Meet the E-Portfolio
Ohio Wesleyan Students Map Their University Experiences
Students at Ohio Wesleyan University have a new tool to track and share the experiences they gain throughout their college careers. The e-portfolio feature available in OrgSync allows students to easily share their involvement with friends, professors, graduate schools, and potential employers.
Students can use the e-portfolio to write a brief reflection about their time at OWU, list their level of involvement with on-campus organizations, highlight their academic achievements, list their employment histories, attach any significant documents, and even receive notes of recommendation from other students. Students also can download their e-portfolio as a PDF and share it in that form if they prefer.
Prabhjot Virk ’14, assistant director of international and off campus programs, has spent the semester instructing students, faculty, and staff on how to use the e-portfolio. Virk says she hopes students will use the tool to be better guided in their interests and educational goals. “The e-portfolio allows students to have their whole OWU journey in one place,” she says. “They can see where they’ve been and where they want to go.”
The groups of students who currently use the e-portfolio are resident assistants, orientation leaders, UC 160 students, study-abroad students, and Merrick Mentors. Virk says the number of students using the e-portfolio so far is higher than expected and she would like to see that number continue to grow. “We hope that more and more students will use the e-portfolio as awareness continues to increase in this pilot year.”
Eventually, all students participating in The OWU Connection will be required to fill out portions of their e-portfolio as part of the application process or post-program. This will be considered The OWU Connection Passport. Examples of materials students can upload for their OWU Connection experiences include Theory-to-Practice Grant or Student Individualized Program proposals, photographs, and personal reflections.
Students who would like to start using the e-portfolio feature can log in to OrgSync and click on their name in the top left of the tool bar. They can then select ‘e-portfolio’ from the drop-down list and begin completing a biography; filling out information on their involvement, academics, and employment; and attaching relevant documents and recommendations.
Virk wants students to know the e-portfolio is a tool for them to figure out where they would like to go in their education and their lives. “It’s part map, part compass, and part chronicle of your journey,” she says.
Learn more about The OWU Connection experience at www.owu.edu/owuconnection and log in to OrgSync at www.orgsync.com.