three students sitting on a bench extending their arms and using their index fingers to point at something on a laptop in front of them. A silver laptop is in front of them sitting on a table. The glow of the laptop lights up their shins.
Academic Technology, Portfolio, Students, Web Projects

Student Portfolios With Domain of One’s Own

Over the years, digital student portfolios have emerged as a viable option for students to showcase their academic journey and professional readiness. Unlike traditional resumes, digital portfolios offer a dynamic and comprehensive picture of a student’s capabilities, experiences, and personal growth. Here are some reasons why students might consider curating a digital portfolio and what it could include to maximize its impact.

Why Create a Digital Portfolio?

A Canvas for Your Skills

Think of your digital portfolio as an art gallery where each piece tells a unique story of your educational journey. It’s a space to illustrate not just what you’ve learned, but how you think, solve problems, and approach the world.

Reflection Leads to Insight

Compiling a portfolio encourages you to look back on your experiences, reflect on your learning process, and articulate your accomplishments. This introspection is a catalyst for growth and clarity in your career path.

A Competitive Edge

When you’re competing for opportunities, a digital portfolio can be the ace up your sleeve. It provides a multi-dimensional view of your capabilities, making you a memorable candidate in a sea of resumes.

What to Include in a Digital Portfolio

Scholarly Pursuits

  • Academic Work: Showcase your best papers, projects, and presentations. Include anything that demonstrates your critical thinking, analytical abilities, and collaborative spirit.
  • Research Endeavors: Elaborate on research projects, underscoring your investigative skills and contributions to the field.

Beyond the Classroom

  • Leadership and Involvement: Detail your roles in co-curricular activities, highlighting your leadership experiences and contributions to campus life.
  • Community Engagement: Illustrate your volunteer efforts and the impact you’ve made outside of campus.

Professional Experiences

  • Internships and Jobs: Chronicle your student work experiences, emphasizing the skills you’ve honed and your professional accomplishments.
  • Skillset Capability: List both hard and soft skills you’ve acquired, from technical expertise to interpersonal abilities.

Creative Showpieces

  • Visual and Media Arts: Integrate visual content that showcases your creativity and technical skills.
  • Presentations: Embed multimedia presentations to demonstrate your communication skills.

Personal Growth

  • Reflective Narratives: Offer insights into what each experience has taught you and how you’ve navigated challenges.
  • Development Timeline: Highlight your evolution throughout your matriculation, showcasing the expansion of your skills and knowledge.

Endorsements

  • Recommendations: Include recommendations from faculty, any Alum you’ve worked with, and mentors.
  • Peer Praise: Add testimonials from colleagues or project partners who can speak to your abilities and character.

Be Sure To Use Privacy Settings

Digital portfolios are great but it’s important to remember to take security measures to protect your privacy online. Below are some steps you can take to be safe when creating your portfolio.

Be Selective with Personal Information

  • Carefully consider what personal information to share. Avoid posting sensitive information such as home address, phone number, or birthdate.

Be Cautious with Third-Party Apps

  • When integrating third-party services or plugins, ensure they come from reputable sources and understand the permissions you are granting.

Limit Viewable Access

  • Utilize the web app’s privacy settings to control who can see certain content.
  • Consider setting up some pages to be accessible with a password for additional privacy.
  • Consider setting your digital portfolio to private and only sharing to those with a link.
  • When working with others on a project, be sure to get their consent when sharing their content.

How Domain of One’s Own Can Help

ITS provides a website creation service called Domain of One’s Own (DoOO). This platform provides an option for students to create a digital portfolio using such web apps as WordPress. There are 3 areas our Domain of one’s Own initiative focuses on:

  • Web Literacy: Master the tools and technology that make up the web to build your own space online.
  • Digital Identity: Explore the notion of digital identity and how publishing on the web can frame an identity.
  • Reclaim: Learn to take ownership and control over the content you put on the web instead of handing it to third-party publishers.

For students interested in creating a digital portfolio using Domain of One’s Own, it’s important to note that this resource is typically granted through a structured educational context. Currently, as a student, you can use this resource as part of an approved course project or campus program initiative, or when collaborating directly with faculty or staff members on a project. This ensures you have the guidance and support necessary to make the most of a digital portfolio, aligning your personal and academic growth with the innovative spirit of the Domain of One’s Own initiative.

Interested in Learning More?

If you’re interested in digital portfolios using Domain of One’s Own use the button below to go to our Domains page. Next, click the Get Started button to fill out the interest form.

Learn More About Domain of One’s Own