E-Portfolio Project

For the final project, you will construct a web-based "e-portfolio" that creates a professional identity for yourself and can be used to showcase your skills and abilities with interested readers (i.e., employers).

While you have some leeway in what you can include in this site, your final e-portfolio site must include the following:

• home/splash page that establishes a professional ethos, or image.
• A web-based resume (i.e., an HTML version of your resume)
• several annotated samples of work that represents your relevant skills, including at least one PDF document you've written and links to Web pages you produced during this course.
• A link to a genre analysis of online portfolios (see Price & Price ch. 11)
• A link to an audience analysis/design document for your e-portfolio site
• Follow the same design and content guidelines from Webzine project:
  • Be "published" online
  • Adhere to guidelines for writing effective Web text outlined by Price and Price (ch. 5-10, 15) and Web Style Guide, ch. 4-6.
  • Use CSS to define at least the text/font styles of your page.
  • Identify and properly cite any sources referenced/consulted

What are good things to put on your site?

• Major projects or assignments from classes (reports, designs, websites, programs, etc.)
• Internship/Co-op assignments (business letters, reports, products, etc.)
• Extra-curricular work (event materials, flyers, etc. from clubs, fraternity/sorority, volunteer activities)
• Statements about yourself: bio, fact sheet, goals, major accomplishments, summary of internships/work projects, work philosophy (e.g., teachers include a "teaching philosophy" statement)

However, don't limit yourself to the works listed above. Anything you have created that you feel demonstrates your capabilities can (and should) be included within your portfolio.

Remember that the significance of anything you choose to "display" in your portfolio must be explained to the reader/user. Don't assume that the skills and achievements represented in your portfolio are self-explanatory: A good portofolio includes enough contextual cues to help inform and persuade the reader/user about key aspects of your background and skills. Each document, for instance, should have a brief annotation/caption that explains what the document is and what skills it represents. These captions should include as many keywords or industry jargon as possible.

Anything on the site that could damage your image with potential employers will hurt your grade (i.e., pictures of your spring break arrest would be unacceptable; pictures of your cats would have to be carefully measured according to your audience and purpose).

This project is due: by noon May 4.

Samples

• Google's directory listing of resumes and portfolios by industry
• Penn State student samples (screenshots of student e-portfolios)
• Jim Kalmbach's student portfolio examples
• Janice Carlson, Vegas Tech Writer
• Martin Kimeldorf's Portfolio Sampler

Resources

• Penn State's E-Portfolio site. Lots of great tips
• Ball State's Professional Employment Portfolio site
• Portfolio Library (Martin Kimeldorf, author of Portfolio Power)

Technical

• Create Adobe PDF files on campus (NOTE: follow directions for Adobe Distiller)
• Create Adobe PDF files online (5 free trials)