel Broersma, a colleague of mine, shared on my blog post (http://m-hart.blogspot.com/2012/11/walden-portfolio-process-opinions-please.html
I encourage you to visit this blog to see other students’ responses as
well. I just poste my initial questions/concerns
yesterday and have already had a number of replies in 24 hours) regarding the
portfolio process, “it is doing a disservice to us all that every education
major must complete the same portfolio.
When we log into the ePortfolio, we must click on the link that clearly
states ‘all specializations’ despite the numerous specialization areas Walden
offers.”
Research has shown that, “For portfolios to be truly authentic, they
have to relate to each students’ academic major” (Shavelson & Klein,
2009). Since the requirements for our
portfolio are generic and fall into the cookie cutter, “one size fits all
mindset” it is obvious that our current portfolio process falls short of being
truly authentic. However, the
assignments that we complete in our courses are specific to our specialization
area and demonstrate our abilities using a variety of media. If these artifacts were utilized in the
creation of our portfolio, our assessment process would be more authentic, and
student centered, just as Walden has deemed as “best practice”.
- Expectations are unclear.
“The guidelines and criteria for
the selection of materials contained in the portfolio should be explained and
made clear to your students” (Cennamo,
Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 152). The
resources to access the directions for our current portfolio are very hard to
access and understand. The descriptions
for many of the portfolio artifacts are extremely wordy and may range from
20-45+ pages. The vocabulary used to
describe the requirements is confusing and vague, leaving the students guessing
what is expected of them, leading to increased stressed and anxiety. With
every approaching transition point discussion boards are filled with student
questions regarding how to understand the directions, and trying to guess what
is expected of us. Tell me, is the
purpose of the portfolio to assess our ability to decipher the pages upon pages
of vague descriptions, or should the purpose be to demonstrate our abilities to
create meaningful and effective lessons for our students? Is the purpose of this Masters to be a
writing scholar or to become a better teacher overall?
Research shows that portfolios are
most effective when teachers are knowledgeable about the requirements and able
to offer advice for students. After
contacting numerous professors, it has become evident that very few Walden
professors have any access to this process at all. Many have just redirected us to the portfolio
support team, admitting they have no information regarding the portfolio
process. I ask you, if the portfolio is
such an important component of our education then why aren’t your professors
familiar with the process? I have contacted the portfolio support team a
number of times and have gotten vague answers that did not answer my
questions. Instead I had to contact them
again, sharing my dissatisfaction with their response in order to get a reply
to my question.
“Students who understand the goals
of their schoolwork are more likely to stay focused, monitor themselves
successfully, and drive satisfaction from their practice” (as cited in Cennamo
et al., 2009, p. 122). Throughout the
seven courses I have completed, I have found the weekly expectations to be
rigorous, yet manageable. Progressing
with each week, and relating to the weekly resources, it has been easy to
understand, and recognize the importance of each assignment. Also,
should questions arise, we have had the great support of our professors and our
colleagues to assist us with understanding our course requirements and to help
us extend our thinking to the next level.
Our coursework and discussions
more accurately demonstrate our level of understanding and the ability to apply
this new knowledge to our classrooms than the portfolio pieces ever will.
- Time
According to the Walden website,
85% of its students are pursuing their degrees while working full time or self-employed. We are trying to juggle our ever-demanding
careers with the rigorous Walden course requirements. On a daily basis I spend between 10-12 hours
every day of the week preparing for the students in my classroom. I value my learning experiences from Walden
and each week I spend a minimum of
35 hours on my weekly Walden coursework, reviewing resources, even the optional
resources, writing papers and discussions, and being an active participant in
the online forums. This leaves
approximately 7 hours a day left to sleep, commute, pay bills, buy groceries, shower
if I’m lucky, and eat (notice I did not mention any free time, exercise, or even
time with family). I have not attended
any family events in the past 14 months.
I have missed my grandparents’ 91st birthday, seeing my
cousin who has been teaching in Germany the past 15 years, my husband’s birthday,
and I have had to put off starting a family.
The fact that the majority of the
artifacts for the portfolio must be completed outside of class causes a great
deal of stress and anxiety for students.
There simply isn’t enough time in the day. There is no time left in the remaining 7
hours a day to put forth the energy and effort needed to complete the portfolio
to the degree that is necessary.
The eighth week of each course is
“set aside” for us to work on portfolio assignments, however many of these artifacts
claim that they take more than one week to complete. Most of us have not had one single day off
away from Walden work since we began 14 months ago. I have even utilized the 8th week
of each course and still find myself beyond behind. I
noticed that Walden posted an announcement a few weeks ago that said to relax
and rejuvenate over the holiday season. Unfortunately,
we will be unable to relax when we have the stress of portfolio checkpoints 3
and 4 on our shoulders. I also noticed that
the Walden offices were closed for Thanksgiving. I’m sure this was nice for the Walden
employees, however the students still had an enormous amount of work to do.
Numerous colleagues are sick from working such hours; some are now on
medication for anxiety due to this process.
I ask you, is Walden really living up to its claims that it is designed
with working professionals in mind?
Since the majority of Walden’s
students are also working full-time jobs, they simply don’t have the time and
energy to create artifacts aside from the weekly assignments. One study found that, “because they are
responsible for applying their knowledge and managing a classroom, students
hurriedly completed the tasks and collected the artifacts, detracting from the
overall purpose of the e-portfolio”
(Parker, Ndoye, Ritzhaupt, p. 104).
With each portfolio checkpoint I have found that I have had to take days
off work, away from my students, to simply complete these tasks, which has had
a negative impact on my students’ learning, and goes directly against the
school of education’s claim, “our faculty members understand your day-to-day
and professional needs” (Walden
University, 2012).
“The National Council for
Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has played a large role in the rapid
increase of e-portfolio use because ‘institutions are expected to use
technology to maintain their assessment systems” (Parker, Ndoye, Ritzhaupt, p.
99). However, according the FAQ page on
the NCATE website, it does not require schools to have portfolio assessments
(NCATE, 2012). Portfolios are great way
to showcase what we have learned when artifacts are selected appropriately, and
I feel that our Walden coursework more accurately demonstrates what we have
learned than the current portfolio requirements. Walden has taught us that technology should
be used to do things that are not possible without the use of technology, not
simply for the sake of using technology.
The only way our current portfolio supports technology is by allowing us
to save our artifacts online, but it does not allow us to use technology to do
new things or to demonstrate our competencies using a variety of media.
However, our coursework has allowed us to develop 21st Century
Skills to collaborate with peers to make a group wiki, sharing our opinions and
viewpoints using VoiceThreads, and allowing our voices to be heard through
Podcasts and blogs. These assignments
allow us to learn from others, to extend our thinking, and truly demonstrate
what we have learned through our time at Walden.
As I near the end of my eighth
course, I am feeling the immense pressure of the next two checkpoints and felt
the need to share my concerns, as well as the concerns of my classmates. I truly do value my experiences through
Walden and I urge you to reconsider the requirements for the portfolio process.
