Eliminating the paper trail

Dec. 9, 2004
By Jeff Amman
Guest Writer

Students in the education department have always kept quite the paper trail. Every piece of work they have done for class is kept inside a plastic file that contains their education portfolio. Many students keep hard copies or have items photocopied and then stored in the file.

When looking for a job, they bring this file along with them or send all of the documents to their potential employer. Over time, these files become filled with enormous amounts of paper.

Now the education department has introduced a new way of thinking for not only the education department, but for others departments who use class portfolios.  The solution?  Electronic portfolios, which are called E-ports for short.

The E-port is a way to store all documented work on a CD, which can then be placed onto an interactive website for the student.

“We are just exploring the E-ports right now, but in the future this will be a more compact way for students to promote themselves,” Dr. Carol Lyon, Associate Professor of Secondary Education, said.

Not only will the electronic portfolios keep material organized, but they will also make things more efficient when students begin job hunting.

“A person will be able to send a CD anywhere, or it could also be viewed worldwide on the web,” Dr. Lyon said. “Students really will have an edge on the job market with the E-ports.”

When looking for a job, people often just send a resume to a certain employers. However, resumes just state accomplishments and do not show actual proof of learned skills, unlike a portfolio. Some businesses have already put the use E-ports into effect.

“Many school districts are already requiring electronic portfolios for incoming teachers,” Dr. Lyon said.

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