Portfolios


Why use portfolios?

A portfolio is a collection of work which allows you to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and reflections in a particular area. Because they often include a collection of different pieces of work produced over a period time, they can be a good way to demonstrate progress and development. 

But as well as being a way to assess your knowledge and understanding, they can be a personal space for you to reflect on your achievements and growth. This can help you identify your strengths and areas for improvement.

Portfolios are a part of many degree programmes. Additionally, a well-crafted portfolio is a powerful tool to showcase your skills and accomplishments to future employers, making you stand out in the job market.  

Structure 

Portfolios vary and it is important to look carefully at any guidance that you are given. What are the requirements for the content? What will you be marked on? Do you know what a good portfolio looks like? If there is a bank of assessed work, it can be helpful to look at an example.  

Typically, a portfolio might include: 

  • An introduction which shows consideration for the audience and the purpose of the collection of work 

  • Some well-chosen examples of work presented in a logical order 

  • Thoughtful, critical commentary to contextualise the examples (What do they show? What have you learnt? What skills have you demonstrated?)   

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Tips

Some tips to help you create an impressive and well-organized portfolio: 

  • Look carefully at the guidance for your assessment. Because portfolios vary in their aims and content requirements it is important to pay attention to what you are being asked to produce. 
  • Tell a story with your portfolio. Explain the journey of your projects, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them. You may find it helpful to read this guide to reflective writing.
  • Be creative. Consider using multimedia such as images, videos and sound files, or upload documents showcasing your work.
  • Plan ahead and start early: it can be tempting to leave creating your portfolio until the last minute, but it will be a much more rewarding experience for you (and less stressful!) if you add to it regularly throughout the duration of your course.

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Understand your medium

The University's portfolio tool is PebblePad, which allows you to create blogs, digital diaries and portfolios. See this guide on creating content in PebblePad.  

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