This small collection of student sample sites is meant to illustrate the versatility of WordPress sites and their uses at UNE. The list moves from least independently developed to most independently developed. These sites have also been selected to offer examples of mutlimedia and multi-modal projects.
In Development: Process ePortfolios (One or Two Courses)
Some student sites include work from one course. The site may feature informal and formal writing, posts that serve as journals or blogs, or multi-media or multi-modal projects. Students with only one course may be developing the site, but they are still able to customize to make the space their own. Customization includes applying a theme (template), including their own pictures as headers, and changing the standardized tagline (text below the site name) to explain the theme of the site. The following are a few samples.
Afnan’s ePortfolio was created in ENG 110 in 2018. She chose the Hemingway theme and organized her work by course learning objectives. Her posts also include projects such as a podcast created in Audacity and audio interview uploaded to youtube. She updates it occasionally through posts, reflecting on events and campus guest speakers who have inspired her.
Jessica’s ePortfolio includes use in multiple English courses and in Public Speaking. She has chosen the Lifestyle theme and included nested menus with samples and reflection statements about her learning in her English courses. Her Public Speaking course includes videos shared through youtube.
Olivia began her ePortfolio in ENG 110 in 2018, where she created multi-modal essays. She continues to use her ePortfolio in her Nursing courses, where she reflects upon her learning and highlights her skills. She also includes some reflection about her semester in Tangier, Morocco.
Beyond Course Work, Multi-Media
Kaylee’s ePortfolio includes multiple courses and the use of nested menus as well as categories and tags to organize the ePortfolio by course. By using tags and categories, Kaylee’s professors and classmates can view only posts related to their course by clicking on the course number in the post.
Kaylee’s English course work includes reflections about her learning and transfer of her skills in addition to a resume. She presents written samples, pictures, a blog about fishing, and presentations. Kaylee has also chosen the Hemingway theme. In describing her use of ePortfolio, Kaylee writes, “I have been able to use my site to post work for classes that are very different because this forum allows any kind of work to be posted. I have been able to share podcasts, presentations, posts, essays, and pictures with all of my ePortfolio visitors…My favorite part about first creating my portfolio was that I was able to pick the theme and site layout. I wanted my site to represent both myself and my school. The photo I chose for my home page is a picture of the campus of The University of New England. This is a special place to me because I have moved here and am earning my first degree here…By learning how to navigate the site, I have developed a stronger understanding of website design.”
Hope’s ePortfolio began with course work from ENG 110. In addition, Hope has included a showcase of digital projects creating using a green screen, such as her Spanish 101 presentation and case study video project for her Mental Health and Society course. She chose the Nisarg theme, and her site includes learning aids that she developed as a Digital Literacy Consultant for UNE’s DigiSpace. In reflecting upon her first experience with ePortfolio, she said, “In all honesty, my first impression of ePortfolio caused a great amount of fear. I remember staring at a blank website and thinking, ‘I have no idea where to start!’ However, I found that this website was very easy to design and figure out! In a short period of time, I was able to create posts, pages, and design my website to be my very own.”
This is a small sample of the 3500+ UNE ePortfolios. As UNE students shape their professional identities and share their experiences beyond the classroom, they demonstrate not only their skills and knowledge but their engagement with twenty-first century technology.
