Portfolios for Teaching, Learning, and Presentation – Part 3

Preparing Files for the Portfolio

Adding files to a PDF portfolio is so easy that you may be tempted to jump right in. Instead, take a little time to plan first. Consider these questions before starting a project:

What is the purpose of the portfolio? The answer to this question will determine what documents and media to put into the portfolio and help identify gaps in the available content.
Who will view the portfolio? The question has bearing on the visual layout selected and again, on the content included.
Does the portfolio have a narrative? What story is this collection of documents and media trying to tell? Should the documents be presented in a particular order?
What variety can be provided in the types of artifacts included? With a pdf portfolio, you can provide visual documentation and audio files. A wider range of media provides a wider range of touch points for viewers to engage with the story the portfolio is telling.

Where will the portfolio be housed? If the portfolio will by written to a CD and distributed, or posted to a public website, take into account government regulations, institutional policies, and best practices with regard to personal and student identification. If the portfolio will be housed within the course management system, provide instruction on how and where the portfolios should be posted, and guideline on what viewers can do with the portfolios.
What is the best way to navigate through the content? If you have just a few large artifacts, take advantage of one of the visual layouts. If there are many artifacts, consider organizing these files into folders. If many artifacts have the same kind of content, relying more heavily on list view may make the portfolio easier for viewers to navigate.
How are the files named? The file names of artifacts are displayed to viewers. Even a particularly efficient file naming system may be difficult for viewers to figure out. Make sure the file names of artifacts indicate their content clearly.