Connecting Academic Work and the Workplace
The eportfolio gives the returning adult student the opportunity to present accomplishments , to identify skills and knowledge, to reflect on learning, to articulate goals, to foster career transition, to demonstrate transferability of skill areas, to communicate to a variety of audiences. and to articulate functional interdisciplinarity in the workplace. In putting together the eportfolio, self-assessment, setting goals, making commitments, tracking professional development, and collaboration are considerations. Portability, adaptability, and transferability are essential elements in the eportfolio; they represent lifelong education tools in today's workplace. Portfolios have traditionally been used in fields such as teaching, art, and architecture; as a method for introducing new graduates to their first jobs; or as an organized collection of work for professionals already in the field. One of the ongoing activities of the WPS program is researching national and international trends in the use of eportfolios in universities, workplaces, and employment offices.
With the rapid changes occurring in the workplace environment, workers need to see themselves as owners of their career paths. The eportfolio concept is that one takes responsibility and focuses on past accomplishments, current efforts, and future goals. Eportfolios are tools that will continue to evolve as learners/workers realize their responsibility for their career development—in other words, they must be active investigators of professional development and they need more than a resume to compete in the workplace (O'Reilly, 2001).
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Working (on) Electronic Portfolios
Connecting
Academic Work and
the Workplace