FINAL SEMESTER EPORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT: 1103

Malcolm W. Campbell, MFA

Value: 500 points
DUE: Tuesday, December 8th & Wednesday, December 9th (Uploaded no later than 11:55 pm!)

Explanation
The ePortfolios main purpose is to help you understand more about yourself as a writer and a thinker, to show how you
progressed from the beginning of the semester and to demonstrate that progression to me. Progression doesnt necessarily
mean improvement in the sense of better writing; improvement can come from honest reflection about what youve
learned, new ways you might approach a problem, or changes in what you think about important things, including how you
might view yourself differently now versus at the start of the semester.
Your ePortfolio compiles multiple writing samples from our work together this semester. There are three audiences for
your portfolio: you, me and others you may wish to show it to in the future. (Portfolios can become internships or job
search evidence for the claim, Im the person to hire.) The portfolio will show the elements & stages of your writing
process, including creative invention (brainstorming/freewriting/ informal writing); critical thinking, writing (outlining,
drafting), and revising (peer review drafts/a revised draft you made/your final drafts). Most importantly, your portfolio will
include and showcase various places for reflection.

How to create an E-Portfolio

Building an ePortfolio is not difficult. These are website-building platforms that make the process easy. Also, each web-page
builder has easy-to-follow help directions, many in video format. You can also find tutorials on YouTube and on Google
through searching for help. I posted Sample Student EIPs & e-Portfolios on Moodle for each website-building platform.
1.

Weebly.com: One of the easiest-to-use but also a highly flexible/creative website builder. A drawback is that some
templates have limits on the number of tab pages you can create.

2.

Wix.com: For slightly more-advanced users, Wix has many bells and whistles, including Flash and HTML5. Be
careful about letting a cool-looking website with lots of multi-media features compromise the creation of a
complete, well-prepared ePortfolio. (Better to be straightforward and thorough instead of shiny and shallow.)

3.

UNCC Google Sites: Easier than Weebly and contained within UNCCs intranet of Google applications, this option
includes many UNCC templates, or you can create your own. When you access the site, you will need to sign in
with your UNCC login and password. While this is the least sexy of the sites, it has the most privacy controls,
allowing you to limit access only to those to whom you give permission.

4.

Mahara: This is the universitys e-Portfolio system available through Moodle that Im not yet familiar with;
however, Ive looked it over quickly, and everything looks straightforward. Let me know if you try it and like it!

Instead of attaching documents to your website, you will embed them using a program called Scribd OR by using your
website builders capabilities.
An important warning: Write your portfolio copy on a word processor, and then paste it into your website. IF formatting
messes up in transferring, use a simple text (.txt) application. Save your work often on the ePortfolio. Any excuseslike, I
lost my work when my computer shut down, or I dont know what happened, or Weebly messed up.will not be
accepted as reasons for incomplete work. This wont happen if you save your work on a word processor regularly, as in
every 5 to 10 minutes!

Design
Even if you have trouble selecting clothes that match (I do), website builders provide many design templates. Personalize
the websiteit is yourswhile considering what makes a successful website: it has an engaging title, is free from clutter,
easy to navigate, and visually inviting. Use the design and navigation aspects to create a site that represents you. (Use
photographs, multi-media components, whatever you like provided these do not distract visitors from your ePortfolios

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content. Copyrighted songs, movie clips, or pictures could be taken down by content owners, though that is unlikely. NOTE:
The best portfolios are thematically aligned. In other words, all design elements (type/pictures/layout/multi-media/etc.) tie
together. Think about your extended inquiry topic. Bear that in mind as you design your portfolio. The least effective
portfolios are those that throw together a bunch of jumbled pages without a clear connection to one another.

Required Sections: Pay Careful Attention

During the semester, we prepare numerous compositions, from informal Daybook entries to academic essays. From the
first class, weve discussed the importance of saving everything you create. Now your job is to compose the following
sections on your website with material youve produced. Important: Failure to include a complete section results in a
deduction of 5 percent of the overall point value (500 x 5% = 25 points) for each incomplete or missing section, except for
the Final Reflective Letter, which will deduct 100 points (20%).
1.

