As you start the ePortfolio that you will build throughout your time at UNE, you will not only begin shaping a professional digital identity, but you will also be constructing a website. At the beginning, your site’s purpose may be shaped by course requirements, but you should also select and add experiences and reflections to demonstrate your learning and growth. This is your space on the web to create a professional, digital representation of your growth, accomplishments, and goals.
Your UNE ePortfolio site is part of the UNE ePortfolio network and will be built using WordPress software. Like Wix or Weebly software, WordPress allows users to add multimedia content and customize their sites. WordPress software is used to build 1/3 of ALL sites on the Internet, so you are likely to encounter sites built in WordPress for many different uses. Many people write blogs using WordPress, but organizations and corporations also do. For example, UNE’s library services site is built with WordPress as are many company sites and blogs.
Complete the series of activities below to learn the basics of ePortfolio construction. Each part of the sequence includes steps that you need to complete (in red) and a time estimate. If you would like to offer feedback on any of the activities or videos, please use the form below. If you prefer to download a PDF of the required steps, click the button below.
Launch Sequence
Part 1: Access Your Site and Familiarize Yourself with Purpose of ePortfolio and with the Dashboard and Settings (@ 20 min)
- Watch the introduction to ePortfolio video and 2022 Grad video to understand the purpose and value of building your ePortfolio.
- Log on to your ePortfolio site for the first time by going to your UNE email and finding the email from UNEPortfolios about Login Details. Read it, including the Terms of Use (which can also be found here). If you cannot locate the email or need help, try watching the log-in video below, or fill out the form at the bottom of this page to request assistance.
- You will use the WordPress Dashboard to add content and customize your site. View this written overview or video tour of the Dashboard (6 minutes) to get familiar with it before you begin building your site.
- ACTION STEP 1: Adjust Settings. Once you have logged on to your site, your first steps to get started are to change your password, adjust your time zone, and select your site visibility. To start editing your site, use the link in the introductory email, follow the written instructions for password change (be sure to Save changes), or view the tutorial below to change your password. If you need to reset your password, be sure that you navigate back to YOUR UNEportfolio site (YOURUNEUSERNAME.uneportfolio.org/wp-admin), not the main site (uneportfolio.org).
ACTION STEP 2: Add a Login Widget. Go to Appearances>Widgets. Different themes have different options for the location of the widget. Select a location. Click the blue + sign in the top left to add a block, and search for the Log-in widget by entering “Log” into the search field. Then click the Log-in/out block to add it. Click “update” to save the change. If you change your theme, you may need to add the widget, depending on which theme you select.
Part 2: Add and Organize Content (@ 20 min)
- ACTION STEP 3: Delete your sample post and page; publish an About page to your ePortfolio. To see details and demos, watch the following videos. The videos below include step-by-step instructions to complete the tasks to give you a basic understanding of WordPress as you begin your ePortfolio.
- ACTION STEP 4: Add the About page to your menu. To see written instructions with screenshots click here, or watch the following video tutorials for customizing your navigation menu.
Part 3: Begin Customizing Your Site (@ 20 min)
Your ePortfolio site will reflect your professionalism and your goals, but it should also highlight your creativity and interests. Selecting your theme is like decorating your home — it reflects your personality and suits the purpose of the space. Although you may be using your ePortfolio for course work initially, you may also add pages and posts about your interests and experience.
ACTION STEP 4: Customize your site by selecting a theme and tagline.
Themes are website templates. They are designed by professionals, so the colors and text styles work together. When choosing a theme, remember that your content will not only include the text you are adding to your site but also the images. Themes include choices about where and how your menu is displayed. Many themes include a header (or banner) image at the top of the page and a tagline (our default tagline is “Just another UNEPortfolios site”). Customize your banner image and tagline. Some students use the tagline to share their philosophy about learning or life, while others select a thought-provoking quote. Others simply welcome visitors or state the student’s major.
To change your theme, go to Appearances > Themes. To change your header image and tagline, go to Appearances> Customize.
You may change your theme as often as you would like. Your content (posts, images, pages) is saved on your site, but it may be displayed differently from theme to theme. You may also add widgets to your site. The Meta widget will create a log-in field for your use, and the Categories widget allows visitors to see the categories of your posts. Widgets are another way to customize your site and make it your own.
Have you completed all the launch steps? Want to learn about making your content more visually interesting?
