About this Template
Amber Hoye
You may hide this template page when cloning the book for your personal use.
This ePortfolio template was created by Amber Hoye at Boise State University, and was inspired by the “My Learning Journey” template created by Terry Greene at Trent University.
This template, with the exception of the cover, this introduction, and where otherwise noted, is openly licensed, CC-O. That means it is in the public domain, you are free to clone and copy it from here with no need to provide credit or an attribution.
Why an ePortfolio?
An ePortfolio is your own personal space on the web to:
- Showcase personal and academic accomplishments
- Highlight and reflect upon growth throughout your academic career
- Document and display evidence of specific achievements and skills
Think of it as your own personal website!
When applying for graduate school or a job listing, you’re very likely to see the following statement: “Please include a sample of your work.” Having a well-maintained and curated ePortfolio will prevent lots of last minute scrambling and frustration, and will also help set you apart from other applicants!
“Employers are 65% more likely to consider a job candidate who has developed a portfolio of work showcasing skills and integrating college experiences.”
— American Association of Colleges & Universities | The Career-Ready Graduate: What Employers Say about the Difference College Makes
The ePortfolio that you will create in this course will specifically showcase your personal level of language proficiency (both oral and written), along with other skills from language and non-language courses. You will include your projects (resume, skills inventory, etc.) from this course in their polished form, along with evidence of your proficiency from other courses. Each page will also include a short reflection and description of what’s included. This will enable your ePortfolio “visitors” to better get to know you and your skillset.
I encourage you to adopt this as your professional ePortfolio for now and for the future. Add items from other courses that you are proud of, achievements and awards, and continue to add to it after this course is done. There is a lot of freedom in the creation of this project because it should be uniquely centered on your academic and career interests. One thing I can guarantee, is that you will only get out of this project what you are willing to put into it! Make it something that you are proud of and want to continue to use forever.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between interpersonal and presentational?
Interpersonal communication indicates some form of two-way communication. An oral example might be a phone call, face-to-face conversation, a debate, etc. A written example could include a blog post, letter, email, or social media post.
Presentational communication is usually a one way transfer of information, you, the speaker, to your audience. An oral example might include a presentation, a skit, commercial, etc. A written example could include an essay or research paper, a reflection journal, news article, promotional materials, etc.
What is an artifact?
An artifact is any type of project or assignment that demonstrates your language proficiency.
About the Platform
We will be using Pressbooks, a free and easy to use publishing platform powered by WordPress. Not only will you leave this class with an impressive portfolio, but you’ll also learn another skill that you can add to your resume!
You will have the freedom to customize the overall look and feel of your ePortfolio, including the theme and colors. The expectation is for you to make this ePortfolio your own! Please be sure that the content on your ePortfolio is appropriate and professionally presented.
Suggestions for Collecting Artifacts
Go through your assignments from your language courses, time abroad, etc. and select the work you are most proud of creating. Find at least five items to include.
Here are some items that you should try to include:
- Larger writing assignments such as essays, literary analysis, a creative writing piece, research paper, etc.
- Any video presentations
- Creative assignments such as poems, collages, etc.
- Cultural projects
- Service-learning work
- Study-abroad work or photos
- Anything that showcases your language abilities!
If you have creative projects that you completed, take a picture or scan the item.
Writing a Description for Your Artifact
Next, write a 2-3 sentence description in English that explains what you did for the assignment and a reflection that focuses on the growth, skills or perspective you gained.
Examples:
Reflection Video, Span 381- Introduction to Court Interpreting
In this assignment, I created a culminating video that reflects upon my experiences in the course and how I plan to continue improving my interpreting skills. In the video, I reflect upon the large vocabulary needed by court interpreters and a few elements that surprised me during the class. Additionally, I set goals towards improving my oral proficiency and maintaining elements of advanced proficiency while interpreting in the future.
Film Analysis, French 498 Senior Seminar
In this paper, I examined the themes of identity and belonging in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “Amélie.” Through scene analysis and character study, I explored how the film portrays the protagonist’s journey of self-discovery within the vibrant backdrop of Paris. This analysis provided insights into the director’s stylistic choices and their impact on storytelling, while also deepening my understanding of French cinema and its cultural context.