Homepage This is where visitors first arrive via your website address; it is your introduction to the website. You
are free to create your homepage in any way you like; however, here are some good ideas to consider when
creating the first page your visitors see.
a.

A creative title. (If the best you can come up with is English 1103 ePortfolio, wellthenwhatever.)

b.

A welcome to visitors and brief description of the purpose of the ePortfolio website.

c.

An About section, which gives your name and a brief description of who you are. What is your intended
major or what courses/career paths interest you? If youre undecided, thats fine; you can share whatever
you want that tells the reader about you as the author of this website. This can be as brief as you like.
Share what makes you a responsible, strong student (for future use).

d.

A statement about your semester topic and why it matters.

e.

Easy navigation to links for the following sections.

2.

OPTIONAL: Dear Malcolm Letter Optional: Save your original letter to me embed it onto this page. If you
choose to, paste my reply at the end.

3.

Informal Writing On this page or pages, include:

a.

Daybook Work Select one excerpt from your Daybook that demonstrates each of the following
characteristics. This will create five (5) entries. Do not use the same entry twice. Note that every entry
requires brief commentary on the webpage sharing why you selected it and how it demonstrates the
characteristic. You can scan or photograph your entry and place it onto the website OR type the entry
onto the page with the original date you wrote it:
i. A questioner: An entry that emphasizes curiosity by asking/exploring important questions. Your
entry doesnt have to answer the question(s) but needs to show you are thinking about something
more important than, What am I going to do tonight? After this entry, write a short
explanation (2-4 sentences) about how the entry demonstrates questioning.
ii. A creative thinker: Writing or combination of writing & graphics that demonstrate creative
expression. Brainstorming about your inquiry essay, a poem, your Wordle design from the original
assignment or another you did on your own, etc. After this entry, write a short explanation (2-4
sentences) about how the entry demonstrates creativity.
iii. An analytic thinker: Writing that shows logical reasoning. Examples include essay outlines, rough
draft material, research notes, research journal material, etc. After this entry, write a short
explanation (2-4 sentences) about how the entry demonstrates analytic/logical thinking.
iv. A reflective thinker about a reading assignment: An entry that shows youve read and reflected
upon an assigned reading. This should go beyond a simple summary of the reading. Include your
thoughts about it. After this entry, write a short explanation (2-4 sentences) about how the entry
demonstrates reflective thought about the reading.

v.

Your favorite Daybook entry: Select an entry that you like the most, for whatever reason. It can
be anything from your Daybook. After this entry, write a short explanation (2-4 sentences) about
why it is your favorite entry, or among your favorites.

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b.

4.

5.

6.

Provide a link to your Blog. Before hyperlinking to your blog, include a brief description of the overall
experience of keeping a blog. Mention any benefits or drawbacks or both. Its fine to mention that you
learned that you didnt enjoy this type of activity. Also provide links to your two favorite blog entries and
explain why you selected them.

Literacy Narrative On this page:

a.

Embed your original Literacy Narrative (before you received my comments), accompanied by a brief
description of the focus of your narrative and why you selected it. (Pull material from your original
reflective Daybook entry.)

b.

You may revise or touch up the formatting of your Literacy Narrative if you want, but it is not required.
Make mention of any revisions in your reflection. Failure to present a complete section results in a
deduction of 5 percent.

Topic Proposal & Research On this page:

a.

Embed your original Topic Proposal (before you received my comments), accompanied by a brief
description of why you selected it. (Pull material from your original reflective Daybook entry.) You may
revise or touch up spelling/formatting of your Topic Proposal if you want, but it is not required. Make
mention of any revisions in your reflection.

b.

Embed your original Annotated Bibliography (before you received my comments), accompanied by a
brief description of the process or your overall reaction to it. (Pull material from your original reflective
Daybook entry.)

c.

You may revise or touch up spelling/formatting of your Topic Proposal and/or Annotated Bibliography if
you want, but it is not required. Make mention of any revisions in your reflection. Failure to present a
complete section results in a deduction of 5 percent.

Extended Inquiry Project On this page:

a.

