Amy Cicchino & Brandi Gilbert: Portfolios as high-impact practices

Soropepeli Ramacake, MSW Applied, PGDip in Supervision, Dip in Counselling, BTheology works at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji as Assistant Lecturer. He is also a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney.Soro uses Mahara as portfolio platform with his social work students who are on placement in various South Pacific countries, supporting them mainly from the distance.ResourcesChief, I. Y., & Ramacake, S. (2025, November 11). Learners’ reflection on the use of e-Portfolio in Social Work at The University of the South Pacific. ICDE World Conference 2025, Wellington.Mock-ups for Mahara 26.04Using Mahara to demonstrate skills acquired in a hospitality workplace practicum. Presentation at Mahara Hui 2017 by Parijata Moeava and Mojito Jione (The University of the South Pacific) in Auckland, New Zealand, on 6 April 2017.Creating spaces for students to demonstrate competencies in their profession. Presentation at Mahara Hui 2017 by Irene Yee Chief, Mojito Jione and Rajneel Totaram (The University of the South Pacific) in Auckland, New Zealand, on 6 April 2017.Related episodesSue Schibeci: Portfolios in work-integrated learning experiencesJonathan Murphy: Demonstrate skills and competenciesZala Volcic: Develop community, relationships, and compassionSubscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.Production informationProduction: Catalyst ITHost: Kristina HoeppnerArtwork: Evonne CheungMusic: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Associate Prof Dr Amy Cicchino, the Director of the Writing Center at the University of Central Florida and Brandi Gilbert, MPH, the Director of the Life-Health Sciences Internship Program at Indiana University Indianapolis talk about high-impact practices and how portfolios fit in.ResourcesAssessment InstituteHIPs in the StatesAAC&U list of high-impact practicesAAEEBL Digital Ethics Task ForceAAEEBL Digital Ethics in ePortfolios PrinciplesKuh, G.D, O’Donnell, K., & Reed, S. (2013). Ensuring quality and taking high-impact practices to scale. American Association of Colleges and Universities.Watson, C. E., Kuh, G. D., Rhodes, T. L., Penny Light, T., & Chen, H. L. (2016). Editorial: ePortfolios – The eleventh High Impact Practice. International Journal of ePortfolio, 6(2), 65–69.Kinzie, J., Silberstein, S., McCormick, A.C., Gonyea, R. M., & Dugan, B. (2021). Centering racially minoritized student voices in high-impact practices. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 53(4), 6–14IU Indianapolis ePortfolio StudioIU Indianapolis student ePortfolio showcaseElements of HIPs:Performance expectations set at appropriately high levelsSignificant investment of concentrated effort by students over an extended periodInteractions with faculty and peers about substantive mattersExperiences with diversity, wherein students are exposed to and must contend with people and circumstances that differ from those with which students are familiarFrequent, timely, and constructive feedbackOpportunities to discover relevance of learning through real-world applicationsPublic demonstration of competencePeriodic, structured opportunities to reflect and integrate learningMaking a difference for othersAgency and accomplishmentRelated episodesChristina Mayes: Portfolio support through peer mentorsMark Glynn: Take a programmatic approach to assessment with portfoliosSheetal J. Patel: Own your story through a portfolioChristine Dülfer: Supporting industry internshipsSubscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.Production informationProduction: Catalyst ITHost: Kristina HoeppnerArtwork: Evonne CheungMusic: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

In this episode, podcast host, Kristina Hoeppner, MA, from Catalyst IT, picks out a few memorable situations from her recent trip to Europe in September and early October 2025.ResourcesMoodleMoot DACHMoodleMoot Global 2025KawaiiconMahara UX review 2024Mahara refresh mock-upsCPD enhancementsMahara subscription'Mahara Ask Me Anything' sessionsAMA on 25 November 2025AMA on 16/17 December 2025Subscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.Production informationProduction: Catalyst ITHost: Kristina HoeppnerArtwork: Evonne CheungMusic: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

