The advisor evaluates the portfolios of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Two faculty members from outside the student's major department evaluate the senior portfolio. Evaluators use a scoring rubric consisting of eight criteria, each scored from zero to four points; each portfolio therefore receives a score from zero to thirty-two. A score of twenty-three is required for a passing senior portfolio. The eight criteria, and the characteristics of a maximum score of four in each category, are:- Personal Voice.
The student's voice -- that is, the student's tone, speech patterns, linguistic rhythms, and so forth--clearly demonstrates a unique, individual student performance. The voice seems candid, authentic, and sincere. The student avoids clichés and generic expressions, and presents himself or herself with a creative and unique sense of rhetorical style.
Examples of Scores of "0" and "4" in "Personal Voice"
0
Last semester I helped out at a local church relief sale. I met a lot of nice people and had a good experience. The work wasn't that hard. We had to serve food and clean up the tables after everybody ate. My job was to sweep after that, too. It took me a long time because the place got pretty messed up. I got a lot out of the experience, though. I will probably do it again next year. People should become involved and do things for others, not just themselves. That's really important. Overall, it was a really good experience.
4
Last semester, without giving it a great deal of thought at first, I volunteered to help out at a local church relief sale. I knew the work wouldn't be that hard. All we had to do was serve food and then clean up afterwards. But little did I realize how much the experience would eventually come to mean to me. I met a number of wonderful, caring people that day, people who taught me that doing something positive for the community isn't just a matter of marking time on a service learning form. It's really a matter of developing a certain sense of values and becoming a certain kind of person - the kind of person that I've come to think of as the kind I'd like to be.
- Reflection.
In the reflective essay, the student engages in genuine reflection, clearly reviewing his or her various thoughts, emotions, and experiences and drawing insightful and meaningful conclusions as to the significance of these experiences rather than merely cataloging or describing them. The student identifies, and then adequately illustrates, his or her changes in perception over time, placing these changes within the larger context of his or her life as a whole.
- Integration.
The student is able to effectively demonstrate the ways in which he/she has achieved an integrated college experience. Utilizing a detailed discussion, the essay provides clear examples of the intellectual connections (relationships or associations which exist between ideas, concepts, etc.) the student has made between specific general education, major and elective courses. Connections should demonstrate insight and critical thought. The relevance and significance of these connections should be explored in detail.
- Organization.
The student is able to narrate his or her personal development in a coherent and organized essay. The essay may or may not have an explicit thesis, but each paragraph and section within it addresses or relates to how the student has changed, grown, or developed as a result of his or her college experiences. The essay does not merely catalog selected experiences but discusses each example in concrete terms that explain how it has furthered the student's growth. The essay also demonstrates that the student clearly understands the four dimensions and recognizes how they come together to form the whole person.
- Service Learning Hours and Reflection.
Forty hours for graduating seniors, ten hours each year for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Reflection clearly addresses what happened at the agency served (the what), the meaning of the experience for the student (the so what), and the effects of the experience on the student's life goals (the now what). For guidelines on appropriate types of service, and for suggestions on service learning reflection, see the PDP service learning link:
http://www.bridgewater.edu/index.php?id=189
Documentation: Using the Service Learning folder on the P: drive, the student must register the name of the agency/person served, the number of hours served at the agency, and the nature of the service. If this information is not provided, the service is considered to be undocumented and therefore invalid.
Prorating of hour requirements for transfer students: Listed below is the above grading scale, with service learning hours prorated for transfer students who have come to Bridgewater College with the following class status:
| Service Learning Score | Sophomore | Junior | Senior |
| 4 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
| 3 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
| 2 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
| 1 | 15-30 | 10-20 | 5-10 |
| 0 | 0-15 | 0-10 | 0-5 |
- Discussion of Life Goals.
The student provides a clear and thorough summary of planning for life after graduation and identifies both short and long term life goals for achieving his/her objectives. In addition to simply cataloguing these goals, the student clearly articulates the relationship between his/her interests, values, skills, and future personal and vocational choices. If the student is uncertain about life goals, he/she offers some possibilities, thoroughly explores each one, and examines the pros and cons of each.
- Supporting Materials and Documentation.
The portfolio includes meaningful supporting materials that support, illustrate, or otherwise illuminate or document selected examples discussed in the student's essay. In general, a supporting item is a representative artifact of something the student has done. This might include a paper the student has written, the citation of something the student has read, or a photograph or other image documenting something the student has done or witnessed. The definition and the examples are purposely general and not intended to be limiting, for what is important is not the item itself but its relation to and importance for the student's development. The key principle is that an item of supporting material is made meaningful by the student's discussion of its importance in the context of his or her personal growth and development.
- Resume and Cover Letter.
The resume is an effective and concise summary of the student's academic, employment, and extracurricular qualifications. The student uses "˜action words' to highlight specific skills, competencies and achievements. Likewise, the cover letter is a well-crafted summary of the student's background and is customized for a specific and appropriate audience (e.g. internships, summer jobs, volunteer work, graduate school, or post-graduate opportunities). The cover letter demonstrates use of the skills and experiences discussed in the student's reflective essay. Attention is given to visual presentation, layout, and omission of mechanical errors in both documents. Both the resume and the cover letter could be sent to potential employers and graduate schools as is.
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