Creating Portfolios
A way to reflect on work and share it with others
Long used to demonstrate student progress in the arts, portfolios are increasingly used to showcase the work of national service programs.
Partners in Learning AmeriCorps at Clarke College (Dubuque, IA) requires members to complete a portfolio, due at their exit interviews. Members submit 5-10 pages of reflections, artifacts, and/or photos to document what they received from their service and how they've helped the children in their mentoring/tutoring programs.
Partners in Learning suggests this process for developing a portfolio:
- Decide on the purpose (to share information about your project with community members; solicit support for your program; inform key stakeholders; serve as a final report)
- Decide on criteria for collecting evidence (local or state outcomes; objectives and goals)
- Gather information
- Select the most appropriate examples (testimonials, evaluations, work samples) and use a variety of formats (text, audio, video, photos)
- Organize and construct the portfolio
The completed portfolio should relate to the project's goals or objectives and should include:
- Explanations or descriptions for each item
- An evaluation of what worked well or did not work and how the program could be improved
- Reflections on the member's experience and a summary supporting any findings
Click here for some suggested journal prompts.
Partners in Learning members provide a one-page summary of their portfolio that is posted online. This summary and photos are shared with past, present, and future members.
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