Academic PortfoliosErnest L. and Zac E., Writing Center tutors Please keep in mind that these are only general guidelines; always defer to your professor's specifications for a given assignment. If you have any questions about the content represented here, please contact the Writing Centers so that we can address them for you. An academic portfolio is an organized record of a student’s academic history, including his or her achievements and professional development over a period of time. It contains a collection of documents that exemplify the quality of the work that you are able to do. Additionally, academic portfolios include reflective essays on the writing you have included as well as your overall progress as a student throughout an academic quarter or career. In an academic portfolio, these reflections should critically analyze your development as a student. While reflecting, highlight your strengths as demonstrated in the portfolio while also acknowledging areas in which you can still develop.Portfolios come in a variety of forms. Traditionally, academic portfolios tend to be kept as physical hard copies in folders or binders divided into sub-sections. Today, however, this emphasis on the physical academic portfolio has declined. Electronic portfolios are a growing trend and are often preferred now because a student can easily include various forms of media such as images or sound recordings. Selection Process: Choosing what to include in an academic portfolio can be difficult because students often have a large body of work to choose from. When deciding what will be in an academic portfolio, it is important to carefully choose a short collection of work which highlights and summarizes your development as a student. The St. Martin’s Handbook recommends that students limit themselves to five to seven documents.Documents to include: Requirements for academic portfolios differ, yet most include the following:
(St. Martin’s Handbook, 6th edition) Other Helpful Resources:
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