The RISE program and the ePortfolio initiative are pleased to announce a new collaboration that will offer two grants of up to $5,000 to support the development of RISE courses that include a reflective electronic portfolio or electronic Personal Development Plan (ePDP). RISE experiences and ePortfolios are a natural partnership. The RISE to the IUPUI Challenge initiative aims to engage students more deeply in their learning and to contribute to their intellectual and professional development; ePortfolios, including ePDPs, have similar aims. Experience at both IUPUI and other campuses has shown that when carefully incorporated into such high-impact educational practices as those embodied in RISE reflective electronic portfolios can be an effective strategy for enhancing student learning and engagement, as well as for documenting, assessing, and improving the effectiveness of the high-impact practice. 

These grants are intended to increase course offerings that respond to the RISE to the IUPUI Challenge, expand the use of ePortfolios and ePDPs across the campus, and ensure that students derive maximum benefit from both. Faculty are encouraged to apply for up to $5,000, which might support professional development, summer salary, or a stipend, to develop a new RISE course that uses a reflective ePortfolio to support learning and assessment or to redesign an existing course as a RISE course that incorporates an ePortfolio. An initial amount of $3,500 will be disbursed at the beginning of the grant period, and the remaining $1,500 will be disbursed upon submission of the final report. 

RISE courses must incorporate qualified experiences, integration of knowledge, structured reflection to link the experience with targeted learning outcomes, and assessment as outlined below. ePortfolios are ideal sites for reflection and integration of learning. These courses will be distinctive because they will thoughtfully and systematically integrate ePortfolios and experiential learning to prepare students for graduate school, careers, and global citizenship. They will provide skills, knowledge, and experiences that are highly valued by employers and lay the foundation for the development of leadership capacities. RISE/ePortfolio courses developed in the summer of 2016 must initially be offered in the 2016–2017 academic year.