This document provides guidance on creating professional practice ePortfolios using WordPress. It defines ePortfolios as selective online documents that present a person's development as a scholar and include evidence of accomplishments. The document reviews types of content to include, discusses moving from file cabinet to showcase portfolios, and explores ePortfolio structure and reflection. It then guides the reader through setting up a WordPress site on the Vancouver Island University network, creating pages and posts, adding images and files. Reference materials and support documentation are also indicated.

1. Professional Practice ePortfolios
Prepared by: Michael Paskevicius
Learning Technologies Application Developer
Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning
Vancouver Island University

2. Agenda
•
•
•
•
Quick review of ePortfolios
Planning to build
A look at possible ePortfolio software
Begin building!

3. ePortfolios defined
• A selective set of online, reflective, integrative,
and personal documents that present how
you have developed as a scholar-teacher in
your discipline
• Offers evidence of your accomplishments and
activities across all aspects of your academic
life (research, teaching, and service) and
outlines your growth
• Extends your CV and provides future employers
with a comprehensive portrait of your
academic training, achievements, and future
career goals
• A living document that needs to be modified
over time
Bauer, G. (2011) Elements of A Professional Academic E-Portfolio. Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Delaware.
Available online: http://www2.udel.edu/e-portfolios/sites/udel.edu.e-portfolios/files/users/user19/epelements11j.pdf

4. Moving from “file cabinet portfolio”
to “showcase portfolio”

5. What types of documents/resources have
you identified to share on your ePortfolio?
• Papers and writing samples of
various types-descriptive,
persuasive, etc.
• Professional goals statement
• Internship and work experience
• Video and audio clips
• Spreadsheet and database
projects
• Group projects
• Research projects and researchrelated writing
• Photographs, images, artwork
• Community service work
• Public speaking examples
• Leadership experience, qualities,
and examples
• Academic awards and honors
• Reflective essays
• Examples of problem solving
• Memberships in professional
organizations
• Journal/blog entries
• Examples of technology-related
skills
• Graphics of information-charts,
time lines, concept diagrams
• Language skills

6. Artefacts and Reflections
• An eportfolio is more than just
gathering artifacts together
• Eportfolio development should be a
process of generating new or deeper
learning by reflecting on one’s
existing learning and experiences
• Both a product (a digital collection
of artifacts) and a process (of
reflecting on those artifacts and
what they represent)
Uwaterloo.ca. (2001). ePortfolios: What, Why, and How | Centre for Teaching Excellence. [online] Retrieved from:
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/resources/integrative-learning/eportfolios-what-why-and-how [Accessed: 7 Feb 2014].

7. ePortfolio structure
Teaching, Research, Service, Other

8. Ready to start building?

9. Potential ePortfolio software platforms

10. • 19 percent of websites on the internet are
powered by Wordpress
• Based on open-source technologies (PHP and
MYSQL)
• Active and vibrant developer community
• Plugin and theme marketplace
• Highly flexible and adaptable tool for creating
websites

11. Why use the VIU
Wordpress network for
your eportfolio?
– Hosted on campus
– Compliant with FIPPA
– Capitan login
– Under the viu.ca
domain
– Secure and backed up
regularly by IT
Why not use the VIU
Wordpress network for
your eportfolio?
– You require a special
URL
– You want to administer
plugins and themes
Options: wordpress.com,
blogger.com, weebly.com
or your own server

12. The VIU Wordpress network
http://wordpress.viu.ca/SarahsBlog
http://wordpress.viu.ca/
http://wordpress.viu.ca/MGMT210
http://wordpress.viu.ca/Chemistry
You can define the portion of the URL which
follows http://wordpress.viu.ca/

13. Blogs and ePortfolios available for
both faculty and students
http://wordpress.viu.ca/
http://studentblogs.viu.ca/

14. Title and
tagline of
the site
Site
pages
Sidebar
Recent
posts
http://wordpress.viu.ca/guppy/

15. Site
pages
Static text
for current
students
http://wordpress.viu.ca/limi/

16. Site
pages
No sidebar
in use
http://wordpress.viu.ca/timgoater/

17. Web view
Author view (logged in)

18. https://wordpress.viu.ca/
Create a new
site

19. https://wordpress.viu.ca/wp-login.php
Login with
your Capitan
account

20. The site name becomes
part of your URL and
must be lowercase with
no spaces.
Allow
discoverability
in Google and
visibility
options
The site title is displayed
by default at the top of
your blog and may
contain spaces.

21. Click here to
go to your new
website

22. Access your
site dashboard
Create a new
page

23. Wordpress Dashboard
Create a
new
post/page
Create
or view
posts
Summary of
blog activity
Create
or view
pages
Change
appearance
Recent
comments

24. Page versus Post
• Pages are static and are not
listed by date. Pages are often
listed at the top of the blog in a
menu.
Pages do not use
categories and tags but
can be organized in a
hierarchy.
• Posts are entries listed in
reverse chronological order on
the blog home page by default.
Post are automatically
organized by date but can
be furthermore assigned
to categories and tags.
http://en.support.wordpress.com/post-vs-page/

25. Start building pages for your eportfolio

26. Set the home view to a static page
• Access you site Dashboard then
• Settings  Reading  “Front page displays”

27. Themes

28. Use images to bring your posts to life
Work found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Sower.jpg / CC BY-SA
3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

29. Make sure
Creative
Commons
is selected
http://compfight.com

31. ePortfolio documentation on wiki
https://mediawiki.viu.ca/wiki/Professional_Teaching_Practice_Portfolios

32. Wordpress documentation on wiki
https://mediawiki.viu.ca/wiki/Wordpress_Help

33. References
Bauer, G. (2011) Elements of A Professional Academic E-Portfolio. Center for Teaching
and Learning, University of Delaware. Available online: http://www2.udel.edu/eportfolios/sites/udel.edu.e-portfolios/files/users/user19/epelements11j.pdf
Uwaterloo.ca. (2001). ePortfolios: What, Why, and How | Centre for Teaching
Excellence. [online] Retrieved from: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teachingexcellence/resources/integrative-learning/eportfolios-what-why-and-how [Accessed:
7 Feb 2014].
USDOE. (2011). Artifacts: Collect, Select, and Connect - Eportfolio Resource Center.
[online] Retrieved from:
https://sites.google.com/site/resourcecentereportfolio/artifacts [Accessed: 7 Feb
2014].
Icons: The Noun Project, available under Creative Commons or Public Domain licenses,
http://thenounproject.com/