An introduction to Portfolio
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Portfolio (http://www.portfolio.mis.ed.ac.uk) is a secure web site at the University of Edinburgh (UoE) for saving, organizing, viewing, and selectively sharing personal information and records. It is a place on the Internet, specific to you, where you can keep your learning and course materials and reflections. It provides a single place to log into in which you can: enter and view personal learning materials, share selected Portfolio elements with one or more individuals, and view other people's Portfolios to which you have been granted access. These people can include fellow students, or staff. You may also grant access to people outside the University.
Portfolio is a University of Edinburgh implementation of the Open Source Portfolio Initiative (OSPI) system.
Why use Portfolio?
• Portfolio is a web-based information management tool, which allows UoE and non-UoE users (guests) the opportunity to access and share Portfolio records and other documents.
• It can be thought of as an electronic file cabinet in which you can store multiple types of information by and about yourself, such as writing samples, photographs or design samples, video clips, music clips, CVs, internship experiences or mentors.
• Creating a Portfolio encourages you to think critically about and document your thoughts and experiences related to personal information, education, career, skills, professional practices and recognition.
• Once you enter information into a Portfolio, you can choose to share either part or all of it with other individuals.
How do I find my way around Portfolio?
The menu contains sections which reflect Portfolio's three primary functions: Enter , Share , and View . It is useful to spend a little time exploring these sections.
Enter
This is the section for entering information into your Portfolio.
• Enter/upload data: From here you may enter details about yourself into the 5 main areas, and make entries into your personal weblog (blog).
• Upload files/URLs: From here you can manage files and links to other web sites (URLs). You can upload new files and URLs, browse those you have already uploaded, attach / detach them from elements in your Portfolio, or delete them to conserve space.
Share
Through the Share function, a user may create one or more Presentations. Each Presentation can contain one or more Portfolio elements. Viewing privileges can now be granted to one or more individuals - who can be both UoE and non-UoE users.
View
It is possible to view Portfolio folders to which you have been granted access through the View function. All UoE Portfolio users have access to their own Default Profiles through the View function as well.
What types of file can I add?
You can add most types of files to your Portfolio, including text, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. You can also add images, movies or sounds. The most important thing to bear in mind is the size of the files you want to add. As long as you do not exceed your storage limit, you should not have any problems uploading your files.
Who else can see my Portfolio?
You have control over what parts of your Portfolio you make available to others. Only information you include in a Presentation is shared - the rest is private. For some courses, you may be required to create a Presentation to be shared with your tutor which includes specific assignments or reflections, and this may form part of your assessment for that course. In other cases, you may wish to make a Presentation which reflects certain aspects of yourself or your learning or experience, and share this with friends, fellow students, colleagues, potential employers... the possibilities are only limited by what material you have to share and your imagination in presenting it.
Can I access from home/work ?
Yes, you can access Portfolio from any computer with an Internet connection and a recent browser. Set up your browser preferences to accept cookies and to be JavaScript enabled (these features are usually enabled by default). Adjust the font size for optimal viewing.
Where do I get more information about Portfolio?
The Portfolio helpdesk provides support for troubleshooting errors / problems, as well as answers to general questions about Portfolio. You can contact the helpdesk at: elearnhelp@ed.ac.uk .
You can also find general information about the system at the OSPI web site: http://www.theospi.org.
for more information, contact:
Jen Ross, E-portfolio Co-ordinator
Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh
Charteris Land, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ
0131 651 6133, info@erdee.org.uk