Students Recognized for Outstanding e-Portfolios
By Adriana Rivera
In an interdisciplinary curriculum like that offered by the College of General Studies, making connections across courses is of paramount importance. Through the use of Digication’s e-Portfolio tool, students can do just that, compiling assignments from all of their courses into one concise package that showcases the depth and breadth of their learning.
“In a program like CGS that prioritizes integrated learning, students benefit from having a single e-Portfolio for exploring meaningful connections across their courses,” said John Regan, a CGS Master Lecturer of Rhetoric and Coordinator of e-Portfolio and Assessment for the College.
Each semester, two students are recognized and awarded for their outstanding e-Portfolio pages. A strong e-Portfolio, according to Regan, “employs design elements that reflect the individual student’s unique identity and interests,” and also “contains a wide range of student work in terms of both content and medium—what our students create in response to assignments with visual, audio, and video components is truly impressive and e-Portfolio captures those well.”
We spoke with this year’s e-Portfolio award winners, CGS sophomores Kate Charlotin and Tiffany Ngyuen, about how they approached the project and what they’ve learned from looking back on their own work.
Kate Charlotin (CGS ’25)
Why do you think your e-Portfolio stood out, and what made it unique?
I think my e-Portfolio stood out because I made it more comprehensive and visually appealing than just a basic collection of assignments. I organized the content into separate tabs for each of my classes, not just my CGS courses, which gave it a broader scope. The use of vibrant colors, like blue and yellow, added personality, but I also kept the overall design professional to strike a balance between creativity and formality. This thoughtful combination of organization and design made my portfolio unique and engaging.
What did you learn from creating your e-Portfolio?
From creating my e-Portfolio, I learned to take pride in my work and consider the broader audience beyond just my professors. Knowing that anyone, including potential employers, could view my assignments made me think more critically about how I presented my work. It encouraged me to put extra effort into each piece and to treat the portfolio as a reflection of my academic journey and personal growth.
What was your favorite part of the process?
My favorite part of the process was personalizing and designing my actual page. It was fun to create a space that felt like mine, where I could showcase my personality while still maintaining a professional tone. Choosing the layout, organizing the content, and picking the color scheme allowed me to be creative, which made the project more enjoyable.
What’s a common misconception about e-Portfolios?
A common misconception about e-Portfolios is that they’re just something professors assign that don’t hold much value. However, I found that it was much more than just a school project. I added my e-Portfolio to my LinkedIn profile and shared it with potential employers, which helped me land an internship. It’s not just busy work, it’s a valuable tool for showcasing your skills and experiences in a professional setting.
What advice do you have for students who are trying to create a strong e-Portfolio?
My advice is to start personalizing it right away. Once you add your own style and make it visually appealing, it becomes easier to maintain and update. Archiving your work in this way can actually be a fun and prideful experience, as it lets you reflect on everything you’ve accomplished. Plus, it’s a great way to remember your time at BU and share your growth with others, so take it seriously and enjoy the process!
Tiffany Ngyuen (CGS ’25)
Why do you think your e-Portfolio stood out, and what made it unique?
I think my e-Portfolio stood out for its organization, uniformity, and overall personality. I incorporated a light academia theme to all the pages, which I feel like fits my personal aesthetic very well. In my reflections, I talked a lot about my own experiences and used my inner dialogue to guide my e-Portfolio writing, which I think engaged viewers because they may have felt connected to the dialogue.
What did you learn from creating your e-Portfolio?
Through writing for my e-Portfolio, I learned a lot about the importance of reflecting on my writing as a source of growth. In the past, whenever I wrote an essay and submitted it, I never really looked at it again. But the e-Portfolio “forced” me, in a way, to not only look at the feedback on my writing but also connect it to what I was learning and my personal experiences, which motivated me to re-read my writing and improve it.
What was your favorite part of the process?
My favorite part about the process was just figuring out the mechanics of e-Portfolio and my design scheme, overall making the portfolio my own. A lot of people complain about it being complicated at first, which I totally agree with, but once I figured it out, it was really simple to implement my character on each page and incorporate it into the academic work I featured. For example, I wrote a lot of papers about love (the meaning of love, love as a prevalent theme throughout my study abroad experience in London) and tying it to the light, airy, but also sophisticated theme of light academia was really enjoyable for me.
What’s a common misconception about e-Portfolios?
A common misconception about e-Portfolio that even I held was that it is exclusively for CGS and that it’s just for your professors to have a central hub for your work. While that is true, the functions of the e-Portfolio can be so versatile, as I know that some link it on their LinkedIn for potential employers to view all of their academic work. Most job applications will require some form of exemplar work, and the e-Portfolio is a great place to source it from.
What advice do you have for students who are trying to create a strong e-Portfolio?
Take your time creating your e-Portfolio! The e-Portfolio is constantly evolving and changing. So take your time thinking about how you want to portray yourself on your portfolio, because when you make a portfolio you really love, you’re going to want to go back into it constantly and feel more prideful in your work!