INFO 289 Developing an e-Portfolio
Developing an e-Portfolio — INFO 289
How do I develop my e-Portfolio?
- Understand the purpose of your e-Portfolio. The e-Portfolio
will be used to demonstrate your achievement and mastery of
particular core competencies, so all the materials you select or
develop, and all your discussion and reflections, should be
relevant to demonstrating your mastery of these objectives.
- Understand the criteria for evaluation. Be sure that you
understand the standard established to determine whether your
e-Portfolio, as a final product, meets its intended purpose. You
need to understand the principles on which your e-Portfolio will
be judged so that you can select work samples that meet the
evaluation criteria. Follow the guidelines for the organization
and presentation of the e-Portfolio, be concise, and consult with
your e-Portfolio advisor. See
Competency Statement Rubrics (what specifically needs to be
addressed for an ACCEPTABLE or SATISFACTORY statement of
competency).
- Closely read and think carefully about each competency
(see Statement of
Core Competencies). Consider carefully what each part of a
multi-part competency might mean. Do you understand and can you
explain its importance within the field of librarianship and
information science?
- Think about the organization and presentation of your
e-Portfolio. Review the Canvas e-Portfolio tutorials. If not
using Canvas and the required template for your e-Portfolio,
make sure to discuss your alternative with your e-Portfolio
advisor and obtain approval.
- Collect evidence of your achievements for potential inclusion
in your e-Portfolio and add them to your Canvas e-Portfolio
Artifacts section. At this point, do not worry about making final
decisions; this stage is like brainstorming—just collect as much
material which might be relevant as you can. Essays, projects,
any of your assignments, special projects completed at your
workplace, or evidence (work produced) of knowledge acquired as a
result of attending a conference or workshop in your area of
study may be appropriate for consideration at this stage. Work
products should not be more than two years old. At some point,
you may need to apply some of your knowledge and develop a new
product to demonstrate mastery. Remember that evidence of
competency and proficiency need not be limited solely to work
done in this program. The issue is evidence of competence, not
how or where you developed it. Simple completion of a course or
regurgitation of information does not constitute evidence of
mastery.
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It is important to have as much evidence as possible before you as you begin the selection process so that you can be certain of choosing the work that best demonstrates your achievements. This is the work you want in your e-Portfolio. The e-Portfolio is not simply an amalgam of everything that you have done but a carefully selected collection or synthesis of your evidence. - Select the materials which will become part of your
e-Portfolio. First, sort all the materials according to an
appropriate organizational scheme. Use the iSchool MLIS Student Success Planner to
help organize your portfolio evidence. Use this handbook and
examples as a guide, and assess each item, selecting those that
best represent your skills and accomplishments in satisfaction of
the program objectives, and which meet the evaluation criteria.
Remember that you may be submitting work already assessed by
someone else, e.g., a course instructor, but that a different
faculty member, your e-Portfolio advisor, will be assessing the
same work as a measure of particular competence, and may reach
different conclusions due to a different context.
- The Statements of
Competency (where you present your understanding of
the competency, and your selected evidence, and make the case for
your mastery of the competency) are the most
important parts of the e-Portfolio.
- Begin by working with those competencies that are most
familiar to you and for which you feel you have good evidence.
Finish one or two, and submit them to your e-Portfolio advisor at
the earliest opportunity. Take advantage of the opportunity to
get early feedback from your e-Portfolio advisor.
- There are approximately 12 weeks of semester work time before
the e-Portfolio deadline. Set up your own schedule, and write and
submit your work in a timely manner so that you do not run out of
time as the semester ends.
- Evaluate your e-Portfolio as a whole and make adjustments as necessary. At this point, it is important to put yourself in your e-Portfolio advisor’s place. Try to take an objective look at your e-Portfolio; you might also have peers or colleagues provide a preliminary judgment of your e-Portfolio. A colleague can raise helpful questions for you, of clarity, completeness, and congruence with objectives. Assume that your e-Portfolio advisor knows nothing about you or your work: your e-Portfolio must speak to an independent audience without your background or experience.
Some questions to consider are:
- Do the items in my e-Portfolio work together to provide a comprehensive and coherent picture of my work and capabilities?
- Do the items in my e-Portfolio demonstrate my personal and professional development?
- Does my e-Portfolio meet the organizational and presentation evaluation criteria
- Does my e-Portfolio meet the contents criteria (see Your e-Portfolio Should Contain the Following)?
- Does my e-Portfolio clearly demonstrate that I have met each of the program objectives and competencies by providing clear Statements of Competency and relevant work samples as evidence?