Embed your original EIP Draft (before you received my comments), accompanied by a brief description of
the process of composing it. (Pull material from your original reflective Daybook entry.)

b.

Embed the final, revised EIP. I will read this carefully.

c.

Next, embed a copy of your final, revised EIP marked up with your changes made from the first draft. You
revise your portfolio-version of the EIP based upon feedback from me and your peers. Highlight the
changes you made. You can highlight changes with colors, using Microsoft Words Track Changes feature,
writing new material in a different text color or put it in bold whatever you do, make sure a reader can
find the differences. This copy must be converted to a PDF for embedding or the changes you made will
not show up. Failure to include both the final draft AND the marked up copy results in a deduction of 5
percent of the overall point value.

d.

Prepare a brief statement describing *substantive* revisions you made from the first EIP Draft. If you
chose not to use suggested ideas, you must explain why. I will respect your explanation(s) and choice(s) as
the writer. Example: I considered your suggestion about adding more research about Facebooks growth,
but instead, I found that adding more research about Twitter applied more to the focus of my essay.
Do not write something like, I didnt make any changes to my paper because it was great before. Failure
to include a statement of choices you made in revision results in a deduction of 5 percent of the overall
point value.
*Substantive means bigger issues (organizational changes, expansion of ideas, definitions, examples,
addition of research, etc.). It is not necessary to mention fixing grammar, changing words, correcting
misspellings, etc.)
Failure to include all elements of peer review results in a 5 percent deduction.

7.

Drafts & Peer Review On this page:

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a.

Select one of your assignment drafts upon which you received helpful feedback from a peer and embed it
as a PDF. Their comments should be visible at the end of the document. Beneath the peer-reviewed
document, share how your peers comments were of particular help. Write a couple sentences.

b.

Next, embed a peers assignment draft upon which you provided feedback. After this document describe
what made your comments valuable to your peer?
Failure to include both elements of peer review results in a 5 percent deduction.

8.

Final Reflective Letter The next section gives specific directions for this extremely important element of your
ePortfolio. After visiting your homepage, I will go straight to your Reflective Letter before reviewing the rest of
your website. This is a full writing assignment, not something to be put off and cranked out at the last minute. It is,
perhaps, the most important part of your portfolio. Failure to include this Final Reflection letter results in a
deduction of 20 percent of the overall point value (500 x 20% = 100 points).
You have the choice of creating your letter in a Microsoft Word document, converting it to a PDF and then
embedding it, OR you may paste the text onto the webpage directly. Either is fine, but if you try to create it on the
website directly and do not save your work regularly, you run the risk of losing your material should anything go
wrong. (Remember the directions above to save your work regularly!)

Final Reflective Letter

Your reflection should take a letter form, addressed to me or if you are proud of your site and want to show it to various
people, you can address it: Dear Reader, Please proofread for errors because its critical that I understand what youre
saying.
There is no assigned length for your letter; however, letters in Word docs that are two pages or less (double-spaced) have
never shown enough diligence/attentiveness to this assignment. The general purpose of the letter is to show what you have
learned about literacy (writing, reading, communicating with any audience) as well as what you have accomplished in this
class. Through writing, youll explain how you may be different than in the past, as a writer and thinker.
Getting started: First, compile your portfolio. Start with an observation of what is in your portfolio and then begin to write
the letternot the other way around. Once youve reviewed the contents in your portfolio, then you can start making
observations about your progression through the class. When you begin writing the letter, think about the rest of the
portfolio as evidence for your letters main points/claims. (The phrase, For example, helps.)
Ideas to address in your letter:

Discuss the different activities/assignments (essays, but also freewriting as a process, Daybook work, general and
assigned blog posts, peer critiquing, readings, researching, revising, editing, group work) and how they worked
together in your development as a learner and person. (HINT: Review your Daybook entries that reflect on each
project for ideas/material for this section.)

Discuss your most important work in the classexplain why its important and how it connects to your goals as a
writer and student. What makes it your most important work?

Discuss strengths and weaknesses in your writing (and thinking) and how (or if) they changed during the semester.
Its fine if your original weaknesses remain as challenges that you identify for the future. Dont talk about
grammar. Everyone struggles with that!

