New site enables Penn State community to reap benefits of E-portfolios
Teaching and Learning with Technology has launched a new site, E-portfolios at Penn State, giving Penn State students, faculty, and staff a resource that allows them to begin and maintain an e-portfolio.
E-portfolio site
“E-portfolios are dynamic, developmental spaces representing your professional ‘self’ on the Web,” said Jeff Swain, instructional designer with Education Technology Services (ETS). “Here at Penn State we use the Blogs@Penn State platform to create e-portfolios because it is easy to use and allows you to update and contribute to your e-portfolio wherever you have an Internet connection.”
Swain said that the use of e-portfolios is growing. They are becoming standard practice for students, academics, and professionals, and typically include examples of work, skills, and achievements. They often include a reflective blog element, making them a great way to communicate with others in your field.
“For faculty and staff, e-portfolios are a place to showcase your work but, even more importantly, they are a place to establish yourself as a leading thinker in your field,” Swain said. “This is where the reflective blog element comes into play.
“A reflective blog is a place to think out loud and invite others into the conversation, building up to and then upon more formal professional things such as publications ad presentations.”
Students also reap many benefits from e-portfolios. The students, Swain said, can synthesize their entire academic experience in their e-portfolio and show themselves and others how they have grown and progressed during their time at Penn State.
“Students can use their e-portfolio space to showcase this growth to potential employers or graduate schools,” Swain said. “Business leaders are looking for graduates who are able to think critically and out in the open. Having an e-portfolio covering your academic career does just that.”
The e-Portfolios at Penn State site makes the creation of e-portfolios much easier by offering users a complete tool set. Among the features include:
• Featured spaces with clickable thumbnail images, providing examples
• Video tutorials
• Links to external resources
• News, events, and community tabs containing information related to portfolios
E-portfolio workshops have been held and more are planned for the future, Swain said. “The open workshop in November is full but you can get on the waiting list. Also we will be offering the workshop during Winterfest in January. You can check out the ITS Training Services home page for more information,” he said.
Faculty or staff can request a session on e-portfolios for their department or class. A request form for this can be found under the Contact tab of the e-Portfolio at Penn State site.
As for what is next for e-portfolios at Penn State, Swain said that he foresees them becoming part of actual courses. “We are exploring ways to tie e-portfolios into the academic fabric so they can be used not just as a showcase but also as a viable means of doing class work and assessment,” he said.
For more information on e-portfolios and for help getting started, go to http://portfolio.psu.edu.
