Matt Shaw

I have worked at Stanford University in the Office of the University Registrar the past four years, currently as the Associate Registrar for Degree Progress and Tuition Assessment. My position is a blend of policy interpretation, campus facilitation, procedural training, management, and systems design.

In addition to my position on "The Farm", I'm currently also pursuing my Master's of Arts in Educational Technology at Michigan State University. In my studies I have focused on educational technology integration and electronic portfolio development to further define the student's academic record.

My "Why"

When we look back on a student's post-secondary achievements, we see receipts of learning in the forms of paper transcripts, diplomas and certificates. Each of these items is designed and driven by the institution, with the student providing the content through course enrollment. Instead of one line course titles describing a learning experience, why not allow the student to define his/her learning through reflection? In this digital age student reflection must act as the foundation for a representation of student learning. Moving forward I strive to make the following changes to the student's academic record:

• Enhance transcripts to display what the student has learned rather than relying on a course title to do so.
• Include an electronic diploma as the final piece to a brilliantly crafted portfolio that includes coursework and projects outside of the classroom.
• Allow the student to create his/her collection of digital artifacts that represents his/her learning.