If you have a portfolio assignment to work on and you are not sure where to begin, this page gives you some practical tips to get you off to a strong start.
Carefully read your assignment instructions and rubric
For any assignment, your first task should be getting to know your assignment instructions. By doing this you can discover information such as:
the scope: understand the specific requirements, such as the number of artworks, draft drawings, or lesson plans you need to produce.
the platform: identify if you are required to use a specific platform like WordPress or PebblePad, or if you have the flexibility to choose your own.
written or reflective components: establish if any writing should accompany your work, what its purpose is and how many words are required. For instance, you may need to reflect on the creation process of an artwork or explain the choices you made to produce a lesson plan.
required artefacts: regardless of your area of study, check if you need to include only completed works or also drafts to show the progression of your work.
Additionally, familiarise yourself with the assignment rubric, which outlines the marking criteria. Understanding the rubric will help ensure that you have included all required components and met the expectations from the marker’s perspective.
Do you have doubts about what is required?
If you're unclear about any assignment instructions or have unanswered questions, contact your teacher early. This gives them time to respond and for you to implement their suggestions.
As they or their colleagues will be marking your assignment, they are the best source for answers. An alternative is to contact Study Support, where staff members can assist you with understanding assignment instructions and planning the steps of your assignment.
Consider your audience
You will be producing your work for a specific target audience, and this will influence the work you produce and how it is presented. Therefore, it is worthwhile spending some time contemplating your target audience.
Some examples of audiences for portfolios assessments are:
mock companies or clients: you will be asked to imagine that you have received a brief from a client and you need to work to the brief.
teachers/lecturers: in these cases, they will assess your work against criteria set out in a rubric and assignment instructions.
classmates: peer reviews are sometimes used so that students can see their work from their classmates’ perspectives and feedback can be given.
industry experts: some courses arrange for experts to provide feedback on student work to help students understand real-world expectations and to give them a taste of working in their industry.
a panel of judges or reviewers: if you are applying for a grant, your work may be reviewed by a panel who have been appointed to assess the work of applicants.
yourself: you may decide to continue your portfolio after the assignment, so that you can continue to map your professional growth and reflect on your experiences.
Consider your purpose
The purpose of your portfolio shapes the artefacts you select as well as the accompanying writing. Here are some common purposes:
completing an assignment task: For a course assignment, your goal is to meet the criteria and aim for a good grade. Follow instructions and the rubric closely. Experiment by applying course theories to practice and reflect on the outcomes to show your engagement. You'll often need to outline your process. For example, an art student might describe how they moved from initial stages to a finished product.
applying for a job: When using a portfolio for a job application, focus on showcasing your abilities and final products, but don't forget to outline your process — this can display your problem solving skills to potential employers.
applying for a scholarship: Scholarship applications may require a portfolio highlighting career and study achievements, academic background, career objectives, and your CV. Explain why you're an excellent candidate for the scholarship.
continuous learning If you enjoy the process of creating your portfolio, you might decide to continue beyond your studies. It’s a great way to grow, experiment, and reflect. Sharing it with peers can be valuable to them, too.
Start producing/collecting artefacts
Whether you need to produce or collect artefacts will depend on the course you are studying. Let’s consider two scenarios:
throughout the course: Portfolios can be used as a continuous assessment tool, meaning that students compile and reflect on their work over time. This provides opportunities for students to make improvements based on feedback at each stage.
If your assignment runs throughout the course, then it's likely you will be producing artefacts and updating your portfolio with them on a regular basis.
end of the course: Portfolios may be assigned as a project at the end of a course. You might be asked to organise existing artefacts into a portfolio to showcase your cumulative learning and skills. In this case, your task will be to organise the artefacts into your portfolio in a logical way that also showcases your learning journey.
Keep the reflective process in mind while you work
If you are required to write a reflective piece to include in your portfolio, it’s a good idea to keep a journal. Record your thoughts and feelings regularly because they can often be forgotten later on.
To reflect, ask yourself questions such as:
How does completing this lesson plan / draft drawing / sculpture / etc. make me feel?
Have I found the process easy / hard / frustrating / rewarding / enlightening? Why?