I encourage you to get honest feedback
from Education majors on the portfolio process through an open forum (like the
one I posted in my blog: http://m-hart.blogspot.com/2012/11/walden-portfolio-process-opinions-please.html),
or through a survey. If the portfolio
really does create a valuable learning experience instead of just extra busy
work, then this will be revealed in the results of the survey. I caution you to select questions carefully
and to provide sections for open-ended responses to avoid skewing the results. I also encourage you to conduct research to
see what was the determining factor for students who have decided to drop out
as well as statistics to show how many education majors pay the fee to have
continued access to their portfolio. This research, with appropriate action will
help to meet the needs of Walden’s students, provide insight into student
perceptions of the portfolio process, and it may help to improve graduation
rates in the future.
I found it comforting to know that you have
stated that, “There is a strength that comes from just listening to people”
(University of Minnesota, 2010). It is
great to have a Dean who is committed to improving the university and staying
true to being student-centered. I do not
like to complain but when there is an issue as large as this, I feel I must do
my part to make my classmates’ and my voice heard. I appreciate your time; I will be eagerly
awaiting your reply on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Mindy Hart
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. &
Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use:
A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Lambert,
C., DePaepe, J., Lambert, L, & Anderson, D. (2007) e-Portfolios in
Action. Kappa Delta Pi Record. 43.
2. 76-81. Retrieved from the Education
Research Complete database.
NCATE. (2012).
FAQ of NCATE Standards. Retrieved
from: http://www.ncate.org/standards/NCATEunitstandards/FAQAboutStandards/tabid/406/default.aspx#faq11
Parker,
Ndoye, Ritzhaupt. (2011). Qualitative Analysis of Student Perceptions
of E-Portfolios in a Teacher Education Program.
International Journal of ePortfolio. 1, 95-106.
Retrieved from the Eric database
Shavelson
& Klein. (2009). The Limitations of Portfolios. Retrieved from Inside Higher Ed at: http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2009/10/16/shavelson#ixzz2Cz20wzT7
University
of Minnesota. (2010). Connect.
Retrieved from: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/Connect/2010Spring/Higher-Ed.html
Walden
University. (2012). Retrieved from: www.waldenu.edu
Mindy,
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly how I feel. I am working on Field Experience Project Part 2. My two biggest concerns with this is:
1) It is extra work aside from the work I already do with my classes. Walden expects me to be able to work on my course work 20-30 hrs a week, and then on top of that work one these other major essay type questions. At the same time, I have requirements from my administrator here at my school, as well as through the state I need to comply with.
2) My other chief concern is that I am working on a Master's in integrating technology into a science classroom. When you go to the ePortfolio, it says right on that page that it is for all specializations. These essays and assignments do not include what I am actually learning in my classes. Where is the option to instead of writing a paper, using technology such as a video camera and upload a presentation to be reviewed. Or to set up a wiki for my students to use and then present that in my portfolio. To lump all the Masters in education students together seems to do a major disservice to us all. I understand the need to track growth as the program goes on, but this is just not doing even an adequate job of this.
Those are my thoughts. Hope that helps. Feel free to use them in any letter you write.
To say that I am overwhelmed by all of these "steps" and hurdles in regards to the portfolio is TRULY an understatement! I am starting to have bad dreams regarding this portfolio business... I seriously am. Within the last two or three weeks, anxiety attacks and one panic attack has come about.
ReplyDeletePrior to my enrolling through Walden, I had five fellow colleagues tell me that I should not have any problems with this program; I would learn a great deal and feel more confident with my abilities in utilizing and incorporating technology into more activities. They mentioned the portfolio; however, all five told me at various points throughout the coures, they had to upload major assignments and "plans" they had created in the coursework. The only additional work that was required of them was at the end of course ten - there was a Reflection paper that would need to be submitted. Tonya Meyers, the lady that reeled me into Walden, never mentioned one thing about the intensity of this portfolio. SHe went on to tell me how she got her masters through Walden, and never spent every day doing work for Walden. She would work on Walden 4 days a week for 2 to maybe 3 hours per day. Does this sound like what we have been doing for Walden? NOT me.
1. I am very disappointed that this portfolio does not give explicit directions/instructions on what in the world we are suppose to be doing. I began reading the first few pages of the instructions for transition 3, and I get the overwhelming butterflies in the stomach and simply shut down.
2. Time- I am working over 40 hours a week as a middle school teacher- I do NOT have a planning period- our planning periods are meetings 4 days out of 5. I come home and that is where I plan for my classes for the following day( yes, I am having to plan day-by-day) and grade writing papers along with math. Oh, I can't forget Walden coursework. Seems like 4 or more evenings a week, I am spending time working on the course work alone. My family???? No time to spend with them. I am too tired at the end of each work day and I tell them I have to get this stuff done. Oh, let's not forget sleep!! I cannot function without 8 hours of sleep. Yes, I might can go one day just having had 5 or 6 hours, but I am not one of those that can go without.
3. Dan brings up an excellent point.... obviously, this ePortfolio business is rather generic in the sense that ALL Master's in Education candidates are doing the SAME work??? W-F??
4. It seems to me that if the Walden courses themselves are providing us with effective and meaningful material and projects to master, then, is this not a sufficient demonstration of mastery for the program we are in? I would think so. I take my course work seriously! I take my work as being a teacher seriously. However, I feel as though I have done a mediocre job at best with my students that need me the most!
5. I did find research article discussing portfolios. Two things that stuck out: 1. These portfolios are very subjective in nature. 2. A portfolio is NOT a true representation of a teacher being able to effectively teach nor does a portfolio show a true demonstration of a teacher's overall performance and strengths. There are many BSers in the world that are able to put anything on paper and it sounds terrific. However, with a little time spent with that particular individual you can learn the true colors.
I am in the middle of find research regarding portfolios (not j (not just any portfolio) but the type of portfolio we are having to do. One that is requiring an assinine amount of our time on top of the other 3 dozen responsibilities we have on a daily basis just to re-iterate via typing out versus no demonstration of incorporating technology in our classroom.
ReplyDeleteLooks to me as if Walden would practice what it preaches... talking about the engaging, real-world scenarios we could incorporate in our classrooms; however, we are not asked to partake in any such activities for the portfolio- oh no, it is another gruesome task of writing, writing and writing- nothing more. I will continue to post as I find articles and journal entries that reflect our concerns on this topic!
http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/WU_g.html I encourage you all to read this. Students from Walden express their thoughts towards their own experience with this institute.
WOWWWW!!! I am SO glad to hear that I am not the ONLY one feeling the immense pressure :( I have been stressing about this for a month now and just yesterday I made a To-Do for every single day and my Walden course work is on that for every day. To be honest, the Diversity Assessment piece is a joke to me. If this was something I was supposed to be watching for, then I would have liked to receive the Teaching Log template in the very beginning explaining that it's something I should be adding to. Rather, I feel like I just had to go back through over a years worth of work to remember what I learned and when I interacted with the various subgroups.
ReplyDeleteIt's a task for me right now to handle the weekly assignments PLUS these assignments that I view as a waste of time. Maybe I am just bitter, but I do not feel I am learning anything from these assignments to better develop my thinking as a teacher. The things I do throughout my courses are more meaningful.
