ePortfolio
a window into your research world
go.warwick.ac.uk/eportfolio
ePortfolio
As a window into your research world, an ePortfolio is an online record
of your academic life. It is a collection of web pages, representing
and showcasing your research, ideas, experience, resources and
academic interests. With an audience of fellow researchers within your
department, the Warwick community, potential employers and the wider
academic world, an ePortfolio provides structure and presentation
surpassing what you can achieve with a blog.
“It has made me think about my work from the point of view of an outsider.
Sometimes its quite hard to distance yourself from you work and I feel that it has
made me really have to think how other people see it.”
Matthew Stanford - Chemistry
“My research can be formally presented
online. This helps in widely disseminating
new ideas to people who are interested
in the same research area.”
Jittiwut Suwatthikul - Engineering
The Benefits to you
An online academic presence
As a researcher, it’s important that you have a presence within the online academic
community. You represent some of the intellectual resources of the University and
your work is an original contribution to your research area.
Be found
Warwick ePortfolios rank highly in the google search engine, meaning that when
searching for terms such as your name or research topic, it’s likely that your
ePortfolio will be one of the first listed results.
Your ePortfolio will be given a short web address for easy navigation. You can
publish this on business cards, presentation slides and your email signature. People
you meet and communicate with will then be able to find up-to-date information about
you and your research.
“It has allowed me to keep track of my milestones during my PhD studies. It gives
me a sense of what I am doing and how it all fit” s together.
Zoe Brigley - English and Comparative Literary Studies
Reflect your professional development
Your ePortfolio is an opportunity to showcase your commitment to professional
development, and the skills you are acquiring as a researcher. Potential employers
like to see your active engagement with Professional & Research Development. It
has provided a way for other academics and postgraduates to find out about my
research and offer me feedback.
Become a web publisher
with ease
Your ePortfolio is created and
updated using Warwick’s Sitebuilder2
content management system,
making it easy to add and format
your content. You don’t need any
knowledge, as editing pages with
headings, lists, tables, images, links,
charts, videos and audio is all done
with quick wizards in a ‘what you see
is what you get’ environment.
Be inspired:
10 things to do with your ePortfolio
1
Haris Aziz – Department of Computer Science
Add a picture gallery of your research in action, a
podcast or your research content..
Build your profile. Provide background information about
yourself and your academic interests. Be sure to add a photo too.
Create an up-to-date research page containing
more detailed information about your work.
3
2
7
Upload your CV. This is a great way to advertise
your skills to potential employers.
Populate your ePortfolio with meaningful links to,
for example, your research council or funding body.
5
“The ePortfolio has made website development effortless
and professional. It promises to have a positive impact
on my profile and my academic success.”
Restrict access to parts of your ePortfolio. You have control over
who sees what. You can make it open to anyone on the internet or
accessible only by your research group, supervisor, or just yourself.
Start a section on conferences and upload a poster
and audio narration from a conference you’ve recently
presented at.
4
Structure your ePortfolio to meet your own needs by adding sub-pages. For example, you could create a page where technical
terms are defined, making your research more widely
understandable.
6
9
Add papers you have published or papers that are in print.
Enter the ePortfolio Awards competition.
go.warwick.ac.uk/eportfolio
10
8
What next?
“It has been great for networking - mainly because of the good google rating. I have
put abstracts for all my papers on there, as well as my research interests and a
number of new contacts have resulted. I am currently preparing a paper for a joint
conference session that would not have come about without these new contacts.
Creating an on-line presence has also helped with job applications. I have been able
to refer potential employers to the pages and keeping the material up to date (and in
one place) means that preparing CVs and application forms is so much easier.”
• Register for an ePortfolio online at: go.warwick.ac.uk/eportfolio/apply
• You receive an email with your ePortfolio’s address within 10 days.
Your ePortfolio will then be ‘under development’. Use the many
support options available to help you create a superb ePortfolio.
Charles Care - Department of Computer Science (ePortfolio Awards Winner ’07)
• The Quicklaunch bar on the right-hand-side provides a convenient
place to find help as you develop your ePortfolio to a standard where
you want to publish it. When you reach this point you follow the ‘Go
Live’ instructions on the Quicklaunch bar to move your ePortfolio to
your department’s own ePortfolio directory.
The ePortfolio Awards:
Are you in the running?
The ePortfolio Awards recognise excellence in ePortfolios. If you enter
your ePortfolio, the judges will assess the quality and appropriateness
of your content, the way your ePortfolio relates to your colleagues,
department and wider field of research and your visual flair. The
standard is high, but the cash prizes are worth it! For more information,
visit go.warwick.ac.uk/eportfolio/awards
Note: Your ePortfolio will grow over time, going live is not about the quantity, but the quality of content in your ePortfolio.
• When you leave Warwick, you can either take the content with you
to wherever you go, or keep your ePortfolio hosted and updated with
WGA (Warwick Graduates Association) subscription.
Visit go.warwick.ac.uk/eportfolio/beyond for further details.