Collect and Reflect

Thomas A. Murray

When I was five years old, I had my first birthday party. I remember very little about it except that it is when I got my first Transformer. It was a very small, orange truck with very few steps in its transformation into a robot. Its name was Huffer. I was enraptured by this small toy that could change into something else. That was over 40 years ago, and it started a long process of collecting Transformers and watching the cartoon with dedication. I remember getting my first Optimus Prime (the original, die-cast metal one) and I freely admit to counting the release of live-action Transformers movies as a childhood dream come true. I still have almost all of the Transformers that I ever owned. There are a couple of notable exceptions – the one that got smashed “accidentally” by a sibling and one that I gifted someone that I later regretted. But the rest remain in a box, tucked away. I don’t take them out often but have no interest in seeing their value on eBay. They’re a part of my history; they’re a part of my learning.

From the Transformers toys, I learned hand-eye coordination as I manipulated vehicle into robot. I developed problem-solving skills when I tried to figure out how to transform the more complicated toys without looking at directions, but I also learned the value of recognizing the limits of my knowledge and abilities, particularly that time I broke a new transformer trying to force its parts in ways they were not intended to go. As corny as it sounds, I learned lessons — rudimentary as they were — in empathy, integrity, and compassion from the cartoons. And the fourth live action movie showed me that even childhood devotion only goes so far. I know none of the movies are excellent cinema, but that one was really bad, and I had to stop halfway through.

There are other things that I have collected over the years. I’ve collected photos — some digital but many prints from pre-digital days. I’ve collected music on cassette and then CD. Now I collect the racing bibs from my running events. On occasion, I’ll flip through my “bibfolio” and think about the races I’ve done — which ones went well, which ones went poorly, and what I can learn from them to help me strategize running events in the future.

The General Education ePortfolio that you’ve been adding to over the past semesters and that you’ll refine in this course allows you to do the same thing: collect the work that demonstrates your learning into one place and provide an opportunity to reflect on those learning experiences to make meaning of them. Here’s the fun part: meaning can change over time. What you thought and felt about that paper you wrote or presentation you did two years ago might not be the same as how you think and feel about it today. You’ve learned more, experienced more. In many ways, you’ve transformed into a new being and will continue to do so.

Throughout the Gen Ed program, you’ve been working on developing in its four learning outcomes. Your capacity to think critically, communicate effectively, use information ethically and effectively, and understand and value difference has been changed by every experience you’ve had. This ePortfolio is your opportunity to demonstrate that growth to your instructor, to potential employers or graduate schools, and maybe even to your family. But most importantly, the ePortfolio is your way to demonstrate that growth to yourself. It is an opportunity to stop, reflect, and take stock of how far you have come. Like any Transformer, you are more than meets the eye (sorry — I had to!). However, you must take the time to look more deeply if you are to discover the nature and dimensions of the transformation that has happened.

As you read Part 1, consider the following questions:

• How have you been shaped — personally, academically, professionally — by your college experience so far?
• What are the most significant learning moments you’ve had that have helped you develop in the four GE learning outcome areas?
• What evidence or artifacts do you have that help you understand that development? How has your understanding or perception of those artifacts changed over time?