Creating Electronic Portfolios. The Writing Center at Rensselaer AOL InstantMessenger: instantwriter

Why an Electronic Portfolio? Easy to change content. Supports various media & hence various pieces of evidence. Displays material that employers can both experience & think about. Provides evidence & accompanying descriptions that aids interpretation. Easily accessible: Web or CD.

Electronic Portfolios: Creating a Portfolio for Self-Evaluation & Development; Creating a Professional Portfolio.

Self-Evaluation Portfolio -1: The goal is to collect & catalogue all your relevant work. (artifacts) Include everything: Old projects; Papers; Sketches; Video.

Self Evaluation Portfolio II - Reflect on your work: Decidet what you like about each piece. Write descriptive introductions: what each piece does, what you want it to do, what you are proud of.

Self Evaluation Portfolio 3 - Examine the work of others: What do you admire? How would you do it better? Reconsider the wording of your descriptions. Set goals: what other work do you want to include.

Self-Evaluation Portfolio IV - Determine an organization scheme: Chronological; Type; Purpose. “Artifacts” tell a story for you: Artifacts tell it to others.

Self-Evaluation Portfolio V - What else is the portfolio good for? Staying focused on your learning path. Professional licensing. (in some states) Determining your skills & assets. Documenting learning.

The Professional Portfolio: Aimed at the Job Market. Manpower (2000). About Manpower - Our Story. [Online]. Available: Retreived 11 September Employers need people with varied but specific skills. The market is competitive. Employers (human resources dept.) don’t have a lot of time to spend searching for the information they need.

“Employers... visit the job seeker’s personal Web site to view examples of the skills listed on a resume or portfolio. In the case of a graphic artist, a personal Web site might include a video clip illustrating an actual ad campaign, pictures of current or award-winning work, sounds from ads or interviews, and scanned images (such as an actual award)” (p.152). The Professional Portfolio II - Kimeldorf, M & Kennedy, J.L. (1997). Portfolio power: The new way to showcase all your job skills and experiences. Princeton, NJ: Peterson’s.

The Professional Portfolio III: Identify your audience; Analyze your audience; research. Determine: What knowledge, skills, abilities are they looking for?

The Professional Portfolio IV - Sources of information - Interviewing: Employers; Employees; Alumni; Professor. Trade Publications. Web Sites. Job Advertisements.

The Professional Portfolio V - Mine the ad: (interview, publication...) Knowledge, abilities, skills & attitudes required; (hallmarks) Work that a person graduating in this field would know how to do. (key performance) Basic skills: leading, research, planning, etc. Use this information to collect & organize your work.

The Professional Portfolio VI: Rephrase the hallmarks & key performances as “statements of excellence” to describe your work. Design content that is informative & easy to navigate with respect to the user’s needs & abilities. Uses visual & verbal material to highlight & emphasize content. Visual images that convey information or emotional content pertinent to a particular skill or perspective. Use these statements to guide the user through your portfolio.

The Professional Portfolio VII: Determine how each hallmark & key performance can be demonstrated? In your own fields, what are some things employers are looking for? What evidence can you provide?

The Professional Portfolio VIII - Written compositions; (demonstrating a sense for effective writing) Video; (demonstrating a particular technical competency) Reflection. (demonstrating a particular personal value) Examples of Artifacts: (evidence)

Include (& coordinate) A Resume: Update your resume regularly; Be sure skills stated on the resume are evidenced in the portfolio; Be sure that skills evidenced in the portfolio appear on your resume; Consider hyper-linking items on the resume to items in your portfolio.

Now What? Collect criteria of excellence for your field. Locate, select, devise evidence that addresses the criteria; put as much in one folder as you can. Write short descriptive paragraphs for each piece of evidence; include evaluative statements. Enroll in a Dream Weaver Workshop.