What is an ePortfolio?
Electronic Portfolios (ePortfolios) are unique, online compilations of students’ works, skills, and experiences. They generally include examples of students’ skills and achievements, and help to track students’ progress through their academic programs by organizing coursework, projects, personal reflections, and other materials. These virtual professional profiles are becoming increasingly popular among academics and professionals because of the ease with which they allow potential employers to learn more about who you are and what you have to offer!
In general, an ePortfolio should achieve the following:
- provide evidence of student’s language skill and various competencies
- connect student’s work with national certifications/standards (i.e. ACTFL/NCATE, INTASC, etc)
- communicate student’s beliefs and attitudes as they are relevant to studies
- provide student with opportunities to share their own reflections on the learning processes and their own personal growth
What to include in your ePortfolio?
Although what you choose to include in your ePortfolio is ultimately up to you, Spanish Language Majors’ ePortfolios should include the following components:
- A personal objectives statement, or a statement of career goals
- A resume and/or cover letter
- Samples of best coursework, including cross-disciplinary work if earning a second major or minor
- Formal and informal language assessments
- Self-evaluations
- Cultural components
- Journal of learning and experiencial professes
- Samples of language performance (video and audio), along with a reflective statement about each sample provided
- Experiential Component (i.e. Study Abroad or Co-op/Internships) that includes a description of the program and work/study/objectives; a letter from a supervisor; documentation of hours of service; relevant interviews; photos, videos, and recordings.
For those Spanish Language Studies students who are focusing on teacher education, ePortfolios should include the following sections:
- Philosophy of Education
- Cultures, Literature, Cross-Disciplinary Concepts
- Language Acquisition Theories, Instruction
- Integration of Standards/Curriculum and Instruction (i.e. unit and lesson plans, etc.)
- Assessment Practices/Impact on Student Learning
- Communication and Technology Integration
- Professionalism
When you’re ready, click here to Start Creating your very own!