OStR'in Antje Koenen, MA, is a senior teacher for English and German at Max-Beckmann-Schule in Frankfurt a.M. in Germany. She also works for the Hessische Lehrkräfteakademie, facilitating workshops for other teachers in the use of Mahara and digital media in general, amongst other things.In this episode, Antje shares why portfolios are a central part of her teaching and learning strategy. She explains how portfolios help engage students as partners in the classroom and help create authentic learning tasks that take advantage of the students' own experiences.ResourcesSchulportal HessenLernbegleitungDemo site of MaharaRelated episodesSigi Jakob-Kühn: Make students your partners in exploring portfoliosChristine Dülfer: Supporting industry internshipsSubscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.Production informationProduction: Catalyst ITHost: Kristina HoeppnerArtwork: Evonne CheungMusic: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Dr Tessa Forshaw, Founding Scholar of the Next Level Lab at Harvard University and Rich Braden (BSEE and BSCE), Chief Innovation Evangelist at People Rocket are the authors of the book Innovation-ish: How anyone can create breakthrough solutions to real problems in the real world.In this episode, they share what innovation and creativity mean to them, how everyone can be creative and innovative, and how the portfolio comes into play in their classes and also consulting projects. Learn about a couple of the mindsets and moves from their book and the difference between passive reflection and active metacognition.ResourcesProject Zero at Harvard UniversityHarvard Innovation LabsHasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University, aka d.schoolIDEO CoLabClinton Global InitiativeNEOM projectBook Experiments in reflection: How to see the present, reconsider the past, and shape the future by Dr Leticia Britos CavagnaroThinking routinesRelated episodesLeticia Britos Cavagnaro: Make learning visibleCathy Elliott: Creativity and feedback in assessment portfoliosBob Reuter: Externalise your thinking with portfoliosIngrid D'Souza: Creativity and lifelong portfoliosSubscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.Production informationProduction: Catalyst ITHost: Kristina HoeppnerArtwork: Evonne CheungMusic: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Jack Rice, MBA, is the Director of Digital and Extended Learning at Acadia University and the Executive Director of the Maple League of Universities in Canada.In this episode, he shares stories from his various positions where he encountered portfolios and how he's changed his view on the tool and pedagogy to embrace portfolios fully and seeing them as being very important in the future of education.ResourcesJack's publications on EvoLLLutionVoiceThreadAAEEBL Digital Ethics Principles in ePortfolios: DEIBDRelated episodesRita Zuba Prokopetz: Building a learning communityDebra Hoven: The value of self-reflection and peer feedbackDebra Hoven & Margaret Rauliuk: Disrupt the dissertation with an ePortfolioSubscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.Production informationProduction: Catalyst ITHost: Kristina HoeppnerArtwork: Evonne CheungMusic: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Christina Mayes, MSc, is the Assistant Director of Digital Support Services, including the Fletcher Jones Digital Portfolio Lab within the Center for the Dominican Experience at Dominican University of California, U.S.A.In this episode, Christina shares how the peer mentors at Dominican support students with questions for their portfolio, career readiness, and navigating college life in general.ResourcesDigital portfolio support at DominicanPeer Mentor Program at DominicanAAEEBL Digital Ethics Task ForceAAEEBL ePortfolio Retreat 2024AAEEBL ePortfolio ReviewElizalde, R., Mayes, C. (2025). Reflective portfolios as a tool for community and belonging, K-12 and beyond [Presentation]. Peralta Online Equity Conference. (presentation slides)Cendon, D., Denk, K., Kuo, K., Mema, L., Nkwadi, S., Nguyen, K., Avila, P., Chen, H. L., Mayes, C., & Mize, M. (2025). Bridging the gap: Insights from student advocates and peer mentors in ePortfolio practice [Presentation]. AAC&U Conference on Learning and Student Success (CLASS), 2025 Forum on Digital Innovation, Puerto Rico.Kecia Denk's penguin radio stationChristina's portfolioRelated episodesSolena Ornelas: Set goals and achieve them with a portfolioStarlight (José) Lain-Straus: The portfolio as impactful practice for studentsKatieAnn Nguyen: Showcase your achievements in a portfolio and be proud of themArturo Flores, Jr.: The portfolio is a reflection of yourselfMatthew E. Mueller: Create and control your own narrative with a portfolioSubscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.Production informationProduction: Catalyst ITHost: Kristina HoeppnerArtwork: Evonne CheungMusic: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Assistant Research Professor in Principled Innovation Dr Bea Rodriguez-Fransen works at the  Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University (ASU), focusing