Administrative Office Program: Portfolio
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The Office Systems program is implementing a program portfolio, beginning with the spring 2004 semester.
When/Where:
Beginning in spring 2004, the portfolio will be introduced
in OADM102, Editing Business Documents. The portfolio will be
assembled in the Office Capstone course, OADM291, which will be
offered for the first time in fall 2004. We would also
like to offer a 1-credit Career Portfolio special topics course
in future, so that students who are not pursuing an Office
Systems AB degree can benefit as well.
How:
Following is the organization for the portfolio: Resume,
Information & Communication Skills, Critical Thinking Skills,
Computer Literacy, Integrated Activities (office simulations),
Interpersonal Skills, Leadership Skills, Teamwork Skills, Office
Manual, and Office Internship.
Students will utilize an accordion file and file folders to collect and organize artifacts throughout their program of study. A professional quality presentation binder will be utilized in OADM291. In addition to the program (academic) portfolio, students will also be instructed in the use of a special purpose portfolio (interview portfolio). Students will purchase their own materials for the portfolio, with faculty input.
Sample portfolio materials were assembled; 2 for the full-time faculty, 2 for the OADM102 faculty, and 1 that may be checked out by adjunct faculty so they may introduce it to their classes. The sample portfolios will be updated each semester.
Evaluation of student portfolios will include self and peer evaluation. We may also want to require presentation to a portfolio review committee, with voluntary faculty participation.
What/Who:
We plan to include an artifact(s) from each Office Systems
course in the portfolio. All Office Systems instructors
were asked to submit artifacts for consideration, as well as
examples of exemplary work to be included in the sample
portfolio. These submissions have been incorporated into
the program portfolio that was assembled.
Why:
Developing and maintaining a career or academic portfolio
can be used as a reporting device and is a great means of
self-expression. Developing a portfolio can be valuable career
awareness and career planning activity. It is a useful job
search tool for students entering the workforce and for those
who are changing careers.
A portfolio provides students the opportunity to discover and understand the connection between the relevance of personal knowledge, skills, abilities, and experiences and employer's needs. A portfolio can be used to demonstrate one's abilities to attract prospective employers.
Employers want to see workplace skills such as - managing resources, acquiring and using information, working with a variety of technologies, and using interpersonal and teamwork skills. These skills that are not well portrayed in traditional assessment measures, transcripts, or diplomas but can be thoroughly seen through a portfolio.
Business Communication Quarterly asked recruiters about the skills they seek in an applicant and the best method for students to demonstrate those skills.
Top five skills and preferred showcases for the skills:
1. Communication -- Oral/written (interview, run portfolio)
2. Critical thinking/leadership, tied (interview)
3. Teamwork (interview)
4. Interpersonal/social (interview)
5. Computer literacy (run portfolio, interview)
Results indicate that business students are not offering academic portfolios in large numbers, although recruiters would like to see them. While recruiters still rely on the run interview, they are also interested in seeing academic portfolios that provide concrete examples of student achievements. Some researchers suggest that the portfolio should be provided before the first interview, while others recommend introduction either at the initial or second interview to allow the recruiter the best opportunity for examination.
Of those recruiters who did see portfolios, 71 percent said they found the portfolios to be moderately to extremely effective. When asked about the usefulness of portfolios, recruiters indicated that they could gain insight into the candidate's abilities through portfolios. In their own words, recruiters said they found portfolios to be effective for the following reasons:
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The academic portfolio is an example of independent reasoning and work without complete supervision.
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Portfolios are a good way to evaluate writing and thinking skills.
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The portfolio is a critical factor in the candidate's abilities to sell himself and/or his abilities. Portfolios are effective when making choices between finalists.
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The portfolio gives an opportunity to gain insight into the qualifications and strengths of the candidates through discussion.
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The portfolio helps demonstrate an applicant's well-roundedness.
Potential problems with portfolios:
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Reading portfolios is too time-consuming.
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The portfolio usually contains materials done under fairly predictable circumstances, like class projects. It doesn't tell me about performance under real world circumstances.
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Varying formats make portfolios difficult to read; less user-friendly.
How to make the portfolio a more effective tool:
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Improve the packaging and quality of presentation.
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Organize materials better, including substantive and directed information. For example, if applying for a technical position, show your technical work/abilities.
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Give more information about the academic requirements -- did the student reach objectives and meet deadlines (rubrics).
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Leave a copy with the interviewer for later reading (leave-behind).
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Portfolios need to be as scannable as possible.
Students should be made aware of the value of an academic portfolio earlier in their academic careers. This knowledge allows them the opportunity to create portfolios that reflect a variety of assignments in projects from their college courses. Active portfolio preparation provides students the opportunity to assess their strengths and weaknesses, which can be communicated during job interviews.
The academic portfolio is not just for those seeking first-time employment. For individuals seeking job change, the career portfolio can provide samples of working credentials, such as runs, certificates, evaluation reports, and other documents which provide evidence of accomplishment in prior positions. Employees may find it useful to maintain their own personnel file to retain the information that will prove beneficial in a portfolio for annual reviews and potential promotions, as well as for future interviews and job applications.
The primary audience, an employer, is most interested in whether the person being interviewed can do the job, and is most attracted by examples of skills, abilities, experience, and personal qualities that make that work possible. Career portfolios (leave-behinds) tend to be brief, from 6 to 12 pages, but they may provide the impetus for opening a high-level conversation around interviewees? knowledge, skills, and abilities. Discussions often seem to lead to longer than usual interviews and expressions of appreciation by the interviewer for the high degree of preparation represented by the portfolio. To the employer, the portfolio also demonstrates long-term interest in skill development (lifelong learning)
Types of Portfolios:
Academic
Career
Electronic
Special Purpose (interview)
Web pages can be used to collect samples of special projects, papers, ideas, job experiences, cases, and other documents that define the student. Posting a portfolio on the web can be an excellent way of keeping it current. However, the value of posting career portfolios online is still largely unchartered.