Please let me know what we can do to help! These assignments are a waste of my time and causing me extreme anxiety trying to figure out how I can get these tasks done within the next month. (Sorry for the bitterness... I really am a happy teacher... just not when I see some of this as a disservice to my time. I am not growing from this experience - all I am thinking is How can I get this done... asap. :))
EMily, trust me when I say, I feel the same anxiety, frustration and bitterness towards this useless peice of crap Portfolio. This has NOTHING to do with our effectiveness in that classroom with the kids we work with on a daily basis. I just wonder how in the world you can fit an inkling bit of time on a daily basis towards this portfolio. If I do that, I would be up until 1 or 2 at night and I just CANNOT afford to be without ample amount of sleep. I am very grouchy and unhappy without rest.
ReplyDeleteYou said it all very well; I am gaining absolutely nothing from this portfolio business other than headaches, anger, frustration, anxiety and a very bad attitude towards it; The coursework is where I have learned and utlized the things I ahve learned. Have I used everything that has been suggested - hell no. However, what I do feel that pertains to the group of kids that I teach and what would benefit those children- that is what I use.
I think this is a rip-off and justice should be spoken. Mindy, as we have discussed this multiple times prior, I will do ANYTHING I can to help you with this cause. Just let me know. In the meantime, I am continuing my search on resources, research, and articles that pertain to this "waste of time" portfolio!
^^^
ReplyDeleteI agree with above.
Mindy you know my portfolio drama- I accidenltlly submitted a paper, I had to email/call and get the portfolio people to in submit it... Well while that happened my portfolio papers that were only "saved" were deleted!!!!!!
I am a good student and take my work very seriously, however the stress of this portfolio is seriously stressing me out.
I do not understand why all the work if we did the paper and got an A, why do I have to do more work.
Ug!
I will help you in anyway!
I'm so excited to see replies already. I have spent the majority of my day trying to develop my letter to the Dean. I will sleep on it and make changes in the morning.
ReplyDeleteI too take my education seriously. I have put forth countless hours to maintain a 4.0 and to get the most out of my education. I do not cut corners and put extra effort into everything. This concern of mine isn't just an attempt to get out of work, it is a true concern that the heavy requirements we are forced to meet aren't even doing what they were set out to do. Many of the practices go against what we have learned in our classes through Walden.
I truly have enjoyed the learning experience through Walden, but the anxiety of these portfolio checkpoints have pushed me to the brink of a breakdown. I value what we have learned in class and I value the course assignments as effective. If Walden viewed them as effective then they would be sufficient for our portfolio as well. It is crazy to think that students who have maintained a 4.0 while juggling life and a full time job of teaching (anyone with experience in this field knows how demanding this in itself is) can face the chance of not getting their degree simply because of the portfolio process.
I wonder what else we can do? Is it best to have as many Walden students as possible write a brief letter to the Dean expressing concern with the current portfolio process? Should we start a petition of some sort, and how do we do this? Google Docs?? (I'm not very savvy with that yet.) How can we contact other education majors? Should we attempt to contact Richard W. Riley, the man our school of ed is named after? (He was the former United States Secretary of Education, and the former Governor of South Carolina-but I have no idea of how to contact him.)
“Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.”
George E. Woodberry quotes (American poet, critic, and teacher, 1855-1930)
I love this quote. CAn i use this in my classroom?
DeleteOf course, my dear!!! I just googled quotes and copied and pasted. :P
DeleteAnother one I like, but I'm not sure who said it, "I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying,"
DeleteMindy,
ReplyDeleteI hit the point of frustration about 2 classes ago. I am at the point where I just say "get the work done and get out."
I really have no complaints about the overall school. Everyone has been nice over the phone, and worked to get everything accomplished. I had an issue with financial aid that was frustrating, but it finally was resolved.
There are two things that I am not happy about:
1. The amount of time that has been taken away from my family and students. I find myself going into school later and later and leaving earlier and earlier just to get work accomplished for graduate school. I am cranky with my colleagues, students, and family and find myself turning towards my phone countdown to see how many days left I have of Walden.
2. How the assessments (papers here) do not work for all learning styles - which is exactly what we have been asked to do in our own classrooms. (I will not speak about this a lot because many already have.) Also falling into this category is how it is very hard to follow what the assignments actually are covering and what we should really be writing about.
I spoke with my mom the other day and she said "it is graduate school, it is supposed to be tough." I agree with her 100%, but when assessments go against what we are learning then I think we have a problem. I am not trying to look for the easy way out. I do not think any of us are. We are obviously very passionate about learning and education and we are standing up for what we believe in.
Danielle
Mindy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you and others have stated above. I work 40-60 hours a week in school plus countless hours outside of school. It is becoming tougher to find time to devote to both. I am often up until 2 or 3 in the morning doing work for either my students or Walden, which makes me cranky the next day. I have actually considered quitting my job because I feel like I do not have the time to devote to both and feel like my students are suffering in some respects. I have actually had complaints turned in on me because I would use breaks to accomplish Walden work (time not with kids) and no longer allowed to do so.
I think the other thing to keep in mind is that it is in lieu of writing a thesis paper which most other schools require for a master student, although sometimes I wonder if writing a thesis paper would be easier than some of these transition point assignments.
It would be nice if we had previous examples. On one of my transition point assignments I was marked down on because I thought I had answered the question, but my grader felt I had not. I still passed the transition point but I think if I had an example to work from it would be much easier. I understand concerns about copying, but it goes back to what we have been learning in class. You should always provide students with examples of excellent work versus poor work.
Glad to see I am not alone.
Mindy,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with EVERYTHING you are stating! I know it is graduate school and that it is supposed to be tough, but I feel like everything for the major assessment is just extra work! We do the work in class and then you are asked to complete a task that is more extensive than what you just finished in class. I personally do not see how that is showing my teaching ability. I know they tell us to get caught up when you can, but I feel like I never can! I am reading, and writing, and blogging, and responding all week. By the time Sunday comes around I just need a few hours to give my brain a break. So, I don't see how we can get the major assessment work done during that time! It's frustrating, and I appreciate the professors that try to give us course work that will count towards that, but this last transition point is killing me! Thanks for the post!
Melissa, I am in the same boat as you- after Sunday's application/assignment, by brain is shot to hell. I have to have those few hours of "duhhhh time" just to think about nothing! You hit the nail on the head by stating that these major assessments from the wonderful portfolio committee are nothing more than extra work and time spent on frivolous work when we NEED to spend it on our family and our students for the days ahead!
DeleteI got an email stating that the President has read my email! (I clicked the button for a digital receipt)......Still no reply, but I'm just shocked it was read on a Saturday!!! :P
ReplyDeleteAgain, the Dean's email is: kate.steffens@waldenu.edu and the President of Walden's email is: cynthia.baum@waldenu.edu
Mindy,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking the time to put your thoughts down on paper, (and in your blog!) for the rest of us. I feel you really do have concern for ALL of us, and this isn't just something you're taking up in order to get out of extra work.
I can truly say, I agree with ALL you are discussing. As a 50-year old mom with a junior in high school, and junior in college, and my job as a choral director, along with four English classes every day, I have been very proud of myself for getting assignments in on time, and working my very hardest, AND getting all A's. I have sacrificed, just like all of us have -- family time, WORK time, sleep time, and have done everything the program has required.
