Frequently Asked Questions About E-Portfolios

A portfolio is a compilation of a person’s work put together in a way meant to show off that person’s abilities in their very best light. The “e” part of e-portfolio just means that it is done electronically. Normally set up as a web site, an e-portfolio can actually take any number of forms, as long as it remains an electronic collection of a person’s work and achievements. In college, e-portfolios might be created for a single class to highlight the best work done in that class, or they might be created to demonstrate accomplishments throughout the course of a college career.

You need an e-portfolio if you need a job or if you need acceptance into graduate school or internship programs. More and more professions require technological proficiency, and more and more employers use the Internet as part of the hiring process. Since e-portfolios have become commonplace, you will need one if you hope to be a competitive or even a viable job candidate.

An e-portfolio usually does include the same information that might be found on a résumé, but it also includes a lot more. Whereas a résumé might just list an award received for a particular project, an e-portfolio would show the project itself, or at least provide more specific details about it.

An e-portfolio might be created using a blog, a web site, or potentially even a social networking page. However, it has the specific purpose of showing off professional and/or academic skills. It might include some personal information, but it is not about expounding on opinions like a blog or making social connections like a Facebook profile. It’s about selling potential employers and/or professional connections on your value as a member of a particular job market and/or field of study.

People quit writing with quills and ink some time ago, and it has even been a number of years now since typewriters were routine sights in offices. The primary purpose of first year composition classes has traditionally been to prepare students for the writing skills necessary to succeed in college. Since computer skills and writing skills are now integral processes, this means composition classes should prepare students to succeed in the electronic writing projects that are now standard requirements in upper level classes.

Another purpose of college composition is to prepare students for the writing they will need to do in their careers. An e-portfolio is a first step to obtaining a career. It definitely has an important place in the composition class.