SCENARIO 2: A MORE IN-DEPTH VIEW
John is just starting out his SISLT LSDD program. He spoke with his advisor and was informed about the LSDD Portolio PSS system. Since his advisor suggested that he begin exploring the system now in order to get familiar with the requirements, he got right on it because he likes to be thorough and do excellent work.
He went to the website and wanted to get a general overview of what a portfolio was, so he could have an idea of what he was to be creating as he went throughout his classes at MU.
He logged in with his pawprint and password. After logging in, his home page is the "Portfolio Progress" page. He can immediately see that he has no progress made on his portfolio, as expected. He likes how he can immediately see all components of the portfolio and whether he's "not started", "in progress", or "completed" on a certain component of the portfolio.
He then looked to the left and saw links to explore:
- Portfolio Progress
- Requirements of Portfolio
- Help(Submenu: --Online tutorial--Uploading your Portfolio Artifacts--Examples of Portfolios--Creating a Resume)
- Calendar
- Chat
- Memo
- SISLT Website
- Settings(Submenu: --Security Options--Customize Options--)
He browsed through the requirements of the portfolio, and read about them. He found the written descriptions very helpful. He went to set the security options for his portfolio site. He added a few classmates and his advisor. He then stepped away from the PSS until the end of the semester.
He came back to it again after he had finished his second semester. He thought it would be good to start writing about some of his learning experiences while they were fresh in his mind. However, he began to realize that although the "requirements of portfolio" were nice to have, he really wanted to see some examples. What seemed clear before wasn't so clear.
He selected the "Help" and saw there were submenus to choose from. He chose "examples of portfolios" to get an idea of what exactly he was supposed to do. Man, that was worth a thousand words! Seeing quality portfolios with instructor comments was great.
He began to design his portfolio website, knowing he could update it as he learned more "fancy" web developing. He just finished intermediate web development and was satisfied with his skills. He created a basic website and wanted to place some of his information on Needs Assessment. He then perused the online tutorial, wanting to get an idea of what was the right process. He saw early on that discussion with your advisor was important.
A few weeks later after he had a basic web site down, he went to "Portfolio Progress" page. He selected the parts of the portfolio he was working on and decided he wanted some feedback from his advisor. John then selected "Email" to contact his advisor regarding his recent page. He gave him the link so that the advisor would know where to go look. When the advisor gave him feedback, John found it helpful. As time went on, John liked the fact that all of the student and advisor comments were available in the email section.
As time went on, John decided he would host his site elsewhere than on Mizzou servers. He frequently uses FTP programs to upload what he needs and modifies the design as he learns new interesting things that he wants to implement in his portfolio.
Throughout his time modifying the portfolio, he adds other peers who also work on their portfolios and often discusses questions through “live chat”, “email”, and “message board” functions. He often clicks on the calendar link and adds calendar entries to review requirements and come up with timeline. The PSS he found really helps him in guiding him towards how to write and pace himself, as well as communicate with his advisor on a consistent basis.