I can also honestly say I have enjoyed every professor I've worked with at Walden. I have also been pleasantly surprised by how MUCH I've learned. These classes have not all been just fluff, and I have already used so much in my classroom of what I have been learning. Isn't this what really counts here, what is really important?
That being said, I am dismayed by the assignments in this Portfolio. I am literally sick thinking about how it is all going to be done, with Christmas concerts to prepare, regular Walden classwork, and my full time teaching job.
I realize we are to have done this work throughout our classes, and should not leave everything to the last minute, but I use every MINUTE I have just keeping my head above water with all my other responsibilities. There are NO MORE MINUTES in my day. I've had to stop exercising, just because there is no more time, and it's costing me, health-wise.
I truly don't know what I'm going to do to get done with this extra work that doesn't seem very connected to what we are learning.
Thank you again for your worthy crusade!! You and everyone else have been SO great!!
Mary Laubenstein
Hi to everyone on this blog, I share your feelings in the sense that I have no social life or even get time to exercise and do other important things. I go to sleep thinking about working and studying and the same applies for waking up. I don't know how people with families and kids do this...I have been working very hard and I am basically finished with all the biggest assessments, but at a cost. I recently dropped a class in order to create extra time working on this e-portfolios with the vague instructions. I have also contacted various departments and just got referred or got more vague responses. Because of this I am doubling up on courses in January so I can still finish in the minimum time.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to post my feelings toward this concern.
Arie Vellema
Mindy,
ReplyDeleteWhat a breath of fresh air you are! Overwhelmed does not even begin to describe it! I have been looking at the Field Experience Part 2 papers that are attached to my wall for about 5 months now--not finding the energy to begin. I had to drop class seven in September due to three deaths in the family--and what's even more sad is that I was relieved to be able to push back the Field Experience Part 2 assignment for 8 more weeks! I hope the Dean takes your letter into deep consideration--as I can honestly say that I have learned a vast amount of information from the courses thus far--not from the portfolio assignments! I do believe that the portfolio should be a compilation of what we have learned in each course--similar to the portfolio at the end of my teacher education coursework. Thank you for doing this and I just want to say--I couldn't agree with you more! Our families and life outside of schooling and being schooled deserve more of us! :)
Stacy
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this and share with others. Please send us another email and let us know what the response is. I really hope that someone, anyone takes the time to think about the effectiveness of this process.
ReplyDeleteI have not spent immense time looking into the portfolio, only because every time I do, my chest tightens and I begin to have a panic attack. I am concerned, especially with the holidays coming, how I am going to have the time to finish this process, and prepare to graduate. I have been nothing but pleased with Walden and the education that I have received, but as so many others have stated this portfolio does nothing but ask us to regurgitate information and does not meet the needs of all learners.
I feel that the diversity assignment is the most ridiculous assignment. I feel that it is not right for Walden to ask me to go back and site the many diversities that I have encountered in my past teaching years, and if I have none than someone is going to mark me down based on their opinions? I also think they take away from all of their professors credibility by making us re-upload all the assignments that have already been graded and submitted to THEIR instructors.
I am very curious to see the response that you get from the Dean. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help. This MUST change.
Mindy,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this blog!!! I have been overwhelmed with the amount of work in the Transition Points, but I thought it was just that I was not managing my time effectively.
All I think about these days is the work that I have to do. Between all of the Walden coursework, the transition points, and being a full-time teacher, I have lost all social life. Every weeknight and weekday is filled with work, and I am struggling just to get by. Like several other posts, I am to the point where I just want to get everything done so that I can get out! I am not exactly sure when, but somewhere along the line I stopped caring about what I was learning, and focused only on what I needed to complete. The courses themselves are good, but the portfolio is a huge stress, which in all honesty, with Christmas coming and report cards due, as well as IEP meetings every day over the next several weeks, I simply do not know how I will manage it all.
I agree with you. Walden claims to be student-centered, yet the portfolio is far from it!
Thank you again for your post, and I can't wait to hear what kind of reply you get!
Hi everyone. I hope I do not get anyone angry with what I am about to say but I am going to play devil’s advocate here. In most masters programs students are required to write a thesis by the end of their program or take an ending exam that covers all of the material. I was told when I was looking into this program that this portfolio was supposed to be a replacement for these things which I for one was glad to do over the other two. Simply researching and writing a paper is not my favorite thing to do and a final exam really would be going against what Walden has been teaching us throughout this program. While I know we had to do an action research project I felt that this was way more proactive in my career then just a research paper in general. Did I find myself overwhelmed at times? Sure. But I cannot remember a schooling program I have ever participated in where I did not get this way a few times. I work full time and in my last course I had a baby. So, no, I do not have kids other then my little girl now and I know that is a huge commitment that I did not have to balance through this course. Did I feel that my social life suffered? Sure but then again I was also in my second – fourth year of teaching with a school change in between (some of the hardest years) so I expected this. My friends who are in regular masters programs also felt a decline in their social life and felt overwhelmed. Some of their assignments sounded much more intense than our too. My academic advisor (I think that is what they call them) made me fully aware of what I was getting into. I made sure I planned ahead. During the last week of every course I made sure to work on something from my portfolio and I also worked on something during some of our two week breaks. I am in my last course now (I graduate in December) and I am finished my portfolio assignments. Yes, this is a lot but then again, this was made to be an accelerated program. I was initially enrolled in another masters program at a traditional college where I took two classes a semester and had summers and January off. I had to leave due to a military move. That program was also considered accelerated and I started a year earlier then when I started at Walden and would have finished this summer – basically it is still longer than this one. That shows you how much these classes are packing into a short period of time.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if some of the reflection assignments were made for accreditation purposes as well. Some assignments do feel like busy work but I could see how the college might need them to prove to the board that they are doing what their mission statement says. Just a thought.
I do agree that some things should be changed however. Having assignments that are more specific to our specialization would be helpful - however being in the integration of technology concentration program I felt that many of the prompts were considering we had to make several technology goals, etc. I think there are a bit too many assignments in the last transition point. If these were spread out a bit more I do not think that they would be as overwhelming since the end of the program is when everyone is getting burnt out. Creating wikis, blogs, etc. would be a good addition, however they require collaboration and since everyone does their assignments at different times this would be hard. I do wish the professors were more knowledgeable about our portfolio assignments because getting a question answered is pretty difficult – definitely agree with you there.
These are just some thoughts to consider. I do want to commend you on the professional manner that you went about for getting your opinions out there though.
I just replied and it deleted everything :( I guess it was too long.
DeleteI want to apologize in advance for any typos-or grammar problems. This stress has played a tole on me and I've been fighting a migraine for two days. I have blurred vision, can't see out of my right eye, and have basically on peripheral vision in my left. I even had to lay down at school today-I never do that. The kids were worried and I couldn't get a sub at that point of the day, it was brutal. Oh, and an extra bonus, I can't take medicine. Everything I've ever taken causes severe adverse reactions and one doctor said it is due to my liver absorbing it too quickly, even smaller dosages.
DeleteI want to say congrats on the birth of your little girl. I have joked that I should have gotten pregnant just for the maternity leave so I'd have a shot of getting this portfolio done. But in reality I know being a mother is a full time job for sure.
