IUPUI’s HIP Taxonomy for ePortfolio - A Tool for Development, Implementation, and Scaling - Occasional Paper No. 57

Oct 15, 2026

So-called High-Impact Practices (HIPs) only deliver strong outcomes when planned and implemented thoughtfully, grounded in relevant literature and experienced practitioner guidance. After IUPUI (Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis) created HIP taxonomies for general practices, it developed an ePortfolio-specific taxonomy through a committee of local HIP and ePortfolio experts in 2018–2019. The paper explains ePortfolio’s institutional history, the taxonomy’s purposes, and its development process, plus how the taxonomy supports professional development. It identifies high-impact ePortfolio attributes, emphasizing centrality to curricular design, integrative pedagogy and identity development, explicit instruction in ePortfolio making, and holistic assessment aligned to learning outcomes and experiences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Context

HIPs at IUPUI

ePortfolio at IUPUI

National Involvement

Professional Development

The Taxonomy: Purpose and Guiding Principles

The Taxonomy: Development Process

The Taxonomy: Organization

The Taxonomy: Attributes

Conclusion

Case: An ePortfolio Journey from Introduction to Integration

Appendix

References

About the Authors

About NILOA

November 2021 N 0 57 IUPUI’s HIP Taxonomy for ePortfolio: A Tool for Development, Implementation, and Scaling Susan Kahn, Tyrone Freeman, & [www.learningoutcomesassessment.org](www.learningoutcomesassessment.org) Amy A. Powell Contents Abstract 3 Context 4 HIPs at IUPUI 5 ePortfolio at IUPUI 6 National Involvement 6 Professional Development . . . . . 7 The Taxonomy: Purpose and Guiding Principles . . . . . 8 The Taxonomy: Development Process . . . . . 9 The Taxonomy: Organization . . . . . 10 The Taxonomy: Attributes . . . . . 10 Conclusion 15 Case: An ePortfolio Journey from Introduction to Integration . . . . . 15 Appendix . . . . .22 References 27 About the Authors 29 About NILOA 30 Please Cite As: Kahn, S., Freeman, T., & Powell, A. A. (2021, November) . IUPUI’s HIP taxonomy forePortfolio: A tool for development, implementation, and scaling (Occasional Paper No. 57) . Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). NILOA Mission The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), established in 2008, is a research and resourcedevelopment organization dedicated to documenting, advocating, and facilitating the systematic use of learning outcomes assessment to improve student learning. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment | 2 Abstract So-called High-Impact Practices (HIPs) are high-impact only when planned and executed thoughtfully, with attention to the relevant literature and the wisdom of experienced practitioners. After decades of experience with most HIPs, and national recognition for several, in 2016, IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) undertook to create a series of HIP taxonomies describing the features needed to ensure that a given HIP experience will be truly high-impact. In 2018-2019, a committee of IUPUI HIPs and ePortfolio practitioners and experts convened to develop a similar taxonomy for ePortfolio, the most recently recognized HIP and one with which IUPUI already had nearly two decades of experience. In this Occasional Paper, we discuss the history of ePortfolio at IUPUI and what we came to understand about effective ePortfolio practice; the purposes of the taxonomies and of the ePortfolio taxonomy in particular; the development process for the taxonomy; our use of the ePortfolio taxonomy for professional development; and the attributes of high-impact ePortfolio practice that we identified, based on the growing literature on ePortfolio and on our campus and individual experiences. In the taxonomy and this paper, we emphasize the need for ePortfolio to be central to curricular design; embedded in pedagogies that support integrative learning and identity development; developed in concert with explicit instruction on “ePortfolio making”; and assessed holistically and in alignment with desired learning outcomes and experiences. The paper concludes with a case study from IUPUI’s Philanthropic Studies B.A. program, which discovered through its own ePortfolio work many of the same principles and practices reflected in the taxonomy and the literature. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment | 3 IUPUI’s HIP Taxonomy for ePortfolio: A Tool for Development, Implementation, and Scaling Context Electronic student portfolio practitioners and researchers were thrilled when George Kuh recognized ePortfolio as a High-Impact Practice (HIP), based on the evidence presented by Bret Eynon and Laura Gambino in their 2017 book, High-Impact ePortfolio Practice: A Catalyst for Student, Faculty, and Institutional Learning. In the volume’s foreword, Kuh agrees that Eynon and Gambino’s evidence, based on a 26-institution national project, Empirically demonstrated that, when done well, students who create and continue to add to their ePortfolio as intended benefit in ways similar to students who participate in one or more of the

FAQs

What is the main purpose of IUPUI’s HIP taxonomy for ePortfolio?

The taxonomy is designed to describe the features needed to ensure ePortfolio is a truly high-impact practice. It outlines purposes, development, and key attributes for effective ePortfolio work.

How was the ePortfolio taxonomy developed?

A committee of IUPUI HIPs and ePortfolio practitioners and experts convened in 2018–2019 to develop the taxonomy. The development drew on campus experience and the growing literature on ePortfolio.

What attributes define high-impact ePortfolio practice in this paper?

High-impact ePortfolio practice is centered in curricular design, embedded in pedagogies supporting integrative learning and identity development, developed alongside explicit instruction on ePortfolio making, and assessed holistically aligned with desired learning outcomes and experiences.

Oct 15, 2026

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