I was talking to an instructor who was explaining the portfolio process at her college. She said that they had a portfolio day to introduce the portfolio to all students. They took the students through a series of exercises; however, never did the students actually see a real portfolio nor did they look at their own material which might go in the portfolio. Instead they did a series of “cute” exercises.
My only thought was “Get real”. If I had been in charge, I would start out with the purpose of the portfolio, show them the standards/proficiencies they have to demonstrate, show them a portfolio from the previous semester, have them examine some possible material for a portfolio and decide which best demonstrates the standard, and have them examine a reflection on the standard to evaluate how well it explains what the student has learned and has yet to learn. The more we replicate the real experience, the better our students understand the process and can be successful in it.
Education with Technology Harry G. Tuttle 