Site Overview

This site has been created to help you develop your ChemE-folio, where you will document your education, experiences, and skills and communicate them in a format that is easily accessed and updated. It has been developed to allow you to work on multiple sections simultaneously, including demonstrating progress toward the ABET outcomes, which will be developed throughout the Chemical Engineering curriculum.

What is an e-Portfolio?

An e-folio is an online record of what you are learning, how and where you are learning it, and what evidence supports the progress you are making. It is "an electronic record that can be constantly sorted and culled and curated over time. It is an active repository with many management tools that can generate Web presentations for particular purposes. It is a resume maker with linked evidence" [1]. An engineering portfolio has been defined as "an argument developed around the claims you wish to make about yourself. Ultimately, the claims will be most convincing to readers when they are supported by documentation from a variety of sources" [2].

Since your ChemE-folio is a work in progress, it can help you in several ways:

as a repository of your work, allowing you a place to store and, thus, keep track of the work accomplished in your courses, activities, jobs, etc.
as a place to integrate your knowledge and your learning experiences, allowing you to "see the big picture" of how the pieces (courses, jobs, skills, etc.) contribute to the professional you are becoming
as a way to communicate to others what you have accomplished and are continuing to learn through reflection, i.e., consciously connecting all that you are learning to your values, beliefs, and experiences

Finally, the purpose of the portfolio is NOT to help you prepare more job application materials

BUT

To help prepare YOU for the job.

Getting Started

Read the materials in the Resources section, beginning with "ChemE-folio: Getting Started, a PDF to help you gather information for developing each section of the portfolio.
Create a web site (using Google Sites or other web software). Instructions for GS are provided on the handout "ChemE-folio Google Sites Instructions."
Or, create a hard copy file, organizing the main and subsections to match the assignment requirements.
Read through this website to learn what will be expected of your portfolio.
To begin preparing your own overview, go to Preparing Your Own ChemE-folio Overview.

This template is available for you to use and modify this layout. Select "Use this template" at the top of the page, or search Google templates for ChemE-folio TAMU.

Continuing the Process

Consider your e-folio as a "living" document, one that is easily and continually revised. Add new content, sections, tabs, files, etc. as needed. Use the templates to prompt reflections and to provide ideas about how to develop each section.

Tip: Duplicate the site to create different versions and add or delete sections that match the audience and purpose you want to target. (You may even want to change the site theme to give the site a different look.) Learn as much as you can about who will be reading your portfolio and for what purposes; tailor your portfolio to meet those purposes. For example, if you are applying to grad school, create a tab for a "Statement of Intent." You could also rename a section to better fit the context to which your portfolio is directed. If "Career Interests" better suits your context (over "Biography"), then use it. Make the portfolio what you want it to be so that it does what you want it to do.

Finalizing the Process

Complete the portfolio by the deadline requested and follow the instructions for submission given by your instructor. Of course, your portfolio can also be used in your job search or application to graduate school. You should plan to modify it as needed for the different contexts in which it will be used.

Overcoming ePortfolio Anxiety

Be careful not to become overwhelmed by all of the content and artifacts that you could potentially include in your portfolio and therefore get discouraged because the task seems TOO BIG.

Thus, the best advice is this:

Take one topic (or tab) at a time.
Just start.

Remember that you can always add to and revise your work and you can always learn how to use the "tech tools," but don't let technology or procrastination keep you from making progress on your e-folio.

__________________________

[1] T. Batson. (2012). "12 Important Trends in the ePortfolio Industry for Education and Learning," [Online]. Campus Technology. Available: http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/09/19/12-important-trends-in-the-eportfolio-industry.aspx

[2] J. Turns. (Date unknown). "Designing Portfolios." [PPT]. Human Centered Design and Engineering. University of Washington.

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