E-Portfolios The California State University (CSU) System has signed a three year agreement to provide students and alumni from all 23 campuses with access to electronic portfolios. Last summer, students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (SLO) tested multiple e-portfolio services and chose Portfolium, an e-portfolio and career readiness network. In addition to Cal Poly SLO, three other CSU campuses — California State University San Marcos, San Diego State University and Cal State Northridge — implemented the system, and within a week, 65 percent of students began building their e-portfolios, according to a news release from Portfolium. Based on the success of those first four roll-outs, the CSU System has partnered with the company to provide all 460,000 students and 3 million alumni with access to the system. Students and alumni can access Portfolium through an exclusive network for their CSU campus and use it to create a digital portfolio. According to information from the company, the e-portfolios can highlight both academic and professional accomplishments such as projects, presentations and papers, as well as other talents and achievements. "The tool helps students focus on outcomes including career readiness, skills planning, assessment and reflection, and employer engagement," stated a news release. Once they have created their e-portfolio, students and alumni can use it to connect directly with companies and recruiters for internships and employment opportunities. "We also see this as another way to increase the opportunities for networking among our alumni," said Loren Blanchard, executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs for the CSU system, in a prepared statement. According to Neal Hoss, VP of advancement for Cal State San Marcos, Portfolium was easy to implement and required minimal preparation. Portfolium also supports integration with pre-existing learning management systems such as Blackboard and Canvas. Further information about Portfolium and access to the system is available through the Portfolium site. About the Author Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].
The California State University ( California ) system is making e - portfolios available to all 460,000 students and 3 million alumni from all 23 of its campuses . CSU chose to deploy Portfolium for use of the company 's e - portfolios in a pilot scheme at four of its campuses earlier in the year . At those campuses , 65 % of students began using the tools within a week of availability ; more than 80,000 students who were n't included in the early agreement also began using the tool . According to information from the company , the e - portfolios can highlight both academic and professional achievements such as projects , presentations and papers , as well as other talents and interests . Once they have created their e - portfolio , students and alumni can use it to connect directly with companies and recruiters for internships and employment opportunities .