Portfolio Information

Introduction

Elements of the Portfolio

Elements of the Public Presentation

Portfolio Submission Requirements

Portfolio Evaluation

Schedule of Portfolio Semester

Introduction

The portfolio provides students with a capstone experience prior to graduation and serves a dual function. It allows faculty to see what students have focused on during their studies, and how they plan to use the knowledge and experience they have gained, and at the same time, it prompts students to evaluate their experience in the program in terms of academic growth, and professional potential and goals. As a professional school, we want students to leave with a sense of the profession and their place in it. The portfolio should enable the student to synthesize the experience of the degree and apply this knowledge toward a future professional career.

The portfolio allows the student to have considerably more control over (and responsibility for) the capstone experience. The portfolio requires that the student reflect upon the courses and projects that have been a part of the MA curriculum. It encourages students to identify significant accomplishments and to assemble those accomplishments into a coherent professional identity. The portfolio should be seen as an effort to shape a professional self. The work should be of professional caliber. The student should consider how he or she fits into the professional landscape and should use the portfolio to prepare for the launching of a career.

In summary, the portfolio should be both a tool for reflection and a means of assessment. By encouraging the student to assume control of the portfolio, we want to ensure the relevance of the student’s experience in the school and for his or her future career. In many ways, this approach puts more responsibility on the student to genuinely reflect on the time spent in the program and to make sense of the courses and projects. Students are expected to identify their best work and to present it to the faculty along with an explanation of its significance. The portfolio should, therefore, be the most professional work the student has achieved heretofore. The portfolio will be the last, best project of the student and the first, best efforts of an exiting professional.

Elements of the Portfolio

1. A Self-Assessment Narrative

a. A statement of significant learning from each of the four core cluster areas

b. A description of how the four clusters were synthesized to shape your overall growth
in the program and your perspective of the field of Library and Information Science

c. A rationalization of your elective coursework describing why you chose these particular courses, what you think you have achieved by choosing those courses, and what you may have done differently. Mention faculty or individuals who helped you navigate through the program

d. A statement of professional goals. Include a description of the steps you plan to take for further professional development

e. A self-assessment of participation in professional, organizational, and other service-oriented activities

f. A self-assessment of your leadership potential

2. Examples of Work

a. One example of work from a core course
b. One major paper from an elective or core course
c. One example of work from an elective course

3. A professional résumé

4. One or two items of supporting documentation that the student wishes to present

Elements of the Public Presentation

There will be three presentations / hour. All three students presenting in that time slot will arrive at the beginning and be present during the entire hour.

Each presentation will be approximately 20 minutes long. Faculty will choose one paper or project from the written portfolio and students will be informed of this choice two weeks prior to the oral presentation. Copies of selected pieces will be provided to each student in the group prior to the presentations. Students are expected to describe the context and focus of this piece of work in 3-5 minutes. Faculty will ask questions during the remaining period of the oral presentation. No technology will be used during the presentation.

Portfolio Submission Requirements

Students wishing to present their portfolio must have met the following requirements:

1. By the end of the semester during which the portfolio is submitted,

all core courses must be completed, and
the student must have completed 30 s.h. of coursework toward the MA degree

2. The student must be in good academic standing, i.e., minimum cumulative GPA = 3.0
3. All incompletes must be completed
4. A request for committee must be submitted to SLIS by the scheduled deadline.

Portfolio Evaluation

A portfolio committee will evaluate the portfolio on the following points:

1. Completeness and overall quality of student coursework presented
2. Evidence of student reflection on academic work, progress towards meeting professional goals, and leadership potential
3. Appearance and organization of portfolio
4. Oral presentation

Schedule of Portfolio Semester

Deadlines for the following will be distributed to students via the SLIS list each semester.

1. Declaration of Intent
The student files a Declaration of Intent to indicate that they are ready to prepare a portfolio. (Students must have completed 30 sh of coursework and all core courses by the end of the semester during which they complete the portfolio.)

2. Submission of Portfolio
The student submits three copies of completed portfolio to the Program Secretary.
a. The portfolio should be in paper form. An exception is “examples of work from an
elective course” (#2-C under “Components of a Portfolio” above), which may be
submitted in digital form. Work in digital form should be submitted on CD ROM along with a printed description of the disc’s contents.
b. All portfolios must be small enough to fit into a #7 Jiffy bag.
c. The submitted portfolio should be complete. No major changes will be made to the portfolio after the committee's evaluation.

3. Committee Evaluation/Requests for Revision
Students will be informed as to whether they have/have not met the requirements for the written portion. If they have met requirements, they will be notified of the work that the committee has chosen for their public presentation.(see Elements of the Public Presentation.) Should the committee call for minor revisions, the student will be permitted to make requested changes. If drastic revision is recommended by the committee, the student should be aware that faculty strongly believe that the Portfolio may fail and do not recommend that the student continue. (See Failure)

4. Public Presentation
The student makes a formal oral presentation of one piece of work from the Portfolio. Faculty will determine which piece of work is to be presented.

5. Assessment and Official Results
Following the student’s Public Presentation, the committee confers privately and, after
deliberation, assigns one of three grades to the student: Pass with distinction, Pass, or
Fail.

6. Official Results
The student receives the results of the committee’s final assessment in writing during the week following the public presentation.

7. Failure
Students must meet requirements for both the written and oral portion of the portfolio to pass. Students who fail the portfolio may re-present in the next semester. The student must re-enroll and repeat the entire process described above. Failure a second time leads to being dropped from the program. If the committee accepts the written portfolio, but finds the oral presentation lacking, a student must repeat the oral presentation for the redo committee on a date published by the department. This date will usually be scheduled during the week following the initial presentation. The redo committee will consist of three SLIS faculty members. If the student cannot present on the redo date, they will fail the portfolio and must make a final attempt in the next semester.