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Fox School of Business

e-portfolio

PRO accelerates student professional development

Professional Achievement Dashboard

MIS announces the successful rollout of version 4 of the Community platform professional achievement program. Since 2008, the program continues to break new ground in creating a structured measurable process for student professional development that provides recognition, external and internal branding, and opportunities for high achievers. The program pioneered at Fox MIS has been licensed at other universities, while portions have been copied by others. 

Changes in version 4 include:

  • New e-portfolio design with interactive customizable widgets that highlight professional achievement and a verified badge
  • New Dashboard analytics to manage graduation requirements and comparison with peers
  • New much simpler PRO point submission, review, and management process
  • More PRO point earning opportunities (e.g., study abroad)
  • New calendar to locate PRO point earning opportunities
  • More curriculum checkpoints for on-time graduation
  • New PRO site that integrates all the information related to the program
  • Much better swag
  • New name – PRO!

According to Dr. Munir Mandviwalla who is working on the project with Assistant Director Manoj Chacko and Assistant Professor Laurel Miller: 

PRO provides the structure for professional development. The goal is for students to get good jobs; so the e-portfolio badge summarizes professional achievement, the points widget lists the activities, while the posts show how each activity influences professional development. Finally, PRO points measure activities so that students can get started early and stay on track using analytics available on an integrative Dashboard. 

As part of the above roll out, the overall MIS Community site was updated with new content, a new mobile responsive look and feel, including the new Community activity widget. The e-portfolios of faculty, staff, and Master’s students also have a new mobile responsive look and feel with capabilities that integrate with the main site (e.g., research news). 

Portfolio points

portfolio
port•fo•li•o (pôrt-fo¹lê-o´, port-) noun – The collection of materials which are representative of a person’s work: a photographer’s portfolio; an artist’s portfolio of drawings.

portfolio leaderboardAs an entry-level IT professional, what is in your portfolio? Besides your transcript and your diploma, what do you have to show to employers that you are going to be a successful IT professional? At Fox MIS, students show their academic and professional development success by:

  • creating and maintaining a digital identity (e-portfolio)
  • (new) compiling a required portfolio of professional development activities that is based on acquiring points for each activity
  • (new) gaining recognition for their achievements through the e-portfolio wire and portfolio point leader board.

MIS students start to develop a portfolio in their first MIS class and continue to receive opportunities to add to their portfolio as they progress through the curriculum.  Checkpoints throughout the curriculum make sure that students stay on course to graduate with the required number of minimum points. Students  receive points for participation in professional development activities and for applying academic learning to practice (e.g., internships, student organization leadership). Students showcase their achievements on e-portfolios.

The portfolio points program was started in spring 2012 by Professor Mart Doyle.