
Unit 11: Eportfolios or online portfolios
Reflection: more points to consider
Good reflective writing should have a purpose both for you and your audience. Both of you should be interested in commentary about why you chose your particular major, relationships that you see between your coursework and experience, and what sets you apart from others in terms of both training and life choices. Give examples that show learning, change, empowerment, self-development, problem-solving, and results. Good examples are concrete, providing names, lists, scenarios, dates, definitions, and so on.
- One student wrote an essay reflecting on how her intercultural understanding had been shaped by a year abroad
- Another student wrote a few short poems defining his interest in engineering, and even created a sketch to accompany each poem
- A third student took an even bolder stroke - writing about lessons she’d learned about teamwork after being reprimanded by a groupwork supervisor for working too independently.
What they are doing is not only taking stock of their personal assessment of their growth, they’re also preparing themselves for hard interview questions. (“Tell me about the greatest challenge you’ve faced in life.” or “Argue to me how your education prepared you to work at our company.”) Ultimately, effective reflection online is about learning to speak well in the company of others.
Finally, look for opportunities to write reflective comments on any major portion of your portfolio, including the cv, papers and projects, photography, and so on. The bottom line: If it’s worth a menu-based category in your e-portfolio, it’s probably worth reflective commentary.
SMILE - ePortfolios or online portfolios by Joe Schall, The Pennsylvania State University and modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.