A second congratulations for completing your degree next month! What an achievement!
You have made some valuable points, however I do not feel they fully justify the portfolio process. Just because other schools have a thesis does not make it okay to have an assessment piece that clashes so drastically with the lessons we learn in class. With that being said, I would not put down another University's thesis just because I feel our current assessment is insufficient.
DeleteLet me ask you a few questions: Which do you feel made you a better educator and gave a more accurate account of your ability to instill 21st Century Skills into your classroom while making learning meaningful and relevant for your students, your course work, or the portfolio artifacts?
Will you be paying to obtain rights to your digital portfolio after graduation? One of the few things listed on the ePortfolio overview page states that we must pay in order to access this portfolio later. Do you value your portfolio to pay for this?
Also, just out of curiosity, what grade/subject do you currently teach?
It sounds like you were fortunate to have such a great advisor to give you a clear understanding of what the portfolio process entailed. Many of us were not so lucky. However, I loved my first advisor, and I'm not sure why I've had a new one every semester, but I want to make the point that I do not feel the inaccurate description of the portfolio was any fault of my advisor. Even the professors have little to no knowledge of the requirements so I would not expect someone who advises for multiple degrees to know the full details. ......and I've worked ahead, printed all directions and tried to work on these ahead of time, revisited them multiple times and I STILL have no clue what they are wanting me to do. (Of course, maybe if this was presented to correlate with my learning style/preference I would be more successful, but again, Walden hasn't completely practiced what it preaches) Also, when I did my research, the portfolio page on the Walden website was brief, with only something like 5 bullets. I was told that our coursework would be used to create the portfolio, not that this work would be conducted all separately.
DeleteYou are also lucky to have had so much luck with planning. I have utilized every 8th week, and then some. I am a planner and have been working on my action research and other components for months. Please don't look at us like we aren't putting forth every ounce of energy during every waking moment because many of us are, it just isn't enough.
Of course the portfolio is for accreditation purposes, that is why I researched the NCATE standards and requirements and mentioned this in my letter. It DOES state that teachers need to demonstrate competency and that the schools must have digital assessments. However, no where in my research (more will be conducted on this, just to be sure) did I find that it said assessments must be separate from coursework. NCATE doesn't even require portfolios as there are multiple ways to have digital assessments. Also NCATE requires that teachers demonstrate competency of yet another set of standards. My view is that Walden could still have their portfolio, however if they would use course assignments, it would be more meaningful, relevant, and a more well-rounded picture of what are our true capabilities. To me, the course assignments seem better suited for the accreditation process than the portfolio assignments.
I know that you stated you transfered in, so maybe you did not take all of the courses those of us who have been here from the start have taken. We have created blogs (this one for example), wikis, VoiceThreads, concept maps, podcasts, and so on. We have even created lessons using screen capture software. They did involve collaboration but that is the great thing about the web and learning 21st Century skills, it teaches you how to collaborate and communicate while hurdling the barriers of time and location. The tools we have learned have truly amazed me and added to my repertoire. I feel these assignments, complete with their interaction/implementation with students and our personal reflections, is a much more accurate of our true abilities.
Thank you for taking time to reply, especially with being this close to getting your degree. It is always nice to get others' opinions and to get ideas of other things to consider or research to strengthen our arguments or to know if we are way off base.
Again, congrats on wrapping up your degree! (I'm more than a little jealous!)
Hi again, thanks for your comments about my new little one and degree! Pretty super excited myself.
DeleteTo your questions:
Which do you feel made you a better educator and gave a more accurate account of your ability to instill 21st Century Skills into your classroom while making learning meaningful and relevant for your students, your course work, or the portfolio artifacts? I would agree with you and say the classroom assignments. The artifacts were more like evaluations of what I learned and the class assignments are examples of some of those things. The action research project is an exception to that however. I learned a lot from that.
Will you be paying to obtain rights to your digital portfolio after graduation? One of the few things listed on the ePortfolio overview page states that we must pay in order to access this portfolio later. Do you value your portfolio to pay for this?
I did not know about this but I will not be paying for it. I had to complete a e-portfolio in my undergraduate program as well and I took a small folder of my work from the portfolio when I first went and applied for jobs. Not one person looked at it. So I am figuring the same will go for this one. I have everything saved and I am pretty cheap (I like to call it thrifty, haha) so no I will not be paying for that. I also thought most of the assignments were used to grade our understanding of topics in a more generalized fashion so I do not feel employers would want to see that anyway. On a side note, you asked in the Nov. 27 post if you are allowed to use class assignments for the portfolio or if that was a decision Walden made...just wanted to let you know that in my undergraduate course we did not use class assignments either.
Also, just out of curiosity, what grade/subject do you currently teach?
High School math :)
Sorry to hear about your advisor. I have no idea why it would change that much. I only talked to mine at the beginning so mine may have changed to I am not sure. I agree that people may not be getting informed like they should be. This stuff is very important to know.
The directions are not always the best as well. Agree again there. Professors should be given more knowledge about the assignments so they can help us. I have managed to do well on all of my assignments but I will tell you that some of the lengths ended up being much longer then they suggested due to the vague nature of the prompts. One prompt that comes to mind has like eight bullets but wanted the paper to only be 1-2 pages. That did not make sense to me so I just answered what it said in the length I needed. It ended up being fine but more like 5 pages.
I had to take all of the classes that Walden requires through this program so I know what you mean about the Web 2.0 assignments. They would not be bad additions to the demonstration of knowledge portion of the portfolio.
I guess overall the way I saw this was that iot was a way for them to 1) make us set goals for ourselves and evaluate how we did (I must admit I hated these the most. I am all for setting goals but I felt like they asked us to set way to many at one time); 2) to use some assignments for their accreditation purposes; and 3) to give us assignments that allowed up to pull information from many of our classes and grade us on our understanding of these topics in alternate contexts (like the field experiences). Since we were always graded on the class assignments putting them in the portfolio (only) would be redundant - thy are not really grading us for anything new.
Do I like doing the portfolio? No, not really. Being a math teacher I am not a huge fan of papers either : ) So I am not against your cause here. Overall it sounds like the school and the students have a different purpose in mind for the e-portfolio. Good luck with everything.
I agree with your statements about the overwhelming workload for the portfolio. I feel as thought the coursework shoudl be sufficient. I have created blogs, wikis, VOiceThreads, concept maps, digital stories, and GAME Plans that should demonstrate how I have achieved the objectives outlined for my program. I understand that this is an accelerated program and that I had to sacrifice some things in order to achieve my Master's Degree. However, I feel that the written requirements are excessive, espeically for the final piece. I have put forth much effort throughout each course and feel great anxiety and pressure over the fact that obtaining my degree rests solely on the completion of the portfolio.
ReplyDelete-Corela Tamagnini
I have to agree that this is overwhelming! I've spent a lot of time into this and I feel that I'm not necessarily getting anything in return regarding making me a more effective educator. I look at it as another hoop to jump through before I finish my degree. To me, the timing seems off and there's a TON due at the end of the program. It's busy work... period.
