Published: November 13, 2024 by Gabe Farmer

Are you nearing the finish line of your MLIS program? Is the infamous e-Portfolio looming large on your to-do list? You’re not alone, you don’t have to look far to find fellow students nervous about the e-Portfolio process. To help demystify the process, I chatted with Dr. Michael Stephens, SJSU iSchool professor, and two fellow students, Ellie Keene and Rose Harless, who are currently in the final stages of the e-Portfolio process.

Start Early and Get Organized

First things first: organization is your best friend. Dr. Stephens says there is a reason your professors frequently remind you to save your assignments. “Start the organization process as soon as possible. Create a folder for each competency,” he advises. 

Rose was on top of her game. “I had saved all of my assignments from Canvas and had organized everything into folders both in my Google Drive and on just the regular folders on my computer, so I had multiple copies of everything,” she shared. Rose said this helped her feel confident and prepared to begin her e-Portfolio.

We can’t all be as prepared as Rose, though. Is all hope lost if my assignments are still just spread across my Google Drive, Canvas and in random folders on my desktop with names like ‘Assignment2_Final_FINAL2’? 

“I hadn’t been very good about organizing stuff in my first semesters, and I was pretty worried that it was going to be difficult,” Ellie said. “But then, getting started, it was fine, and I realized I was more worried than I needed to be. Being able to download my work from Canvas was very helpful.” Don’t worry if you’re more like Ellie than Rose, but remember that some classwork (such as discussion questions) will not stay archived on Canvas.

The takeaway here? Try to organize your assignments by competency early and often, but if life gets in the way and you fall behind, don’t panic. Make sure you have a plan to access anything you might use in your e-Portfolio.

Scheduling is Your Friend

Procrastination. Some of us experience it more than others, but we’ve all been there. Rose offers some tough love on this front. “I would definitely recommend avoiding procrastination with the e-Portfolio,” she warns. Ellie found that setting a pace for herself made the process much more manageable. “I was worried about the pacing a little bit, too, since it is due earlier than the end of the semester, but that part was actually really manageable,” she says. “Giving yourself a schedule once it gets going is helpful.”

Dr. Stephens echoed this sentiment, “One of the things that I always say to students is to get started. If you can get one done, you are on your way to getting the next one done.” He suggests starting with a competency you can easily complete; “Get one done as soon as possible and I would say write one of the easy ones first.” He often suggests starting with competency M or J. “Write one that you are really excited about.”

Break down the competencies and set a goal for how many you will complete each week. Try to maintain a regular schedule, that way you’ve always got some momentum going.

Be Flexible and Creative

One of the pleasant surprises both Ellie and Rose discovered was the flexibility in selecting assignments and evidence for the competencies. We’ve all seen the list linking competencies to courses, and it can be a bit daunting to ensure you’ve hit all of them while balancing your course schedule. Don’t let this scare you. Just because you didn’t take a course that listed a certain competency, it doesn’t mean you don’t have any evidence for it.

“I didn’t realize that there is some flexibility in selecting assignments,” Ellie shared. “It’s not as rigid as I thought, and I was able to apply assignments and even work experience that I didn’t expect to certain competencies.”

Both Ellie and Rose identified competency K as one with which they faced a bit of a challenge. “I had the horrible realization that I didn’t have enough evidence for this comp,” Rose recalls. But she didn’t let that stop her, she found relevant assignments from other courses and made her case. “I made my argument, and I just emailed my professor like, ‘Hey, can you grade this competency right away? Because if it’s not right, I need to figure out how to fix that ASAP.’ And he said that I made a great argument for it.”

Just because a course didn’t list that it covered a certain competency doesn’t mean your assignments are pigeonholed. Additionally, you have the option to use other evidence such as work experience, which Ellie found particularly useful.

Utilize Resources and Examples

There is no need to reinvent the wheel while constructing your e-Portfolio. Dr. Stephens emphasizes the importance of using available resources. “Download all of the critical information, comp clarification and rubrics for comps,” he says. “Keep them in your space where you’re working, and when you start a competency, check the rubric, check the clarification, write the comp then check them again.”

Ellie found sample portfolios to be particularly helpful. “The sample portfolios were super helpful to get a sense of their perspective of the competencies, and to see what assignments they pulled from,” she notes. 

Rose swears by the textbook “Information Services Today: An Introduction.” “I already loved this textbook when I was reading it for class,” she says. “But for the e-Portfolio essays, it was my go-to.”

Take advantage of the available sample portfolios to get a sense of how to structure your own or even gain further insight into a competency. As Rose mentioned, don’t overlook textbooks and class readings as a resource for writing your e-Portfolio essays. 

Utilize free note-taking apps such as Notion or Obsidian to keep your notes and resources organized and easily accessible.

Communication with Advisors

Your advisor is there to help you succeed, so don’t hesitate to reach out.

Dr. Stephens reminds us, “Every faculty advisor may do the e-Portfolio process a bit differently. Step number one is to check in with your advisor so that you know what is expected.”

Rose admits she was a bit nervous at first. “I was honestly a little intimidated about my advisor because I didn’t know anything about him[...] So I got into my head like, ‘Oh, my god. He’s read so many comp essays, and this is his expertise, he’s going to come back with all of this stuff that I need to change and update.” she says. “But that wasn’t the situation at all. He’s been great.”

Communication Tips:

• Clarify expectations and understand your advisor’s preferred process.
• Ask for feedback. Don’t be afraid to get input on your competencies or evidence choices.
• Stay in touch. Regular communication can prevent misunderstandings and keep you on track.

Embrace the Stress (But Don’t Let It Overwhelm You)

It’s perfectly normal to feel a bit overwhelmed by the e-Portfolio process. The key is not to let that stress paralyze you.

Dr. Stephens encourages seeking support: “Look for student support. It’s okay to say, ‘I am stressed and I am worried about this.’ That can be part of the process.”

Ellie told me that she was far more worried about the process before it began, but quickly realized she didn’t need to be.

Stay connected with peers through student groups or communities such as the SJSU MLIS Discord. Sometimes, just knowing others are in the same boat can alleviate stress. Take control of your timeline by focusing on one competency at a time to make the process less daunting. Remember, nervousness and excitement are the same feeling, the only difference is the expected outcome. You’re just one e-Portfolio away from completing your MLIS degree!

See e-Portfolio as a Reflection for Personal Growth

The e-Portfolio isn’t just a checkbox on your graduation requirements—it’s a chance to reflect on your journey and plan for the future.

“There are some competencies that I don’t feel like are strengths of mine or that I didn’t focus on much in coursework,” Ellie admits. “It was challenging, but it also helped me realize what skill I want to continue to strengthen after the program.” Ellie views it as a roadmap. “It is a really good map for the program and for your future career,” she says.

“This is a culminating experience that shows that you can put together a very cohesive portfolio that demonstrates all of your learning and what you are bringing into the information professions,” Dr. Stephens explains.

Use the competencies to gauge where you excel and where you might want to improve as you progress in your career. You might even discover professional interests you didn’t realize you had. Let this e-Portfolio process inform your professional development plans.

Final Thoughts

Thanks to Ellie and Rose we’ve had a great peek into the e-Portfolio process from those who’ve been there, done that and lived to tell the tale. Thanks to Dr. Stephens we’ve heard from someone who has advised students through the process for years. The common threads? Start early, get organized, lean on your resources, communicate with your advisor and remember to breathe.

Got any tips or stories from your own e-Portfolio journey? Feel free to share them in the comments below!