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By Ashlyn Eddy

Patrick Fort’s one-page resume started out like every other resume from the past few decades.

But it was only the beginning.

With clips of audio, writing samples and video productions, Fort’s E-Portfolio, an online addition to a basic resume, allows employers to get a glimpse of the creative, personable man that Fort is.

Small additions of creativity through the use of technology are what allowed Fort’s E-Portfolio to be what it is today.

“I’ve had a resume for two or three years now, but making my E-Portfolio website allowed me to show more,” CU alum Fort said. “It’s an easier, more creative way to get your work out there.”

As technology around the world continues to progress, the way student growth and employee qualifications are assessed is progressing as well. An E-Portfolio is simply an online area that houses all of a student’s best work. This tool is used in education in order to demonstrate growth as well as in the job search process. With the introduction of this new technology comes a need to educate those who will use it.

But the University of Colorado Boulder’s adaptation to this growth is anything but steady.

Though various areas of CU such as education, engineering and journalism make use of E-Portfolios in their curriculum, CU does not have a unified way for students to produce E-Portfolios.

“We have certain campus groups that we know use E-Portfolios,” said Aisha Jackson, program manager for teaching and learning applications with the Office of Information Technology at CU. She added, however, that “there is no campus-wide tool that supports E-Portfolios.”

“There is a pedagogical use for E-Portfolios,” Jackson said. “Students have to demonstrate growth over time, and an E-Portfolio is a way for them to do that by collecting the artifacts of their learning and pulling them together in a way that tells the story of their experience here on campus.”

E-Portfolios chart student growth in the education system, as well as increase access to the job market, because of their range of coverage and accessibility.

Though there are parts of CU that make use of E-Portfolios, Jackson said the main service for this tool was removed from Desire2Learn, the campus online learning platform, last summer due to lack of use across campus.

Cory Pavicich, academic technology consultant for the Office of Information Technology at CU said, “The benefit of E-Portfolios in the College of Engineering is in presenting student work to employers and universities for graduate school.”

He added that portfolios are useful tools for assessing student learning apart from course grades.

“There is only so much information that you can glean from seeing an ‘A’ on a project. A website with images and write-ups demonstrates the students’ ability to do work, and how reflective they are about it.”

E-Portfolios have a specific, purposeful use in the engineering program because they directly correspond with the curriculum.

“The engineering program has a prescribed curriculum from the beginning,” said Larry Levine, associate vice chancellor for IT and Chief Information Officer for CU. “So there’s definitely something to measure yourself against in terms of where you are in the program.”

Though E-Portfolios have an obvious purpose in engineering and other fields, students must also learn how create their E-Portfolio in a creative manner. Fort was able to produce his E-Portfolio with prior knowledge of editing programs.

“I used a program that is a part of the Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Muse, to create my E-Portfolio,” Fort said. “It integrates InDesign and Photoshop, as well as other things into one program.”

But not all students have the skills to create a professional E-Portfolio all on their own.

“I’m lucky to have friends in graphic design that helped me with my resume and my website,” CU alum Catherine Bogart said. “If you don’t have those friends, it could be harder, and you may have to use a professional service. But people can definitely use their resources here at CU.”

The use of E-Portfolios is also growing in CU’s Career Services. Jon Schlesinger, assistant director for strategic planning and communication in Career Services, is working to build the professionalism of CU students and graduates.

“E-Portfolios can really benefit a job search when they are done well,” Schlesinger said. “But if you want to make an E-Portfolio, it has to be professional to be effective.”

Career Services offers many tools for gaining the skills to create a professional E-Portfolio. The Career Services website includes free website links, workshops and information about E-Portfolios so that students can improve the way they are seen during the job search.

“A student who doesn’t have an E-Portfolio or an online presence, particularly in an area where an employer is expecting it, is really at a disadvantage,” Schlesinger said. “When I Google somebody, which I’ll do eventually in the job search process, I want to find good things out there, and it’s much better for the student if they’re putting their own voice online.”