News and Events
Aug 31, 2012
Management Students Attend AAEEBL Conference with Prof. Cindy Stevens, Ph.D.
Professor Cindy Stevens, Ph.D.
"This is the third year in a row that I was able to attend the AAEEBL ePortfolio Conference in Boston, MA. I was even more excited this year than normal, because I just returned form the ePic ePortfolio Conference in London so I was engulfed in eportfolio research, one on one discussions, table conversations, and presentations for almost two weeks! This year two of my students from Wentworth Institute of Technology’s (WIT) Management department joined me. Both students provided great insight on eportfolio development and how they plan to utilize their eportoflios for the future. 
Many folks we talked to at sessions and during lunch were also happy to discuss eportfolios with my two students. My students also joined me at the presentation table and answered many questions about their experience and insight of eportfolio development. Aaron Goldblatt and Kyle Laird won grants that paid for their conference registration. The Office of Student Leadership at WIT funds student projects such as this if the student can show the need and how it can be a benefit to attend.
Aaron and Kyle each wrote an essay describing the conference, why they wanted to attend, and what they thought they would get out of the conference. The competition is high for this grant money so we were extremely pleased to find out that they both won! Aaron and Kyle share their conference experience here below. You can also view their eportfolios at the web sites given below. Each student also created a short video while attending the conference that can be viewed at: Aaron's Video and Kyle's Video."
Aaron Goldblatt’s Experience:
“As a senior in Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Management program, I created an eportfolio as a self-assessment tool and platform to showcase my knowledge, skills, and abilities to potential employers, fellow students, and the Wentworth faculty. With a high quality, prize-winning eportfolio created, I pursued a professional development grant offered by the Office of Student Leadership Programs at Wentworth to cover the costs for a day at the AAEEBL Conference. The grant process consisted of me writing a brief synopsis of my experiences in creating my eportfolio and what I expected to gain from attending the conference. To my delight, I was offered the grant, and I enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to attend the conference.
Perhaps the most valuable facet of the AAEEBL conference is the opportunity to see the eportfolio through multiple perspectives. The conference attendees and speakers included business leaders, researchers, university professors, and software vendors. 
In being immersed in the research surrounding eportfolios, I am excited to know that I have had the opportunity to provide input and ideas from a student perspective on eportfolio education.
Furthermore,AAEEBL’s ePortfolio conference was scholarly, useful, and enjoyable. I realized that the eportfolio field is deeper than I had thought, and that research in the field is ongoing yet still in the relatively novice stage. The conference was as useful as it was scholarly, as I learned about the importance of using substantiated artifacts displayed within my eportfolio, as well as the possibility of acquiring “badges.”. Lastly, I thoroughly enjoyed attending the conference with Professor Stevens and fellow student Kyle Laird, as team building and professional networking are essential aspects in maximizing the effectiveness of the eportfolio.”
Kyle Laird’s Experience:
“Attending the Association for Authentic, Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning (AAEEBL) conference at the Boston Seaport World Trade Center was a very interesting experience as a student approaching graduation from Wentworth Institute of Technology. After having worked for several semesters to build an eportfolio to showcase my work with Professor Cindy Stevens, she asked that I come along and join her at the AAEEBL conference to learn more about eportfolios.
The conference widened my depth of knowledge about eportfolios; I learned effective ways to use eportfolios as an educational tool and also realized the real world potential from a business management perspective. Being exposed to a conference environment was a great educational opportunity in and of itself to prepare myself for future responsibilities. Not only did I benefit from being surrounded by tech-oriented professionals, but these individuals also gained feedback from me about my student experience while using an eportfolio for self-assessment. In the future I will continue to update my personal eportfolio to track my accomplishments and showcase my work; I also plan to encourage others to adopt the new technology. I am appreciative of the grant I received from the school which made it possible for me to attend the AAEEBL conference; Wentworth cares about its students’ educational processes and strives to take a holistic approach to learning.”
