Jindal, S., & Bringardner, J. (2021, July), A Combined E-Portfolio and Microcredentialing Tool for Engineering Identities and Career Pathways  Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--36561

\bibitem{asee_peer_36561}
  Jindal, S., \& Bringardner, J. (2021, July), \emph{A Combined E-Portfolio and Microcredentialing Tool for Engineering Identities and Career Pathways}
  Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference.
  10.18260/1-2--36561

Shivam Jindal and Jack Bringardner.  "A Combined E-Portfolio and Microcredentialing Tool for Engineering Identities and Career Pathways".  2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference, 2021, July.  ASEE Conferences, 2021.  https://peer.asee.org/36561 Internet.  07 May, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_36561}
  Shivam Jindal and Jack Bringardner.
  "A Combined E-Portfolio and Microcredentialing Tool for Engineering Identities and Career Pathways".
  \emph{2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference, 2021, July}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2021.
  https://peer.asee.org/36561 Internet.  07 May, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_36561
author = "Shivam Jindal and Jack Bringardner"
title = "A Combined E-Portfolio and Microcredentialing Tool for Engineering Identities and Career Pathways"
booktitle = "2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access"
year = "2021"
month = "July"
address = "Virtual Conference"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/36561}
number = {10.18260/1-2--36561}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This Work-In-Progress paper describes a study of student use of e-portfolio and microcredentialing
resources for identifying academic and professional pathways. Every student’s
experience through engineering school culminates in vastly different results. While navigating
their time in school, it can be helpful for students to learn from their peers and discover potential
experiences that support their pathways. Current tools such as e-portfolios, micro-credentialing,
peer to peer communication, academic advising, and informal professional networking are
limited in their accessibility and effectiveness when used in isolation.
Engineering portfolios have risen in popularity as a way to track students’ projects and
experiences. Micro-credentials, or digital badges, allow schools to assess and verify students’
experiences outside of their credited coursework. Experiences students attain through workshops,
clubs, work opportunities, research positions, etc. can all be tracked, presented, and verified
through engineering portfolios and digital badges. An e-portfolio or micro-credentialing platform
can complement students’ resumes or coursework by showcasing a more holistic view of a
student’s interests. Examples of e-portfolios and micro-credentials include a personal website
that lists academic and extracurricular experiences or add badges to a professional networking
profile, respectively.
Engineering schools have a range of opportunities for engineering students that can support
multiple career pathways including academia, startups, industry, or non-profits. Oftentimes
students need advice and mentorship to identify the opportunities that can facilitate the
development of skills necessary for these professional pathways. However, the large number of
different opportunities can make it difficult for students to navigate their options. Students
interested in exploring pathways can benefit from a platform that makes them aware of and
suggests various experiences and opportunities.
This study aims to expand on current e-portfolio research by developing an interactive webbased
tool for students to discover opportunities and connect with experienced mentors related to
the pathways they are interested in. With a tool that centralizes access to opportunities, microcredentials,
and mentors, students can learn from others’ experiences, view available
opportunities, and develop their own pathways. For example, a student interested in academia
may use the platform to see what experiences or micro-credentials previous students interested in
academia have engaged in while earning their degree. While modern e-portfolio platforms focus
on showcasing students’ work, this study seeks to include network development and a
searchable database of opportunities to explore. By integrating e-portfolios, micro-credentials,
advising resources, and connections to peers and alumni the tool can encourage students to
consider all available and non-traditional pathways.
This study uses a survey sent to university students, administrators, advisors, and faculty to
assess what resources exist and how different stakeholders engage with students to develop an
individual student’s sense of engineering identity and career goals. This exploratory analysis will
be used in two ways: a) to determine the extent to which students explore and make use of
different resources and networking opportunities available to develop their career trajectory and
b) to determine the features of the interactive tool that students and advisors want to use
AU  - Shivam Jindal
AU  - Jack Bringardner
CY  - Virtual Conference
DA  - 2021/07/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - A Combined E-Portfolio and Microcredentialing Tool for Engineering Identities and Career Pathways
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/36561
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--36561
ER  -