Portfolios

What is a Portfolio?

A portfolio is a tool that students use to collect and present evidence of their learning and skill development over time. Instructors may create assignments in their courses that require students to build a portfolio using the portfolio tool. Students can choose to share their portfolios in Blackboard with peers, instructors, and potential employers or export portfolios as a collection of web pages to post online.

Each Portfolio may contain multiple Pages;

• Each Page is similar to a page on a website.

• Each Section is where a user can place content in the form of rich text, graphics, and media.

• Each Artifact consists of text and related files, including documents, presentations, spreadsheets, graphics, and media files.

You can construct a Portfolio as an assignment for a course, but the Portfolio lives outside of courses, enabling students to maintain a record of their achievements in all courses, as well as work done for no course at all .

Why would I use a Portfolio?

Portfolio can be used as a tool for structuring learning across a degree and providing opportunities for students to reflect on their learning. Quicker and more comprehensive feedback can be provided within Portfolio via various assessment tasks and the rubrics associated with them. This information can also be mapped to graduate attributes, accreditation competencies, or learning outcomes to facilitate students’ learning and reporting requirements.

Quick Reference Guide for Instructors

• Create Portfolio Assignment

An instructor of a course can assign portfolio projects or assignments. When the student submits the assignment, a static snapshot of the portfolio is then submitted for grading to the course.

• Add Portfolio Tool Link to Course Menu

Adding a Portfolio Tool Link to the Course Menu will allow all students in the course to share and view each other's portfolios.
Note: The portfolio must be shared to the course by the student for it to be visible on the Portfolio Tool Link page for other students.

• Grade Portfolio Assignment

Grading a Blackboard Portfolio assignment is similar to grading a normal Blackboard assignment. The Portfolio will be viewable and can be accessed in the Grade Center. Portfolio submission assignments do not allow instructors to make direct annotations onto uploaded documents. Grading feedback to the student is provided in the Grading Panel sidebar, and is separate from the actual Portfolio. Therefore, carefully consider the purpose of the assignment when selecting a Portfolio submission assignment versus an Individual submission assignment.