How to Make an Online Student Portfolio Step-by-Step

A student Web portfolio allows you to display pieces of work, such as artwork or written pieces, you have created to others, often for school, internship or job-related purposes. An online portfolio will allow you to reach a greater audience and potentially make more academic or professional connections. A portfolio can give others a sense of your growth and skills set within your field. To create a student portfolio, you need to organize digitally-formatted pieces in such a way that is visually attractive and interesting to your potential audience.

Instructions

1. Save and later gather together the best pieces you have created for a class or throughout your school career to put in an electronic portfolio. Throughout the semester or during your college career, keep important artwork or written works together in a binder or a computer folder so you can access them easily later. Organize them in chronological order, by importance, by type or by class, depending on your needs or the requirement of your class assignment.

2. Take pictures of, scan or take your pieces to a professional copy center to get them in a digital format. Save them in a commonly used format, such as PDF, GIF, Word or JPEG format, so that you can easily work with when putting them on a website. Use a graphic design or publisher program, such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Publisher, to organize and format your pieces before putting them online for your teacher, other students or potential employers to see.

3. Create your own site or use an existing site, such as Flickr, Behance Network, Snappixel, Carbonmade or Issuu, to create your student Web portfolio. Incorporate graphics, fonts and information into your website that make your portfolio visually stimulating and educational. Learn XHTML or CSS code before attempting to create your own website for your student portfolio.

4. Put videos, audio files or pictures in your portfolio if they fit you’re your theme, purpose or requirements. Include information about yourself and your student work. Talk about the creation process, purpose, significance or meaning of your pieces in brief descriptions within your student portfolio, depending on your teacher’s requirements or your own expectations. Also highlight how pieces helped you to develop certain skills that were useful in your class or will be valuable in your field.

Tips & Warnings

• Back up documents on a zip disc or external hard drive in case something happens to your computer.

• Create multiple portfolios if you need to display pieces for different classes, purposes or potential employers.

• Use graphics, designs and fonts that compliment your student portfolio but don’t use too many because you risk drawing your audience’s attention away from your work. Keep descriptions about yourself and your work informative but brief to help to highlight your work without getting redundant or long-winded.

References

• Eduscapes: Electronic Portfolios: Students, Teachers and Life-Long Learners
• Consumer Guide: Student Portfolios: Classroom Uses
• Web Designer Depot: 10 Characteristics of Excellent Portfolio Sites
• You the Designer: 7 Tips for Improving Graphic Design Portfolios
• Freelance Switch: 5 Tips for a Better Online Portfolio
• Palomar College: Student Web Portfolio Project
• University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign: Student Web Portfolios: A Project Proposal
• Skills Library: Online Skills Portfolio
• Glazemo: Flickr Alternatives: 25 Best Online Portfolio and Image Hosting Sites
• Teachervision: The Portfolio Process

Resources

• Educationworld: Create Student Portfolios with Hyperlinks
• University of Michigan: Student Portfolio Uses
• Freelance Switch: Build a Killer Online Portfolio in 9 Easy Steps
• Smashing Magazine: 50 Smashing Portfolio Websites for Your Inspiration
• Teachnology: How to Create a Student Portfolio
• Electricteacher: What is an Online Portfolio?