UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls
By Jaci Tweeten
Feb. 25, 2011--The University of Wisconsin-River Falls is one of five campuses in the University of Wisconsin System to help launch a new e-portfolio project.
The application is through OrgSync, a Web-based campus system that the university currently uses. OrgSync provides tools for students to organize and manage their activities and campus organization affiliations.
The e-portfolio will be an add-on to the application, and will allow students to organize, explore, upload samples of their work and integrate social networking. Comprised of six sections, including a biography, co-curricular involvement, academics, employment, documents and recommendations, the e-portfolio will help students get a leg up when they apply for jobs after graduation.
“The University of Wisconsin Systems campuses had purchased OrgSync for student organization management purposes and thought developing the e-portfolio tool would be a valuable add on to help students keep track of and reflect upon their experiences,” says Paul Shepherd, UWRF director of student life.
Students will be able to use the system to create an accurate profile of their experience in college and upload information about what they have learned from these experiences. The e-portfolio will be used to show students, faculty or future employers what they have done in their college experience. Much like other social networking sites, the students can manage privacy settings, and can download an entire PDF on their portfolio.
Currently UWRF has 3,347 students registered on OrgSync, which is more than half of the student body.
“This is an impressive number considering we only have used OrgSync for the last year and a half,” says Shepherd.
The pilot UW System schools received a UW System Growth Agenda Grant to initiate the project.