A new electronic portfolio being developed by Washington University will allow students to track their cocurricular involvement on campus.  Administrators hope the program will help students when it comes time to apply for jobs and graduate school.

Associate Vice Chancellor for Students Jill Carnaghi and Vice Chancellor for Students James McLeod began collaborating this summer to develop the portfolio. Students will be able to update and maintain their portfolio online. The project is currently in the beginning phases of development, and the earliest possible time frame for a pilot group would be next fall.

One major goal of the portfolio is to make sense of the myriad of cocurricular activities available on campus and how those opportunities are tailored to each student.

“We really want to capture the student’s experience from freshman to senior year,” Carnaghi said.

Carnaghi, McLeod and others have spoken to more than 100 students and faculty in recent months, collecting data about what they would like to see included in the structure and content of the portfolio.

The portfolio will be free and optional for students, and there will be an advertising and promotional campaign accompanying its release to encourage students to use the resource.

“I would love every student to see the advantage of opportunity that this [portfolio] may afford them. We want to let students know what it is, but not force-feed it,” Carnaghi said.

Carnaghi recognizes the increasing importance of cocurricular activities for students in their post-graduation pursuits in addition to the academic experience reflected in a transcript. The portfolio, she said, will be a way for students to express the activities in which they have become involved and invested.

She also acknowledges that the ability to express the skills, experience and knowledge gained from cocurricular activities—ranging from research to athletics—is significant to potential employers and graduate schools.

“If we want all students to be involved and engaged in Washington University, then how do they tell the rest of their story, the whole four-year experience?” Carnaghi said. “How does a person, who can look pretty one-dimensional on a transcript, come alive?”

The administration wants students to use the portfolio as a tool to keep track of their engagement on campus and to be used when compiling a resume or completing an application.

“I think it would be a good idea because a lot of the students here are so involved that sometimes they forget everything they are involved in,” sophomore Leah Barsanti said. “I know sometimes I go back and think, ‘What all did I do this semester?’”

The details of the portfolio are long from finalized, however, and many aspects of its structure and purpose have yet to be determined, including what software will be used and how students will access the portfolio, whether through WebSTAC or some other outlet.

While the online portfolio will begin as a personal reference tool, it may eventually have further applications, perhaps for students seeking on-campus leadership positions, as part of a common system. Such details, however, have not yet been discussed at length.

Several other college campuses across the country have already developed similar programs, such as the “e-portfolio” at Washington State University, which includes materials ranging from writing samples and photos to research projects. Programs like this one have been successful at other institutions and now serve as valuable precedent in the discussion about what a cocurricular portfolio at Washington University should look like.