ReplyDeleteMelissa Rosin
I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts/feelings on this portfolio topic. I know everyone's time is limited. If you are like me however, the portfolio is always looming over my head, keeping me up at night. I have not slept for more than 3.5 hours a night for the past week or so, and I don't even have an infant or reason other than the stress and anxiety of the portfolio.
DeleteI did get a reply from the Dean Sunday morning. I must say, I was impressed that an administrator read their email on the weekend and took time to give me a reply. She stated that she appreciated me taking the time to share my concerns in a professional matter and she would be looking into the issue. I found that very respectful of her.
I also got a reply from the portfolio people today. Again, their response, while polite and friendly, was less than helpful. It did not tell me anything I didn't already know, it didn't offer any clarification (although I didn't ask for specific answers at this time b/c over the past 14 months I've found I don't get sufficient answers through that support), and did not answer my questions regarding how they can justify so much extra busy work when our course work more accurately aligns with what they have taught us to be best practice and gives a better picture of our true understanding of the content and our ability to make meaningful learning experiences for our students.....the crusade continues....
I have just contacted NCATE (the accreditation people) regarding requirements that universities must follow to align with the accreditation process. My questions mainly focused around the assessment components and questioned whether or not course work can be used as these assessment pieces or if that was simply a decision that Walden made.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to update everyone....I received a phone call yesterday (yes-on a Saturday, I know, I was impressed too) from Kelley Costner, the Associate Dean. She was very pleasant and she said she wanted to hear from a student how they could improve the portfolio process. She explained to me why some of the pieces are in place but there are still quite a few that I'm unable to wrap my mind around.
ReplyDeleteShe did explain that they have to meet NCATE standards as well as other standards. She said the courses cover the majority of the standards, and the assessment portfolio covers the rest. However, to me, this just translates like, well, I taught my kids multiplication and division, but I need to give them a test on algebraic equations because I have to say they know how to do it whether my coursework aligns with that or not.
She also mentioned that the portfolio is separate so we do not risk failing a class and having to retake it due to the failing grade which would cost us more money. I questioned whether or not we will be charged a technology fee for continued access to our Walden account if we need extensions for the portfolio past the date our last class ends. She did not have the information to give a direct answer on this.
Also, she said the portfolio is structured so we can work on it throughout our experience with Walden as many of the assessments take more than a COURSE to complete. I pointed out that we really only have the 8th week to work on these with 100% of our focus and energy and for most of the transition points, there is more than one artifact due. I also pointed out that elementary teachers (that's my only experience) work many more hours than people realize. I am at school from 7 am-8pm every night except Fridays and often work on school work during the weekend as well. At my school, you can walk in any night and half of the staff will be working 3-6 hours after the kids leave on a regular basis. She mentioned that she has not taught in the elementary or high school level and was excited to learn more about what her students are going through.
I also expressed concerns that the directions are not clear and the portfolio support staff is often unhelpful and say "We can't answer questions, just as you wouldn't tell your students what is on their test." I explained that I wasn't wanting specific answers, just a general idea of how to even get started. She asked if exemplar papers would be helpful-I told her that would be life-changing. :) She said making exemplars accessible will be something she highly considers.
I must say that I am very pleased with the personal attention and treatment Walden has provided. I never would have gotten an email reply or a phone call from my previous University, and especially not on the weekend. However, it looks like we're stuck with this portfolio as is, and there are still some components that simply do not align with the principles they teach us in class. :( She thanked me for helping Walden to improve, and how I will be helping others down the road....I must admit, I said I was glad to help out, I just wish they could help me out as well. :P
Mindy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the update. I do appreciate all that you have done for all of us Walden students. I know what I will be spending my Christmas break doing. It really is unfortunate-but the honest truth. That would be why I roll my eyes when I see an e-mail from Walden telling us to refresh over the holidays. Sure. There will be no refreshing for me until I have the Degree in my hand. Once again, thanks so much! I hope that you have a good Christmas break--I really do mean that!
Stacy
Thanks Stacy!
ReplyDeleteI too will be using my entire break to work on the portfolio. :(
Every time I get an email about relaxing and enjoying break I just want to throw my computer....it is just another reminder of the great deal of time and effort we must put forth towards the portfolio.
I am dying to know the answer to how Walden can justify teaching us to differentiate, but then only assessing us with papers. I emailed again yesterday. I got a lengthy answer, that did not answer anything. In fact, the assistant dean copied and pasted a reply from the portfolio person, which never answered my question in the first place (and I had replied to that email stating she hadn't answered anything, yet I never got a reply). I replied asking them to please highlight the "clear answer" to this question as they claim that email did, and I have yet to hear back. They told me some reasons for the portfolio, but nothing directly addressed the question, that seems to be what Walden is good at, talking in circles, but never addressing the real issue or question at hand.
Also, I find it interesting that they still claim the portfolio is NOT busywork. They claim that these artifacts take more than a course to complete (that's 8 weeks) so they give us the 8th week in each course. I know I'm only a math teacher, but utilizing the 8th week, which I have done, still does not compute to enough time to complete these portfolio pieces as they say, especially since there are 4 between checkpoints, and most checkpoints have multiple items due. Unfortunately, I will have to take time off work to do these papers. :( I hate when something takes away from my students and Walden is doing just that. I included that in my email Friday, but that was a piece that they chose to overlook and not respond to as well.
Two more classes....we can make it, but it is a shame that the portfolio has to take so much time and effort away from our coursework, that is where the true learning takes place.
Best of luck getting your portfolio done!
Mindy
Mindy,
ReplyDeleteHow did you do on Transition Point 3? I just finished up my 7th class--therefore my assignments for the portfolio aren't due for another 8 weeks--but I know that I need to get started ASAP. I dread the coming weeks. It is amazing how I've managed to earn straight A's via Walden and then have the portfolio to worry about. It's too bad that they keep avoiding your questions. Just wondering how your transition points went--it's almost tempting to drop a class here and there just so that I have more time to complete the portfolio work--how bad is that? Hope you had a good Christmas--and hopefully that was at least ONE day you didn't do Walden portfolio work.
Stacy
What is your Walden email? I looked you up in the directory but there were two. Mine is: mindy.weigold@waldenu.edu (I think-I hope that's it!) :)
DeleteStacy
ReplyDeleteI got it done, but I'm not sure how I did yet. I did request an extension and it was granted within 24 hours. They simply say, when do you think you can have it done....I told them, "in 10 years, but lets shoot for a month" and they granted it. Also, they told me on the phone we can do our portfolio after our degree is done if needed, and "Nobody cares if you need an extension-you could take 60 days after your last class if you need to".....ridiculous. I want to be DONE done.......when I finish my last class. I've thought about taking a course off too but I'm really trying not to. We'll see. I did take Christmas off from Walden work, but that truly was the ONE day.
I hope you had a great break too! I'll keep you posted on my transition 3.
Mindy--mine is stacy.martinez2@waldenu.edu
ReplyDeleteHow do you go about requesting an extension? Weird how they will grant it with basically no questions asked--it's almost like they know there is an enormous amount of work to be completed.
Glad you took Christmas off! I'm not sure how to get started with the Field Experience Part 2--the directions are so darn abstract! I've been reading over it a million times! At this point--I know a 5 is considered the best--but I really don't care if I get a 3! Ya know? Shoot me an e-mail--we can discuss this! (I would love to see how your paper turned out--like you said--an example copy would work wonders!)
