| This thesis gives findings on the trends of the use of electronic portfolios in First Year Writing programs. The thesis uses statistically sound sampling of Writing Project Administrators (WPAs) at university level institutions to see what types of institutions (Carnegie research designation, private) are using what types of electronic portfolio software packages, for what purposes, and whether WPAs were involved in the software selection process at their institutions. Specific institutions have specific technical, pedagogical, financial, and assessment needs that may require First Year Writing (FYW) Programs to "share" resources with other departments, and perhaps even negotiate software (and therefore pedagogical world views) selection decisions. This study also generates valuable information for continuing research into how these new media challenge and (re)shape FYW programs, as well as into how compositionists can maintain traditional values of access, process, and de-centered classroom instruction in the face of those challenges. |
