TAILORING EPORTFOLIOS FOR A PROFESSIONAL AUDIENCE Veena Chattaraman Department of Consumer and Design Sciences (CADS) College of Human Sciences, Auburn University How do you focus the ePortfolio for a professional audience?  Showcasing clear intent in job search through appropriate selection of portfolio artifacts in accordance with career goals  Showcasing knowledge of industry expectations through presentation of relevant portfolio artifacts using appropriate media that demonstrate desired job-related knowledge, skills, and competencies  Tailoring portfolio presentations to specific professional opportunities through related categories of artifacts that demonstrate relevance and fit to the opportunity ePortfolios have multiple objectives:  Programmatic objectives geared toward accreditation and assessment of student learning outcomes using an integrative and cumulative approach  Student-centered objectives geared toward self- reflection on learning experiences, articulation of goals, and representation of knowledge, skills, and experiences through appropriate artifacts  Professional objectives geared toward linking classroom learning to job-related skills for successful employment EPORTFOLIO OBJECTIVES EPORTFOLIO OBJECTIVES IN CADS  AAFA, CIDA and SACS accreditation  Internal assessment of SLO’s gained across courses  External assessment  AAFA, CIDA and SACS accreditation  Internal assessment of SLO’s gained across courses  External assessment Programmatic Focus Professional Focus Student Focus  Selecting and refining artifacts  Targeting employers  Tailoring portfolio, collateral and presentation  Career planning  Work atmosphere  Selecting and refining artifacts  Targeting employers  Tailoring portfolio, collateral and presentation  Career planning  Work atmosphere  Self-reflection  Goals and philosophy articulation  Self- presentation and empowerment  Showcasing learning artifacts to different audiences  Self-reflection  Goals and philosophy articulation  Self- presentation and empowerment  Showcasing learning artifacts to different audiences EPORTFOLIO PROFESSIONAL FOCUS THE TEACHING CHALLENGE A Possible Solution:  Partnership with involved, programmatic Industry Advisory Boards (IABs) can be an effective way to overcome this challenge  This paper shares some best practices from CADS on engaging IABs in a productive dialog with students at different stages of ePortfolio development Teaching Problem: Teaching students about industry expectations within a classroom environment can be a challenge INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARD ENGAGEMENT STAGE 1 CAREER PREPARATION INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARD ENGAGEMENT STAGE 1 CAREER PREPARATION STAGE 2 INDUSTRY EXPECTATIONS Purpose: To understand skills and knowledge expectations for different functional roles in the industry, so students can showcase appropriate competencies through portfolio artifacts Timing: During the course of the semester. Implementation:  Portfolio course  Relevant IAB members as guest speakers in the portfolio course to discuss industry expectations for specific job roles and industry sectors STAGE 3 INDUSTRY REVIEW Purpose: To facilitate professional reviews of student portfolios Timing: End of semester Implementation:  Portfolio course  Two IAB members chosen as external reviewers for final portfolio presentations based on their focus areas  Members participate in visual and oral portfolio presentation using Adobe Connect to join from remote locations  Members provide an external assessment of student portfolios through both written as well as scaled feedback  Students receive two industry reviews of their portfolio AUBURN UNIVERSITY Purpose:  To help students with career planning and development  To introduce the concept of portfolios and why it is an important tool for successful employment Timing:  At the early end of the portfolio development process  Early October in CADS Implementation:  Departmental initiative  Career Fair with IAB members – share company/industry information, career paths  Professional Development Panels with IAB members during mandatory internship meetings College of Human Sciences, Department of Consumer and Design Sciences 308 Spidle Hall, Auburn University, AL, 36849, Tel