Life Science 2A03- ePortfolio

ePortfolio?

ePortfolio, also known as Electronic Portfolio encompasses a wide array of electronic artifacts assembled by a user.

ePortfolio represents a live resume or reflection of an individuals progress over time.

Artifacts reflect upon what an individual has learned and how they learn.

ePortfolio can be used as a means of stating past, present and future achievements and goals.

ePortfolio in Ontario

Some universities that have integrated ePortfolio on a program basis or course basis:

University of AlbertaUniversity of WaterlooAthabasca UniversityUniversity of TorontoMcMaster University

Constructing an ePortoflio

5 Main Steps:

1. Collecting2. Reflecting3. Evaluating4. Selecting5. Presenting

Collecting

Statement of one’s philosophy of education, biographical information, sample units ones written, courses ones taken, extracurricular and personal life experiences.

Organize these into: what you know, what you can do and what your values are.

what is the message you want to share and who is the audience you are trying to reach?

Reflecting

Use the 4 R’s1) Report: what is it? When was it used or

created? Who was involved? Where was it used?

2)Reflect: Why is it important? What did you learn from this sample?

3)Relate: Why is this sample important with respect to what is known about teaching? How could this sample inform practice?

4) Revise: What feedback have you received?

Evaluate Yourself

What are my positive attributes? What does it mean to be thinking about my experiences? What does this mean to me? What kind of learner am I? How can this help me in the direction of where I am going?

Selecting

Consider your target audience: employers, professors, group members, etc.

Based on this, choose a colour scheme and layout. For example: if your target audience is a professor

for a potential thesis request, use a pale colour palate, being calm and relaxed. If a peer group, be a little more creative!

Copyright issues- You can't just use any image you find on the web. Use copyright-free images only (see box on the right side for sources).

Selecting-Flow of ePortfolio

Is the information presented concise, digestible and being read in the manner in which you want information to be read?

Presentation should be consistent and organized.

Avoid the use of multimedia in areas not requiring attention, or too much of a busy ePortfolio- may take away from the important aspects of ePortfolio.

Selecting-Making it Look Good!

Sophisticated look Keep the use of colour to a minimum. Choose a simple colour scheme and keep it

consistent throughout. Balance your layout

Presenting- Test It!

Make it work for your audience: Test any links pertaining to a document. Indicate the type of document beside the link (MS

Word Doc) to avoid surprises. Avoid Downloadables:

Potential viewers may find it tedious/inconvenient to download artifacts. Also, servers and quality of downloaded items may not appear to the viewer as they appear to you!

Have others try it out

Presenting

Revise for Different Purposes Modify and save versions that correspond to different

audiences. Have different audiences test our your ePortfolio

under new or specific circumstances. Does it still perform?

Making the Most of Your ePortfolio

Lets Reflect…

As a class, lets have an open discussion as to what past group experiences/projects you have had in any of your courses here at McMaster University and how that has helped you or put you at a disadvantage?

Such experiences (good or bad) are useful in integrating into ePortfolios- it shows self reflective activity and learning from experience!