Sustainable Practices, German 377 German Culture and Civilization
For my project, I created a brochure promoting sustainable practices in German. I focused on showcasing eco-friendly initiatives such as recycling, energy conservation, and sustainable transportation options to encourage environmentally conscious behaviors among German-speaking audiences. Creating this brochure taught me the significance of effective communication in promoting sustainable behaviors and the impact of visual design in inspiring eco-friendly practices for a greener future.
How to Add Artifacts to Your Portfolio
Images, Videos (Non-Web Hosted), Audio, and PDFs
To add these types of artifacts to your book, you’ll use the “Add Media” button. You can upload your files ahead of time using the media option on the left panel or when you click on the “Add Media” button. Pressbooks will support most common file types and each file can be up to 24 mb. You can learn more about the Media functionality with this Pressbooks Tutorial and the following table lists compatible files:
| Images | Audio | Video | Files |
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YouTube, Vimeo, and other Web-Hosted Videos
You can automatically embed media from a variety of providers (like YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo, TED, Flickr, Reddit, TikTok, Spotify, and more). To add the video, copy the URL of the video, audio, or other media (i.e. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrcrFJVgbbs), paste the URL onto its own line, and click Save. The URL should be automatically replaced by the embedded content. After you save the chapter or post, the content will display in the book.
Google Docs
To embed a Google Doc, you will use an additional tool called H5P. H5P allows you to create interactive activities or display certain types of web content, like a Google Slideshow or Document. To begin, click on the Plugins ⚡️ button in the left panel. Look for H5P and click the activate button. H5P Content will now show up on the left panel as an option.
The first time you click on this option, you will accept the terms of using the tool. Next, you will click on H5P Content again and select the add new option. From the list, select iFrame Embedder. You’ll give the activity a name, such as French Literature Presentation. For size, Presentations will use 800 for minimum width and width and 600 for height. For Documents, you may need to play around with the height to get the content to fit. You can start with 800 for minimum width and width and 1000 for height. Increase the height size in increments of 100 if needed until all of your content is visible. Next, in a new tab, open the Google Doc you wish to include. Within the file, go to File -> Share -> Publish to the Web. Click on the Embed tab and select publish. Copy the url in between <iframe src=”copy this url”…>, you will stop copying after the first set of quotations. Example: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vS7qegrBAnbTKXakSkYLN_IkqigJmjA6vTLInA0kDQSnvZ7QPopzjAvkZy0n1UFfjieuejsuq6RtX-N/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000. Paste it in the Source option.
Once finished, click the publish button in the right corner of the screen. You will be given a short code such as that you will copy and paste in your book where you want the document to appear.
Suggestions for Openly Licensed Photos and Illustrations
Where possible, including your own photos in your ePortfolio helps to bring your voice and perspectives to life. However, there are times where you may not have a relevant image or want to incorporate some visuals to break up the text. The following presentation (licensed under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 international license) contains a list of openly licensed sites, with attribution, or how to give credit, instructions.
How to Add a Cover to Your Book
- Design a cover image for your book that is at 900 pixels wide and 1200 pixels tall. I recommend using Canva, a free, easy to use graphic design tool. Here is a Canva template for you and I’ve included a few options to get started if you’d like to use them or use the blank page at the bottom of the list.
- Once you have a cover created, click on ‘Book Info’ in the left panel. Scroll down to “Cover Image”. Click Choose File and locate your book cover file on your computer .Click Choose to upload that file into Pressbooks and click Save to complete the cover image change.
Make Good Use of Your Portfolio!
Download this flyer to learn tips and tricks for using your new site
Make Your Portfolio Public
From the Organize page:
- Click Organize on the left-hand menu of your book’s dashboard.
- Select “Public” in the Global Privacy box at the top of the page.
Cover and Artifact Example Attributions:
All icons from Canva, included under Canva’s free content license.
Cover License: Careers for Language Majors Cover © 2024 by Amber Hoye is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 
Artifact Examples License: Artifact Examples H5P © 2024 by Amber Hoye is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
