By Ronna L. Del Rosario
Introduction
The e-Portfolio. Mention of this culminating project may stir up a mixture of emotions within the iSchool student including excitement, dread, and anxiety among others. What if there was a way one could go about prepping, planning, and strategizing to lay a solid foundation that would help to streamline one’s workflow and ensure one meets deadlines in an efficient, effective manner? Well, iSchool friends, I am here to share with you my development process that allowed me to submit my competencies and my final e-Portfolio submission link and have them all approved with no revisions required within just a few weeks of the allotted 10-week course. I hope you can utilize the following development process as a springboard and initial starting point and modify and adjust accordingly as you see fit while planning and preparing to take your capstone course.
Development Process
Since there are several iSchool graduate programs (MARA, MLIS, and Informatics), I realize that course materials may vary from program to program. That being said, please note that the below are steps I took in order to plan/prep for the Informatics e-Portfolio:
- Read Course Syllabus for e-Portfolio and all completed courses
- Read & understand corresponding Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) and Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs): https://ischoolapps.sjsu.edu/slo-core/informatics.php
- Choose website platform for e-Portfolio
- Create a table with all courses taken & their corresponding competencies
- Continue organizing important docs, jotting down course milestones, and keeping track of other relevant info using Notion or another productivity application
Reading the course syllabi and understanding the CLOs and PLOs ensured that I had a solid understanding of the essential components and key requirements of the e-Portfolio. In terms of choosing a website platform, there are some key considerations to keep in mind including price point, features offered, student discount (if any), and learning curve. In my case, I chose Squarespace as I had access to a sheer variety of creative and design features, especially their template library, received a student discount, and was able to find a number of resources to assist in designing a website that suited my particular design aesthetic. Creating a table with the courses taken and their corresponding competencies allowed me to better visualize what assignments and projects I had completed that tied in with each of the courses and assisted me in effectively selecting the most suitable piece of evidence for each competency. Finally, continuing to organize relevant documents, jotting down course milestones, and keeping track of other relevant info using Notion (or another productivity application that works for one) helped keep me accountable as I continued to develop my e-Portfolio.
Tips for Success
First off, I strongly encourage taking regular and consistent breaks in-between stretches of working on the e-Portfolio. Doing a quick stretch, going on a walk outside with a family member or friend, or even spending a brief time doing something enjoyable allows one to switch gears and regain focus and motivation upon resuming work. Next, if possible, find a classmate or two who is also working on their e-Portfolio and become accountability buddies with them. Along with scheduling sessions to work on your e-Portfolios individually, this is a great opportunity to encourage, support, and motivate each other along the way. Finally, it is important to celebrate your wins – small and large – as this will help you to recognize your progress and accomplishments and keep you in a more positive mindset as you work on your capstone project.
To view my Informatics e-Portfolio, feel free to check out the following link:
https://www.ronna-del-rosario-informatics.com/ For more tips and/or if you have specific questions related to my e-Portfolio development process, you can reach me at ronna.delrosario@sjsu.edu.