News & Events

The Portfolio Tool Is Now Available in Blackboard Campus-Wide

By Gail Alleyne Bayne, Ed.D., Program Manager

Texas Tech University introduces the campus-wide release of the Blackboard Portfolio tool. An ePortfolio (electronic portfolio) is a collection of information and digital artifacts that communicate and showcase skills, experiences and achievements. Cohn and Hibbits (2004) described ePortfolios as "the show-and-tell platform of the millennium".¹ The Blackboard Portfolio tool includes an easy-to-use editor, where artifacts such as text, images, videos, and other types of media can be incorporated. Artifacts can also be added from your personal computer files or from Blackboard course assignment submissions. This user-friendly tool is available to anyone in the TTU community who has Blackboard access.

Key benefits to students:

• Showcase your TTU projects (e.g., videos, research papers, essays)
• Display your development over the course of your TTU experiences
• Demonstrate that you have mastered the competencies in your TTU degree plan
• Share your portfolio with potential employers as a downloadable zip file
• Customize your portfolio to your preferences
• Access ePortfolio easily through the tools menu – course enrollment not required

Key benefits to faculty/researchers/staff:

• Portfolio assignments are easy to setup/create in Blackboard
• Provides authentic, tangible evidence of student learning outcomes for assessment purposes
• Students can document their learning outside of the classroom in the form of co-curricular activities (e.g. internships)
• Portfolios can be created outside of course profiles to showcase your own research activities

For more information and tutorials to get started with the Portfolio tool, go to the Blackboard Portfolio Tool web page. For technical assistance, faculty can contact Blackboard Support at (806) 742-7227 or email blackboard@ttu.edu. Students can call (844) 897-0537 or email IT Help Central for assistance.

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¹Cohn, E. R., & Hibbits, B. (2004). Beyond the electronic portfolio: A lifetime personal web space. Educause Review Online. Retrieved from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2004/1/beyond-the-electronic-portfolio-a-lifetime-personal-web-space