Pixel International Conferences

Evidence suggests that when two or more High Impact Practices (HIPs) are implemented around the same goals, this can impact student engagement, especially among marginalized students (Kilgo, Ezell Sheets, & Pascarella, 2015; Kul, 2008). Some well-documented HIPs include first year experiences, ePortfolios, common intellectual experiences, and diversity or global learning. This paper will highlight the collaborative development process for creating a project-based assignment for a First Year Seminar (FYS) course for Education majors at an urban community college in the United States that incorporates integrative learning, electronic portfolios (ePortfolios), and project-based learning. The assignment focus is to increase students’ awareness of historical events related to equity and access to education in the United States and to foster a reflective practice about their roles as educators and social justice advocates in today’s evolving world (Mills & Ballantyne, 2016; McDonald & Zeichner, 2008). The goals of the FYS for Education are to introduce students to campus resources, develop 21st century professional competences with exposure to folio thinking through the development of a core ePortfolio, integrative learning, and of course the profession, all documented HIPs.