Student portfolio Web sites: valuable communication aids to future employers

Review of Business, Spring, 2008 by Patrick J. Lyons

Abstract

A student portfolio Web site can be a valuable communication aid for a student when seeking future employment. This paper presents a straightforward approach on how to develop a student portfolio Web site by modifying a prototype Web site, using only Microsoft Word and the Internet Explorer. The procedure is for the student to copy the prototype Web site to his or her individual PC, modify the template Web pages of the prototype to include his or her personal information, add copies of his/her digital works and then copy the result to an Internet server. Eighteen student portfolio Web sites were created. A sample of the Web sites is presented. All 18 are available on the Internet and may be viewed in their entirety.

Introduction

A student portfolio Web site is a Web site that contains samples of a student's work, such as word processed documents, workbooks, presentations and other types of works. It also contains a few summarizing Web pages that provide easy navigation to the various works. A student portfolio Web site can be a valuable communication aid to potential employers.

Suppose a student submits a resume to apply for a job and then receives a phone call from the company he has contacted. During the conversation, the interviewer may say that the job requires good writing skills. The student may volunteer that he/she has a portfolio Web site which the interviewer may view via the Internet. After providing the Web site's address, the student can lead the interviewer directly to the document in question. They can then have a more meaningful discussion, because the interviewer is looking at the document. If appropriate, the student can direct the interviewer to look at additional workbooks, presentations and/or other works that demonstrate the student's related abilities. In short, the existence of a portfolio Web site increases a student's ability to communicate the value of his or her works. In addition, once the student is invited for an onsite interview with a potential employer, a portfolio Web site can be helpful in one-on-one interviews and presentations to larger groups.

This paper presents an approach for a student to develop a personal portfolio Web site by modifying a prototype Web site, using only Microsoft Word and the Internet Explorer. Specifically, this paper describes the templates available from the prototype, the five step-by-step exercises used in an undergraduate management information systems (MIS) course, links to view the resulting student portfolio Web sites and a brief presentation of some of the resulting student Web sites.

Literature Review

Traditionally, artists have maintained portfolios of their work to show to potential buyers, agents and galleries, as an aid in selling their current art and seeking future work. In a similar fashion, a student portfolio contains work that a student has collected, reflected, selected and presented to demonstrate key skills and accomplishments. A critical component of a student's portfolio is the student's reflection on the individual pieces of work, as well as an overall reflection on the story that the portfolio tells (see Barrett, 2007).

As discussed in Greenberg (2004), it is helpful to classify portfolios in terms of when the work is organized relative to when the work is created. This results in three types of portfolios:

1. Showcase Portfolio: organization occurs after the work has been created.

2. Structured Portfolio: a predefined organization exists for work that is yet to be created.

3. Learning Portfolio; organization of the work evolves as the work is created.

Showcase Portfolio. With so much material in digital form, a common starting point for a student portfolio is a Web site that contains specific examples of work that has already been created. Although student showcase portfolios can be free-form and open, institutions like Pennsylvania State University (2007) find that students need some guidance if the portfolios are to be useful for job interviews and applications to graduate school. See Shaffer (2007) for an example of a well-presented student portfolio. Providing templates for organizing work into different categories and perspectives can help to provide a framework for a student showcase portfolio. LaGuardia Community College (2007) offers students three levels of portfolios:

* The Basic Level uses the Blackboard 6 ePortfolio Environment. Gibbon's (2007) basic portfolio has informative summaries of five classes she has taken.

* The Intermediate Level requires students to use the free program Netscape Composer with a preset template. Shirley Rivas' (2007) intermediate portfolio has uniform navigational links to her Welcome, About Me, Classes and Projects, Resume, Educational Goals, Links and Contact Web pages.

* With the Advanced Level, students use programs such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Flash. Mallari's (2007) advanced portfolio has, in addition to the above, a photo gallery and a video clip.

Structured Portfolio. Another approach is to use a structured portfolio to establish a predefined organization in anticipation of work that will be completed. In a structured portfolio, demonstrating accomplishments for certification is a common goal. In addition, the predefined organization of a structured portfolio can make it easier for work to be systematically reviewed, evaluated and compared. Some professions, such as elementary and secondary teaching, have formal standards and certification requirements that candidates must meet. The Center for Technology in Education (CTE) at Johns Hopkins University (2007) has developed a structured portfolio system for teacher education as a replacement for the paper portfolios used in the Master of Arts in Teaching program. In the CTE Electronic Portfolio, prospective teachers can share and discuss work with peers, request feedback from advisors and use an online journal to reflect on their progress and growth as a teacher.