This interactive workshop will teach attendees how to create an online faculty portfolio geared towards job searches, promotion processes, and career advancement. Participants will be introduced to several different e-portfolio options and learn tips for designing a professional, creative, and comprehensive online faculty portfolio.
E-portfolios are an innovative tool available for professionals in the education and design fields. These tools allow individuals to present their credentials, experiences, and accomplishments in a clear, creative, and comprehensive manner. Professionals can use an e-portfolio during the job seeking, career advancement, or academic promotion process. Further, faculty and designers can include this element into an online course design model in order for students to demonstrate their knowledge or experience with a specific concept.
The session will begin with an introduction to the uses of e-portfolios and then move to creation and application of e-portfolios for professional purposes. While the primary focus will be on the use of e-portfolio for faculty and instructional designer career advancement, the session will also include a brief overview of the potential uses of e-portfolios for students in online courses. Participants will be exposed to sample e-portfolios as well as potential tools, including Weebly, Wixsite, Sway, and other options. The session will also include a checklist of important elements in the e-portfolio design process as well as pitfalls to avoid when creating an e-portfolio. The workshop will also allow a brief time for participants to research examples online and present both the strengths and weaknesses of the specific examples. Participants may also share their personal e-portfolio in order to receive audience feedback and suggestions for improvement.
This workshop is open for all institution types and learning levels. However, novice or intermediate level learners in higher education as well as students and design thinkers may benefit the most from the content of this session. Faculty members seeking promotion at their university will specifically benefit from the workshop. Participants will engage in the material through mini-presentations of their findings of an e-portfolio example, interactive question and answers, and audience contributions of their own e-portfolio samples. Further, the workshop will conclude with a time for personal reflection of professional accomplishments and goal setting in order for attendees to best utilize e-portfolio tools in the future.
Learning outcomes of the workshop include:
- Workshop participants will gain an awareness of the potential uses and benefits of e-portfolios.
- Workshop participants will gain an understanding of the needed elements in an e-portfolio design.
- Workshop participants will gain an increased knowledge of potential e-portfolio tools, including Weebly, Wixsite, Sway, and other options.
- Workshop participants will research sample e-portfolios online and share the strengths and weaknesses of each e-portfolio site with the group.
- Workshop participants will reflect on their professional accomplishments and goals in order to best utilize e-portfolio tools in the future.