The Assignment!

What is the personal portfolio?

The personal portfolio is a presentation of your best work in this class, along with your comments and reflection upon what you have learned. It may include other information, ideas, or reflections you have had over the semester. It should demonstrate that you have mastered goals of the class.

The purpose of the portfolio is to encourage you to think about the issues, topics, theories, and themes of the class and to relate them to your own knowledge and experience. Your portfolio should reflect your ideas of how information is used in organizations and how it might be used more effectively.

How is it organized?

The portfolio must be organized in a logical manner. This could be by general course themes or topic, according to the course outline, or any organization of your choosing.

What goes into a portfolio?

You choose the things that go into the portfolio, but nothing should be included that you have not commented upon in some way. For example, you may submit a past assignment, but you should explain why you chose it and why you think it is worth including. You may even re-do an assignment to illustrate that you have a better understanding of ideas or concepts.

Other things that go into the portfolio are things that you may find through the course of the semester. For example, a newspaper article that describes how an organization has used a new technology in an innovative way, a promotional brochure that may be used to help someone find what they are looking for, or even a copy of an email message that demonstrates a point you wish to make. You may do additional reading (several books and articles will be suggested throughout the course) and comment on those as well if you would like.

What is the format for the portfolio?

The portfolio may be in paper form, presented in a notebook or folder, or it may be in digital form such as a Web page or a blog. It should be attractive, well-organized, and it should demonstrate your knowledge and accomplishments. You should approach the assignment as if you were preparing a portfolio of your work to demonstrate to a potential employer that you understand the challenges of information management in organizational contexts.

You should provide both a brief introduction to the portfolio and a brief conclusion.

How will the portfolio be graded?

There are five standards that will be applied when grading the portfolio:

1. Comprehensiveness - how many of the goals are addressed and how well.

2. Organization - how neat and well-organized the contents are.

3. Clarity - how clearly the individual expresses points.

4. Creativity - how original the examples and ideas are within the portfolio.

5. Quality of the Analysis - how well the portfolio demonstrates critical thinking.