Using Portfolio: Practical Tips for Teaching

This guide outlines practical tips you may find helpful as you set up a portfolio project.

Creating and distributing portfolios

The Portfolio tool offers three options for portfolio creation:

• Instructors, advisors, or mentors can design structured portfolios that they distribute to students to complete.
• Instructors, advisors, or mentors can design model portfolios that students download and modify to suit their needs.
• Students can create their own portfolios.

View the Catalyst how-to documents for more information about creating portfolio projects and distributing Portfolio projects to your participants.

Design a structured portfolio

In this option, the instructor designs the organization and layout of the portfolio, designating the number and name of pages, section divisions and headings, and where students can enter their text reflections and/or place artifacts.

Pros:

• Ensures that portfolios will be consistent. Student thinking can be carefully scaffolded by the structure provided.
• Instructors can easily distribute this portfolio to their students to complete, using the distribute feature in the tool.
• Students can submit their portfolios directly to instructors for feedback without having to publish their work to the Web.
• Students and instructors can have an ongoing exchange about the portfolio (through the feedback function) as it is being developed.
• Since the structure of the portfolio is the same for all students, it is easy to focus on the content of the portfolios, without being distracted by individual differences in organization or design.

Cons:

• The predetermined structure of the portfolio may limit students' creativity and personal touch in the final product. Depending on the assignment, this may be an important aspect of presentation to consider.

Design a model portfolio

In this option, the instructor designs a structured portfolio as above, but does not use the tool to distribute the portfolio to students. Instead, the instructor provides a Web link, via email or a course Web site, that students can use to install the portfolio on their own account. Instructors may choose whether or not they want students to be able to submit their portfolios for feedback.

Pros:

• This option allows students to build a portfolio using the instructor's model as an example. It does not require that all students use the same structured portfolio.
• If an instructor chooses not to allow students to submit their portfolios for feedback, students are free to modify the model portfolio as they wish (e.g. add or delete pages, reorganize sections, and rename pages).
• Students can install multiple copies of the model portfolio, enabling students to create, for example, several career portfolios for different jobs.

Cons:

• If an instructor chooses to allow students to submit their portfolios for feedback, students cannot modify the structure of the portfolio until the portfolio is finally released to them by the instructor.
• If an instructor chooses NOT to allow students to submit their portfolios for feedback, then it must be published to the Web in order to be viewed.

Have students create their own portfolio

In this option, students design their own portfolio using the student side of the Portfolio tool. Students share their work with the instructor by publishing the portfolio to the Web and sending the instructor the URL of their portfolio.

Pros:

• Gives students maximum control over the structure and design of their portfolios. All aspects of the design reflect students' individual performance in regard to the assignment.
• Does not require the instructor to design a portfolio.

Cons:

• Individual differences in creativity and design may distract from a focus on content when evaluating student work.
• Guidelines and sample portfolios may be especially important in this instance to help students understand the instructor's expectations.

Instructing students about using Portfolio

Provide students with instruction on how to use the Portfolio tool. Most students find the tool self-explanatory, but simple written instructions to orient students to the tool can be helpful. A simple demonstration in the computer lab, followed by “hands-on” training may be especially helpful for students who consider themselves less technically proficient. While many practical questions may be answered at the start, keep in mind that additional questions may arise along the way as students attach more complex artifacts and publish their pages, for example. You can also refer your students to the Catalyst how-to guide for Portfolio participants.

Allow yourself time to become familiar with the Portfolio tool. If you choose to distribute a portfolio to your students, include yourself in the distribution list. This way you will have access to the tool from both the student side and instructor side, and you will be able to understand particular concerns or questions students may raise.

Using Portfolio in a large class

Because portfolios take time to review, you may wish to have them due only once during the quarter if you are using them in a large class. Many instructors have found that portfolios work well as a summative evaluation at the end of the quarter.

If you are creating a structured portfolio to be distributed to your students, you may benefit from distributing the portfolio first to your TAs. Have your TAs make a copy of the portfolio, renaming it to include the number of their quiz section. TAs should then distribute the renamed portfolio to their assigned groups of students, including you as an additional instructor.