Situating Educational Computing Doctoral Students in a Community of Practice: A Rubric-driven, Online Portfolio System

This article describes the theoretical basis and design considerations for a rubric-driven, online portfolio system. The system was created for students in the educational computing doctorate to organize and distribute the body of scholarly works generated throughout the coursework phase of their academic program. Based on theories of situated and distributed cognition, this rubric-driven online portfolio system provides a consistent means of assessing performance and offers a contextually authentic method of artifact distribution. Moreover, the portfolio system promotes an ongoing dialogue between faculty members and students regarding the values and practices in the educational technology field.