Portfolios in ENC 1101

Considering the Digital Portfolio

(remember this? From the syllabus?)

I use a portfolio grading system in ENC 1101 because this class emphasizes teaching writing as a process. So, the focus during the semester should be revising with an eye toward putting a very good “final” draft of each assignment in your portfolio. It is your responsibility to keep all writing that you do in and out of this class. This portfolio constitutes a large portion of your grade for this class. It is not a project that can be completed the last week of class.

What is the purpose of a portfolio?

Primarily, the purpose can be summed up in the following three words:

•Collection•Selection•Reflection

More specifically, I use portfolios because they

• Presume Development • assume that you have learned something

• Display Document Diversity • Allow you to demonstrate a variety of types of work

• Require selection and self-assessment • YOU do the work

• Are context rich • You display the whole writing process, not just the final

product.

Digital Portfolios are

• Web-sensible• Thoughtfully arranged (or, they should be)• Media-rich• Hypertextual

Also: They save trees.

And desk space

But more importantly, you

• Compose• Own• Maintain• Archive on the internet or in other formats

It is easy to transition this from an ENC 1101 project to an online archive of your writing and other schoolwork. An electronic portfolio is excellent for the job market. Really.

Portfolios are naturally Hypertextual

We want them to express the intertextuality of writing; and e-portfolios can link inward to your own writing drafts and processes, and outward to texts (remember: texts can be videos, images, as well as traditional writing) elsewhere.

Your portfolio will need to do the following

• Offer an organized path through your work (table of contents, for example)

• Display multiple drafts of major projects• Display some of the low-risk writing you’ve

done in the class (writing journals, in class work)

• Offer, in some form, a letter of reflection that discusses your work in the class.

• Portfolio Assignment• 45% of final grade• DUE: Dec 3, 2012, at the beginning of class.• The portfolio should demonstrate your ability

to select your best work (and sometimes work that is not your best) and reflect on what you did and perhaps did not learn or utilize in that particular writing situation.

• Components• A table of contents or other similar organization/ navigation system that is easy to use• A reflection letter; this is a narrative or reflection on what you have learned this semester. At minimum,

this should demonstrates an understanding of audience, discuss the semester’s learning, revision, and suggest a grade for the portfolio. If you choose a digital portfolio, this letter might be text, but it could also be incorporated into a video or recording where you speak the reflection. It can be presented as one whole reflection, or as several reflective sections.

• Your three major papers. At least one of these should demonstrate significant global revisions. An “A” portfolio will demonstrate extensive revision of at least 2 papers. – Rhetorical Analysis & drafts & and any relevant peer or teacher feedback & a link to or copy of

your original text– Writing Self-Study & drafts & and any relevant peer or teacher feedback – Discourse Community paper & drafts & and any relevant peer or teacher feedback

• A selection of your favorite 6 Reading journals (these do not need to be revised; you just need to include them so that I can see a full picture of your progress this semester).

• A selection of other classwork that you think best reflects your learning and work in the class. This might include peer letters that you wrote, small in-class exercises, or anything else you have done as a result of concepts learned in class.

An outstanding portfolio might do one or more of these:

• Change the genre or format of at least one of your major papers

• Make significant and major revisions to all three major papers

• Make an argument for a paper’s inclusion in the Knight’s Write showcase in 2013 or in the journal Stylus (UCF’s first year writing journal)

Some examples of digital portfolios

MengHua: a student who knew a lot of web designwww.wix.com/wmh_xiaohuahua/menghua-portfolio

Neel—a scientists’ portfolioNeelsportfolio.wordpress.com

Steven – a basketball metaphorStevenceliportfolio.weebly.com

Note: Some of these examples are from UCF, and some are from other universities. Your content and organization will not be the same.

What are some other platforms you might consider using?

• Wordpress• Weebly • Wix• Tumblr• Blogger• Google Sites• Things I haven’t heard of

• Remember, a digital portfolio can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Its primary job is to display the writing work you have done over the course of the semester.