Description: A professional portfolio is a collection of artifacts, artifact annotations, and overarching statements that a student uses to communicate an understanding of their profession and preparedness to perform work in their area. A course-based professional porfolio is a professional portfolio populated specifically with the work from a single course. By building such a portfolio, a student has the opportunity to test their understanding of how work from a specific course would be useful in the context of their overall professional goals.
Underlying Pedagogical Goals: Synthesis
Example, TC 310 - The Computer in TC: The following examples are taken from a course I teach entitled, "The computer in Technical Communication." In the course, students complete eight design assignments in eight weeks using eight differnt software tools. In the professional portfolio assignment, students synthesize their work for presentation to colleagues and prospective employers. The assignment from the syllabus is as follows: "In the professional portfolio assignment, you will be asked to design and develop a custom web-based professional portfolio. At minimum, a high quality professional portfolio will be one that satisfies standard usability criteria, conforms to standards for effective communication, and succeeds in making and supporting claims about the professional skills of the person who created the portfolio."
Example, CEE 452: This example was created by a student to document his activities in a Civil and Environmental Engineering course, CEE 452. The portfolio was constructed outside of class in order to illustrate the applicability of this type of portfolio to traditional engineering courses.