Stacy
Stacy
ReplyDeleteThanks for your email. I just tried sending you an email-hopefully it works.
To get an extension just email MSEDePortfolio@waldenu.edu and state which transition point you are requesting an extension for. Seriously, they reply in less than 24 hours asking how much time you need and then they grant it. I had until the end of January but I submitted on Christmas eve. I got emails from the ladies who will be scoring them....I swear my heart skipped a beat when I read that. Hopefully I pass, even if I don't get a 5, I'll be happy to pass.
Best of luck with FE2. I'll let you know how mine goes. I don't want to offer feedback/suggestions until I know if I passed....don't want to take anyone down with me. :P
I am in the process of working on FE2. I have completed the diversity log and that's it. I am really struggling with understanding what is expected. Can anyone shoot me an email with a little guidance if you have completed it? Thank you times a million! lara.bushon@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI am currently attempting to do TP3 and struggling quite a bit with it. How did you guys do with this? I am stressing out considerably and completely lost. The directions are so vague that I cannot seem to understand them. Please help me. My email address is patricia.kelsey@waldenu.edu Thank you Kindly!
ReplyDeleteHi Lara!
ReplyDeleteI am sick to my stomach over this portfolio!!! I had thought I was all up to date with the contents, because most of the time the pieces have been projects that we have developed during courses that we have taken, and then at the end we submit. However, I have just discovered that I completely missed the diversity component, and the field experience part 2!!! I think I am about to vomit and cry! I have no idea what to do. There is zero support! And how can I possibly go back now and try to locate lessons I already created and submitted to fit this assignment? HELP!!!!
Oh no! You missed those two? Did you contact the portfolio support people? I do know that Patricia Thurmond is one of the Head people of the portfolio-I would contact her if possible. When you go into your email you can click the tab for directory or something like that...then search and find her faculty email.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have discovered...look at the rubrics-not just the directions. The rubrics are much more straight forward and clear cut. In order to get a 5 you must have EVERYTHING in that category-not just most of the characteristics.
I got a 3 on my diversity and a 5 on my FE2. (I finally discovered the rubric and how to use them after I submitted the diversity paper) I have also discovered that it all depends on WHO grades this. For example, Tiffany DePriter grades HARD. She did call me and talked to me for an hour after I asked why she graded my paper so low (still a 3-but it was my action research that I dedicated my summer, Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, and more to). She is very nice, but struggles to understand that just because we are Graduate students, that does not make us scholarly writers (especially since we've not been taught how to be) and the fact that most of us NEVER would want to be as it would cause a huge disconnect between us and our students and their parents. I wrote both of those papers over Christmas break and can't even remember what I wrote about.
Do NOT be afraid to email the MSED portfolio support. I emailed often-multiple times per paper even. I saved those emails and even attached them when I submitted to cover my butt when things were vague and I felt lost.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED getting feedback from diane. If I were you, I'd even request her, maybe by putting "ATTN diane" in your subject line.
Do NOT be afraid to tell them the answer was not helpful if you still feel lost. Many times they ended their response with "hope this helps" and I would respond and tell them it didn't. As a result, they would send my email on to the Head of the Dept or someone else, and after a few responses I finally got the answer to my question. However, once Diane started responding, I never needed any further clarification. :)
I know this is probably too late to comment, but I am so frustrated with the e-portfolio I just typed "I hate Walden e-portfolio" into my search bar and this popped up! I completed my final course in March, 2013 with a 4.0 GPA and I am STILL working on this stupid portfolio so I can get my degree!!!! I feel like my degree is begin held hostage to this confusing and frustrating process that is in no way indicative of my abilities as a teacher or a student. No one helps you when you reach out with questions, they simply point you in the direction of the very unclear instructions. I am beyond frustrated and angry. I am going to have to start paying my very large loans off soon and I don't even have my degree yet.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I am glad that my blog popped up when you typed that into your search bar!!! :)
DeleteI hope you've gotten a little closer to completing your portfolio and putting Walden behind you forever. The portfolio truly is a waste of time.
I highly encourage you to keep asking questions. I emailed support on a bi-weekly basis I think. I would get vague, worthless responses that didn't answer anything. I would email back and ask them to kindly highlight the area in their email in which they answered my questions. Of course this was never possible. I also emailed back and told them that they did not answer anything. Luckily, I was answered by Diane..... she is AMAZING! She is down to earth and can relate to the struggles we feel with the stupid portfolio. If I were you, I'd request her in your subject if you email the support people. I think her last name might be Penland-you could search her in the directory in your email as well. I had a number of Walden employees call me, trying to help thanks to this blog. :) I'm just SO glad to have it all behind me. I hope you have gotten or will get your degree soon!!
I agree that the portfolio is way too much. I am just finishing up my 8th class and now have to do the diversity transition point. Has anyone done this already? Can I ask if this must be directly related to assignments we've done in our courses or just something we have done in our classrooms? I just want to enjoy what little is left of my summer and don't even want to think about this! Any help/info would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm not responding to this too late.
ReplyDeleteI have completed my entire portfolio-and luckily I passed everything the first time around. The diversity paper I got a 3 on, partially because I hadn't figured out the tricks to understanding the portfolio directions.
I emailed the portfolio support the very same question you posted here. The first response I got was not helpful at all so I replied and told them that. Someone else replied stating that the diversity log does not have to be completed from course assignments (which is good b/c our courses didn't really prepare us for this) however, it did need to be from experiences during your time at Walden (this means, change the dates to experiences or make up whatever you need to just to fulfill the requirements for this). I simply attached the email as an additional attachment and in the teaching log I put something along the lines of "My Walden coursework did not prepare me or provide such opportunities. I was told these experiences do NOT have to be from coursework-please see the attached email" in the box for coursework.
TIps: Your grade almost always depends on who grades it. The assessors are NOT equal. Some are very bright and live for scholarly writing and live on some delusional cloud thinking that everyone lives to write. I told more than one on the phone that as a teacher I must communicate to my students and their parents. If I were to perfect their way of speaking/writing I would never be able to reach my students and their parents and this would cause me to be an awful teacher and therefor, would NEVER want to master such writing.
Look at the rubric-the directions here are much more concise.
I was told by one grader that you must fulfill the requirements of ALL the bullets under a category to earn that score. This is NOT how I assess my students with rubrics. Typically if they have 9 out of the 10 bullets under the best category, I still give them the best rating or close to it, I don't automatically knock them down to the lower category, especially when they have more characteristics in the top score category.
The graders will reiterate over and over that a 3 is passing. They don't seem to realize the countless hours we have to put forth towards the waste of time portfolio assignments and that a 3 seems to be a slap in the face. I know I'm old school but I prefer a percent...is sounds much more meaningful to me to get a 80%, it just sounds better than a 3.
I'm so glad I found this! I, too, am struggling to finish these Transition Points. By the end of my program I'll have written over 75 papers. I didn't know about requesting an extension, so thanks for that information. I'll be emailing today to ask for one! I'm in week 7 of my last class and am still working on TP 2. Ugh! I'm a really good student and a strong writer and I am having a really hard time figuring out exactly what is being asked and getting in enough information to make them happy. At this point, I'll take a 3 as long as it's done!
