Background Notes - Why Portfolios?

Portfolios are used in a wide variety of professional disciplines and academic settings. For example, architects use portfolios that are both creative and autobiographical in nature to identify important achievements that are used as part of the job search process and/or the job selection process. In academic settings, portfolios tend to be structured documents meeting specific requirements that demonstrate past, present, and future learning on the part of a student. Learning is documented through projects as well as reflective writing showing measurable progress in a specific field of study with evaluation by faculty.