Getting started with e-portfolios: advice for students, staff and employers

The three checklists below, developed as part of UKCLE's Using e-portfolios in legal education project, give some advice for students, staff and employers on using e-portfolios - see Getting started with e-portfolios for more.

Advice for students

An e-portfolio is useful because:

it keeps your work in a central repository

it’s fun to reflect – even if you’re not very good at it!

it stimulates your creative juices

you can show off what you can do – and what you’ve done

The downside is:

you need some training to get started – but it does get easier

it feels like extra work

you have to keep it up to date

Give it a try – it might help your career choices.

Advice for staff

Tips on staff support for e-portfolios:

start the training early – give an easy introduction to the software during induction

follow this up with more training later in the course

students want guidance, templates, set styles, detailed plans...you name it!

investment in time early on in terms of support pays dividends later

it’s a useful feedback tool – just make sure you feed back in time

Advice for employers

An e-portfolio is useful because:

employees like to have everything in one place

it gives them some freedom to express themselves

it’s useful for them to reflect on their university experience, especially at transition stages

it’s a useful career planning tool (if used properly)

Beware of:

confidentiality and ownership of information concerns

security concerns

concerns about competitive sensitivity

Make sure too that the e-portfolio works with existing IT systems and that your employees are given time to keep it up to date.

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page contact: Patricia McKellar
last updated: 21 October 2008