Getting the Most Out of an Education, and Documenting the Results

As someone who returned to graduate school relatively late in life, I knew exactly what I wanted from a master's degree program: a flexible schedule and course of study, faculty with relevant expertise, and challenging assignments. I was willing to pay for instruction and guidance, but only if I could get it on my own terms. The traditional model of faculty lectures and textbook exams wouldn't be enough for me. If I wanted lectures, I could find those online for free. I could also select and read textbooks without assistance. What I needed was "a guide on the side," someone who would respond to questions and push me harder than I would push myself.


In 2009, I enrolled in the online Master of Arts in Professional Writing program at New England College, and it has suited me well. Each course in the program has allowed me to tailor the assignments to suit my own interests and aptitudes while also encouraging me to try different writing styles and genres. The assignments have stretched me beyond the limits of what I would have done on my own, and I have received meaningful feedback from wise mentors. Now, as I work on my capstone project (an electronic portfolio), I have an opportunity to reflect on the program and present some of my work.


At the same time, I am also considering how homeschooled high school students might use electronic portfolios for personal assessments or formal evaluations. As someone who has been homeschooling my own children since 1997 and providing support for other homeschoolers for many years (see my website), I can imagine how electronic portfolios could be a valuable tool for homeschoolers. 

I have always maintained paper portfolios for my three children. In lieu of grades, they received authentic ("formative") assessments, verbally or in writing, from me and other adult mentors. They in turn worked toward mastery, not comparative rankings, as they learned from their mistakes and then moved on. Letter grades seemed unnecessary if not irrelevant for our purposes, at least until we were confronted with college applications. Then we started to ask ourselves: what would be the best way to document an unconventional education?


Homeschooled teens may not have a class rank or an official GPA, but they generally have a substantial record of learning. An electronic portfolio would be one way for them to showcase their work and be recognized for it.