ReplyDeleteIt seems that we are in the same boat. I am too much frustrated and sick of these TP and VFE things.
DeleteOMG Anonymous... You could have been me writing that! I am not afraid to use my name... I am a strong student but really lost. Did you finish your degree? Can we talk outside of this forum?
DeleteMindy S. Prosperi
mindyprosperi@gmail.com
I totally agree with each and everyone. I am really frustrated and gave up. I wish that the program director, dean and the president have read these comments. It would be nice to send them this link.
ReplyDeleteI am currently finishing my portfolio so that I may graduate. I am having major trouble with field experience project, part 2. I don't understand what they want. Can anyone help? I am so stressed out. I need to get this finished so that I may start working on my administration program in March.
ReplyDeleteIt took me awhile but I finally figured out to just go by the rubrics instead of trying to fully understand the lengthy directions. I also learned that it completely depends on WHO grades your papers (Tiffany DePrater or something like that grades TOUGH. She is very nice on the phone and will explain her grading, but she seems to struggle with understanding that we are not all professional writers, and are not APA experts. I would not want to be a scholarly writer, I have even turned down that offer previously. If feel if I wrote in such a way to be deemed as writing a perfectly scholarly paper, I would not be able to connect with my students and their parents.
DeleteAnonymous from Jan 21st. Email me at mindy.weigold@waldenu.edu and I might be able to answer a couple of your questions. Although, I completed my degree a year ago, so it is all foggy. Trust me, I blocked anything to do with Walden as fast as I could.
Also, sometimes the portfolio support staff can be helpful if you shoot them an email. I had some responses that weren't helpful at all and I simply replied to them stating that their answer didn't help me. They typically forwarded that message on and someone else addressed my questions and were able to help. I found that Diane was the MOST helpful and understanding.
DeleteI think that email is: MSEDePortfolio@waldenu.edu
DeleteHello Mindy
ReplyDeleteI found your website by looking for samples so I can get an idea of what the heck I am supposed to be doing. BTW, I feel a real sense of comfort in finding you... I am also a "Mindy"..funny hu? Anyway, I have complained about this before... We need to have a person assigned to us to work with this on this project... to review it BEFORE we hand it in officially like a brick and mortar program would have. I am on Transition point 3 although I have finished all my classes with a 4.0. I took classes that have mandatory class work associated with them over the summer so could not add student work until now. Now, I do not remember which things go where and why I am doing what... Why can't I see an example of a completed project that is done well? I am a Biology teacher... so show me one done on teaching Chinese! I AM NOT TRYING TO COPY ... If I got this far on my own, why would I? However, I have printed out about 50 pages of duplicate and conflicting instructions! PLEASE...PLEASE... PLEASE.. IF ANYONE OUT THERE HAS COMPLETED TRANSITION 3 & 4 AND COULD SEND ME AN EXAMPLE, IT WOULD PROBABLY SAVE ME ABOUT 50 HOURS THAT LIKE ALL THE REST, I SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE. Please contact me at my personal email: mindyprosperi@gmail.com Thanks in advance and congrats to those who have finished this tedious part of the program!!
Hello Mindy, I'm in the same boat. I do not understand how to write up my teacher observation, problem based research not the the final instructional plan. I requested an extension but it will be up soon and I am no closer to finishing. Please email me at daphnetaylor2002@yahoo.com if you have an example of how these should be completed.
ReplyDeleteI too am in the same boat as all of you! I just finished my last class and have a 4.0 GPA. Now I have six more papers to write starting with TP 2. I have piles upon piles of instructions and papers on my dining room table and have no idea where to even start. This is so frustrating. Anyone get any concrete help they can share? You can email me at bethbolt@comcast.net. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog for the same reason others listed....looking for an example of what the e portfolio is supposed to look like. I sent an email to the support staff and the response was just as confusing as the directions. I too believe that the e-portfolio is busy work to provide someone job security. I believe that the work we do for each class should be enough to provide sufficient evidence that we know what we are doing. You will be sadden by the fact that your request to the dean has obviously resulted in no change to the process. It would be great if Walden would do as they instruct us to do for our students and provide an example of what they require, not just words on paper for individual determination of understanding.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have a completed portfolio that someone can look at just to see how to get started? I do not think this would be hard but I am struggling starting.
ReplyDeletebrian_strick_2000@yahoo.com
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more with almost everyone in this fourm. The Eportfolio has been nothing but a mind game for me from the start of this program. I to was wondering if there is anyone that would be willing to post or individually share a completed portfolio so I can ensure I am doing things correctly. I have submitted two assignments on the portfolio both being sent back with no feedback on what to improve on...
Thank you all for your time, and help.
Nicole Nalle
nnalle@oswego.edu
or nicole.nalle@exeloncorp.com
I finished my course work for my Master's Degree in October, but I put off the portfolio after receiving a 1/5 on my first assignment. I have only completed 3 assignments because I am so discouraged and defeated by this portfolio. I finished the class work with a 4.0, but my average grade on the portfolio is a 3/5. It does not accurately measure my ability to lead teachers or even teach my students. It just proves that I am not good at writing papers. I have begun organizing my portfolio and am trying to have a positive attitude, but I can't seem to change it yet. If anyone has any suggestions, any input from their personal submissions or even examples, I would really appreciate it!
ReplyDeletebritni.jenkins@yahoo.com
Stumbled across this while searching for an exemplar for my last portfolio activity. The portfolio has been a frustration and time suck throughout my program. I was pleased with my courses and I learned a lot from them. The portfolio portion of the program will keep me from recommending Walden to anyone.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with everyone here!!! I finished the program with a 4.0, yet these portfolio assignments are driving me crazy! I am so behind on them, because there simply isn't enough time in the week to get them done, on top of all the other class requirements. Now, I am stuck with at least 6 of these papers, and terrified they won't give me my degree because I am so behind. In every class the first thing we learn is...MODEL!!! Yet no exemplars are given whatsoever for anything at Walden. I spend more time crying over what I need to do, than actually writing the papers!!! Like others on the board, if anyone is willing to share their e-portfolio as an examplar I would be so grateful!
ReplyDeleteLynda
blinley@aol.com
Like many of you the thought of having to write another major assessment gets me very, very upset. However, this is something I agreed to do when I chose to join Walden's long distance program. I hate to write and English is my second language, so it takes me longer to write a paper. If I can do it you have no excuse for getting behind in your assessments. All Masters programs have some sort of major assessment. Would you have preferred writing an 100 page thesis and then have to defend it in front of a committee? I wouldn't. I did not pass my first major assessment. So what? It took me a whole week to re-write it from scratch, so I swallowed my tears and kept writing. In order to complete them, and just like many other Walden students, I have sacrificed many weekends and weeks of vacation. But I only have three more short assessments to complete and I will be done. No one told us that getting a Masters degree was easy. So stop complaining and start writing!!
ReplyDeleteI am also having trouble with the e-portfolio. I have been finished with the course work since Dec 2015,and have not completed yet. I am up to the last month of submission.Is their an examplar of the e-portfolio out there. Thanks
ReplyDeletetarina.smith@yahoo.com