on its Principled Innovation Infrastructure for Discovery and Engagement initiative.In early 2025, Bea published the book Education and decolonial futures in the Philippines: Perspectives for educators and practitioners in which she introduces the decolonial design futures framework that she developed. It is an extension of design thinking to suit working with Indigenous and marginalised communities better.Bea introduces the decolonial design futures framework along with the decolonial portals and related ideas in this episode, tying them in particular to reflection and how educators can make use of the techniques and frameworks that she's developed, tested, and elaborated on through her work with different communities.Additional resourcesMary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning InnovationPrincipled innovation frameworkBea's TED World Theater talk 'Unlocking Indigenous knowledge: A new path for education'Young African Leaders InitiativeDesign Justice NetworkCostanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design justice. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Paulo FreireCervantes, C. L. G. (2025). The Filipino experience of Kutob: Understanding culturally-informed hyper-intuition. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive, 113.Rank, H. (1976). Teaching about public persuasion, In: Daniel Dietrich (ed.). Teaching about doublespeak. Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English.ORID frameworkRodriguez-Fransen, B. (2024). From “Little Brown Brother” to Filipino genocide: A critical discourse analysis of the Philippine-American War’s impact on Modern Filipino colorism. Journal of Colorism Studies; Windsor Mill, 5(1), 1–22.Quimpo, N. G. (2020). Colonial name, colonial mentality and ethnocentrism. Public Policy, 4(1), 1–49.Related episodesChristine Slade and Kevin Kelly: Digital ethics principle DEIBDKevin Kelly & Kristina Hoeppner: Digital ethics principles and UDL guidelinesSubscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.Production informationProduction: Catalyst ITHost: Kristina HoeppnerArtwork: Evonne CheungMusic: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Marie 'Bernie' Fisher, SFHEA, AFHERDSA, BA/BSc, Grad Dipl Ed, MA, MA (Hons), is a PhD candidate at the University of New England in Australia. She's been creating portfolios and supporting students create their own for many years in and outside of academia. As a member of the ePortfolios Australia Organising Committee, she's been involved in community engagement and support.In this episode, Bernie takes us on her portfolio journey and shares what is important to her in her portfolio practice, what some of her methods and ways are to reflect meaningfully, and how she supports others with reflection.ResourcesAAEEBLHERDSAEportfolio Forum, 12-13 November 2025PARE sessionsShut Up & Write!Fisher, M. (2024, August 13). Look in the mirror and what do you see [Presentation]. AAEEBL Annual Meeting.Bernie's publicationsGibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford Brookes University.Mezirow, J., & Taylor, E. W. (Eds.). (2009). Transformative learning in practice: Insights from community, workplace, and higher education. Jossey-Bass.Related episodesAllison Miller: The portfolio is a processBob Reuter: Externalise your thinking with portfoliosSubscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.Production informationProduction: Catalyst ITHost: Kristina HoeppnerArtwork: Evonne CheungMusic: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Dr Suzanne Schibeci is the Work-Integrated Learning Partner at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, supporting students, faculty, and employers with the administration and running of work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences.In this episode, Sue shares how she's using portfolios to help her students reflect on their WIL experiences that take them outside of the university. She talks about what works for her and what some challenges are.ResourcesAAEEBL Digital Ethics in ePortfolios Task ForceEportfolio Forum 2025: Revolution, Evolution, ResolutionSTAR method by Michael PellSchibeci, S. (2025). Enabling students to identify and develop employability skills during work-integrated learning experiences. AAEEBL ePortfolio Review, Summer/Fall, 30–34.Related episodesMike Altieri: Use reflection bot Riff for deeper and more meaningful portfolio reflectionLeticia Britos Cavagnaro: Make learning visibleMark Brady: Journal regularly for profound insightSubscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.Production informationProduction: Catalyst ITHost: Kristina HoeppnerArtwork: Evonne CheungMusic: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward