E-PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT: THE STUDENT HANDOUT
Introduction
A
portfolio is a compilation of your work that demonstrates skills,
knowledge, and other qualities important to a particular field or
course of study. To demonstrate your learning in Freshman Inquiry, you
will create a portfolio to showcase and reflect on your achievements,
your progress in the University Studies (UNST) goals, and how both of
these connect to your larger educational goals and aspirations.
Your
portfolio should include a written reflection on each of the four UNST
goals, at least ten different assignments completed during the entire
year, and an essay discussing how you see your work in FRINQ connecting
on your broader experience and aspirations in your major or career
goals, as a member of your community (as you define it), as a citizen,
or other important role.
Part 1: Goal interpretation
For
this section, write your interpretation and understanding of each of
the four University goals and discuss how your work reflects progress
in these goals:
- Communication
- Critical Thinking and Inquiry
- The Diversity of Human Experience
- Ethics and Social Responsibility
Below
are several questions for you to consider in your reflection, but
please do not simply list these questions and answer them. Include
these answers in the natural flow of the overall commentary. See your
instructor for details on length and format.
- In
your own words, what does this goal mean? How does your interpretation
differ from the UNST definition? [For a description of the UNST goals,
go to www.pdx.edu/unst/university-studies-goals.] Have you changed or
added to the UNST goal? If so, why?
- Are
there concepts, ideas, and language that your FRINQ course used that
you think fit this goal, but aren’t reflected in the UNST definition?
(In other words, if you were to write a definition of this goal for
your class, what would it look like?)
- What role has this goal played in your learning this year?
- How
is this goal relevant to your education in general? Have other classes
and other experiences shaped your goal definition? How so?
- How is this goal relevant to life as a whole?
Part 2: Evidence of learning and growth
For
each goal, choose at least two of your own work samples from your FRINQ
course that best demonstrate your progress. Include the original
assignment sheet for each example, and discuss why you chose this work
product to illustrate growth toward this particular goal:
- What
specifically in the work product is the evidence? (Think in terms of
passages, themes, insights, processes, experiences, etc.)
- What
insights did you gain from doing this assignment? What part did you do
particularly well/are most proud? Of which parts dissatisfied? If you
were to do the assignment again, how would you do it differently?
- How
might this assignment connect to other goals? Discuss how your this
example of work could fit in other goals and why you ultimately chose
to include it as evidence in this particular one.
- How
does progress on this goal support your work in your major, your career
aspirations, and your role as citizen in our society?
In
addition to providing and commenting upon specific work samples,
concern yourself with how you grew over the course of the term or year
with respect to this goal. This can be done in a number of ways. For
example, you might include multiple drafts of a single work (it would
probably have to be a substantial one) and an accompanying discussion
of insights that led to the revisions. Or, you could adduce multiple
kinds of activities (assignments, in-class discussions, conversations
with peers or the professor, mentor sessions) that all touch upon the
same idea or theme and helped you develop ever greater appreciation for
it.
Part 3: Reflection on inquiry and your future
Write a two page (750-1000 word) essay reflecting on your broader learning experience and goals. Questions to consider:
- What have been the most useful insights and highlights over the year in this class?
- What have you learned about your own academic goals and values over the year (in this and other classes)?
- As
this class is titled Freshman Inquiry, how have you demonstrated
inquiry in this class and in other learning contexts this year?
- What
have you learned about your ability to contribute informed and original
ideas into a professional/scholarly dialog/discourse/discussion?
- What decisions, resolutions, or next steps are you making in terms of your academic career here at the university?
As
you write and shape your essay, think about how best to organize it.
Does it make more sense to order the information chronologically? From
most to least important point? From struggles to breakthroughs? In
other words, your final essay shouldn’t read like a free association.
Revise and organize your essay into a logical order that best fits the
points you are trying to make.
This reflection should be about what you learned, not about what you liked.
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