Discuss your progress as a thinker/questioner/writer in the class. What challenges did you face in specific
assignments and what did you learn dealing with those challenges?

Your reflective letter must discuss these four (4) elements: The Literacy Narrative, Topic Proposal, Annotated
Bibliography, first EIP Draft, Final EIP Draft and ePortfolio. Consider addressing how you enjoyed (or didnt) each
part. What did you find easy or difficult about each assignment/activity? What changes would you make to your
reflective or composition process? Did any activities surprise you? Did you find you were better at something than
you thought? What was the most challenging assignment? Share why for each statement you make. Remember
to cover all four assignments. It is fine even likely that there will be duplication between this and some earlier
reflections in your ePortfolio. HINT: Review your Daybook entries that reflect on each project for ideas/material for
this section.

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Failure to touch on each of the above will result in a deduction of 5 percent of the overall point value.

Summarize what youll take from this class moving forward.

Note that the focus here is on YOUR WORK, not on me or the class as a whole. Of course, this doesnt mean that you
shouldnt mention me or the class if these subjects come up in your discussion of your work.
Remember that your reflective letter introduces me to the portfolio. It is your chance to make sure I notice certain
aspects of which you are most pleased. Tie claims back to specific examples (evidence) in the portfolio. For instance, if you
feel you improved in getting readers attention, direct me to the writing that shows this.

How I evaluate your ePortfolio

Ill begin at your homepage and note the first impression about the websites visual appeal and ease of navigation. Ill visit
every page of your website plus links you provide to other sites, so be certain that every link works. Then I
view/read/evaluate your portfolio in the following order:
1. Final Reflective Letter. As I read this, I make notes about your thoughts on your work in the portfolio. When I reread the letter, I visit parts of your work that you describe as your best work or parts of which youre especially
proud. Your letter should show you have thoroughly reviewed the contents of your portfolio and that you have
insightful things to say about how worked as a writer and thinker. The detailed directions are above, butbig
picturethe letter should be:
a. Detailed and thorough
b. Genuinely reflective
c. Helpful to me as I review the contents of the portfolio
2. Dear Malcolm Letter and the Daybook Work and Blog Posts: I re-read your original letters for fun and my own
reflection. For the Daybook and Blog work, I ask: Is the informal writing/brainstorming engaged? Has the writer
used it to develop her thinking and writing? Has the writer gone beyond surface comments/observations? Has the
writer shared why each selection is meaningful to her and representative of a specific type of thinking?
3. Topic Proposal, Annotated Bibliography, First EIP Draft: I skim these assignments and pay more attention to the
comments you make about each beneath (or above) the embedded document.
4. Final EIP Draft: I skim the changes you highlighted (via Track Changes, different text color, highlighting, etc.) on
the final embedded PDF of your revised work. Then I read your description of the substantive revisions made from
the Second Draft. Last, I read your revised work and ask:
a. What can I determine about the effortrevising and editingyou put into the final version?
b. Is there evidence that you continued to ask questions and to consider alternative ideas/approaches to
your composition?
c. How "polished" is your final draft? I wont be on a grammar hunt, but I will want to see that the
composition has been proofread. A gross number of errors will suggest you didnt bother to read your
work before turning it in. Carelessness will result in points taken off.
5. Drafts & Peer Review: I review the embedded draft with your peers comments and then read how you used them
to your benefit. I also review the embedded draft of a peers work with your comments and consider the effort
you put into review: Are your comments helpful, substantive, and considerate?
Make no mistake: If your work has generally produced positive evaluations, dont assume youre set for a good grade in
your portfolio. Given the importance of the portfolio, I expect to see an increase in your commitment to producing strong
work. Dont get lazy here!
Portfolios that earn the highest evaluation show sustained effort in all aspects of the class and high attention to detail in
following directions, preparing final revisions and submitting a thoughtful, thorough letter. Portfolios that earn lower
grades show less rigor in the preparation of the portfolio, in the various aspects of the work (including the final essay
revision), and/or have a cursory or unconvincing reflective letter. As always, get started now so youre not rushed at the last
minute. Also, please feel free to see me at any point with questions, or send me an e-mail.