Jessica Chittum

Jessica Chittum, PhD, is the Director of Assessment and Pedagogical Innovation in the Office of Curricular, Pedagogical, and Digital Innovation (OCPDI) at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). In this role, Jessica engages in research, project management, professional development design and implementation, and editorial work. Her primary focus is supporting AAC&U's Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) initiative, which includes deep involvement in the VALUE Academy of Professional Development. Additionally, she contributes to OCPDI's work on ePortfolios, Open Educational Resources (OER) initiatives, and digital pedagogies.

Jessica serves as the Director of the Institute on ePortfolios and Project Lead for the Publications on ePortfolio: Archives of the Research Landscape (PEARL) project. She is also the Co-Executive Editor of the International Journal of ePortfolio. Her research interests span several key areas in education, including assessment, higher education pedagogy, ePortfolio implementation and effectiveness, and academic motivation. These areas of focus complement her practical work in educational innovation and assessment.

Before joining AAC&U, Jessica was an Assistant Professor of Elementary Education and Middle Grades Education at East Carolina University (ECU). There, she taught a diverse range of courses, including action research methods, classroom assessment, and educational psychology. She maintained an active research agenda and collaborated with ECU's Rural Education Institute. Prior to earning her PhD, Jessica gained valuable experience as a public school classroom teacher in Florida. She taught 5th-8th grade students, working with both students with special needs and those without. This experience honed her skills in differentiated instruction and informed her later academic work.

Jessica holds a PhD in Educational Psychology from Virginia Tech, an MA in Exceptional Student Education from the University of South Florida, and a BS in Elementary Education, also from the University of South Florida.

Throughout her career, Jessica has demonstrated a commitment to educational innovation, assessment, and the use of technology to enhance learning outcomes. Her diverse experience spanning K-12 education, higher education, and national-level initiatives provides her with a comprehensive perspective on the educational landscape. This background, combined with her research interests, allows her to bridge theoretical concepts with practical applications in education.

Areas of Expertise

• ePortfolios (research landscape, course-embedded, programmatic, portfolio assessment, integrative learning)
• aligning instruction and assessment
• course-embedded assessment
• rubric assessment
• VALUE rubrics
• educational psychology (learning theories, motivation theories)
• scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and action research
• using research and data to inform decisions and improve practice
• integrative learning
• teaching and learning
• open educational resources (OER)