Portfolio and Professional Development Working Group By Manjari Murali, Ph.D.

Portfolio Basics A Portfolio is a visual, organized, and portable collection of documents and artifacts that provides a cumulative record of your experience, skills, knowledge, accomplishments, and attributes. Two types of Portfolios: Master Portfolio - Master inventory that you choose materials from for the Presentation Portfolio. For personal use only. Presentation/Showcase Portfolio - Contains select materials customized for a particular job. Presented to employer or selection committee.

Portfolio Basics A portfolio should showcase the best examples of the owner’s work. To be effective, the portfolio should address the needs of discipline- or profession-specific employers and selection committees. Faculty and advisors can help students identify these expectations. Portfolios can be in: Print form Electronic form

Portfolio Basics Portfolios can be: Text based Image based Video/audio demos Portfolios are commonly used in professions such as: Teaching Writing Art Photography Film and Animation Construction

Master Portfolio A Master Portfolio will help you to: Observe patterns and areas you are interested in or have experience in. Clarify your career goals. Identify your strengths and evidence of the progress you have made. Create career-related documents (résumés and cover letters), and prepare for interviews.

Master Portfolio A Master Portfolio should include: Statements outlining career/ education visions and goals. Self-assessment summaries and inventories. List of past work and volunteer experiences. Descriptions of skills and knowledge. Letters of Reference. List of Education and professional training programs. List of professional memberships, awards, and recognitions. Work samples with short narratives.

Presentation Portfolio Uses of a Presentation Portfolio include: During networking events, during informational meetings, when applying for positions/educational program, and during interviews. Put a link to your online portfolio in your cover letter, or send your portfolio as a pdf. attachment with your application. Ask to present your portfolio during the interview (3-5 minutes). If there is no time during an interview, offer to drop it off with the employers or selection committee and pick it up later.

Presentation Portfolio A Presentation Portfolio should include: Samples of your work (3-5). Project descriptions. Photos of work or work sites if applicable. Letters of reference, testimonials and evaluations. Awards and certifications. Do not include résumés and cover letters!

e-Portfolios Resources Auburn University e-Portfolio Project. Louisiana State University Digital Portfolio Examples Free Online Portfolio Hosting Websites.

References Co-op and Career Services, University of Victoria, BC, Canada. http://www.uvic.ca/coopandcareer/ Career Center, Columbia College, Chicago, CA. http://students.colum.edu/career- center/articles/portfolio-basics.php Electronic Portfolio Project, Regis University, Denver, CO. http://academic.regis.edu/laap/eportfolio /basics.htm

Agenda for Working Group Discussion How feasible is it for faculty and departments to provide portfolio development for our students? What are the benefits and challenges of helping students develop their portfolios? How can faculty within a department/discipline collaboratively help students develop strong portfolios as they complete the sequence of courses in their chosen discipline?