My E-Portfolio: The Making of Clinical Nurse Educator

Running Head: MY E-PORTFOLIO: THE MAKING OF CLINICAL NURSE EDUCATOR
My E-Portfolio: The Making of Clinical Nurse Educator
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My E-Portfolio
Introduction
Hello and thank you for taking time to tour my clinical nurse educator e-portfolio.
Hultquist (2016) defines an e-portfolio as portfolio as an assemblage of ones works in electric
format that serves as an evidence of his or her academic and co-curricular activity over time.
According to Hoever et al (2016) an e-portfolio may comprise a variety of electronic files in
various formats say videos, images or text. Why would one need a portfolio? Recent researches
have indicated that at least four out of five potential employers approve of electronic portfolio as
being ideal to them in gaining an insight into job applicant’s skills, knowledge and achievements
(Booth et al, 2016 p.57). An e-portfolio therefore provides an easy and convenient way of
gaining a job seeker’s background and has proved more effective than just a mere presentation of
a curriculum vitae or interview. Roux & Halstead (2017) claim that interviews would take really
short time if an electronic portfolio had been submitted earlier prior to the interview. To
students, like myself, an e-portfolio provides all the necessary chances to brand and market my
talents, skills and abilities. It will also provide an opportunity to enhance my soft skills and place
them at a competitive edge with peers and at acceptable levels with employers or internship
opportunity providers.
Portfolio design and its characteristics
Booth et al, (2016 p.57) advises that when thinking about the design and ideal
characteristics of an e-portfolio, it is prudent keep in mind the target audience and the purpose it
is intended to achieve. It is imperative, therefore, that one gains an understanding of the various
types of portfolios and how they are used before coming up one. This is because the design and

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My E-Portfolio
characteristics of a portfolio may vary from one type to another depending on the type of
portfolio being deigned (Girouard & Bailey, 2017).
This section will, therefore, highlight the various types of portfolios in contemporary life
before looking at the design principles and the ideal characteristics of a well-designed e-
portfolio. Although there are several types of e-portfolios in use for different purpose across the
globe, there exists three major types of electronic portfolios namely the showcase portfolio,
education portfolio and a learning portfolio (Roux & Halstead, 2017). According to Hultquist
(2016), a professional e-portfolio, also known as the showcase portfolio is a demonstration of
milestones of the students’ academic journey and the knowledge acquisition processes he or she
went through to attain his or her current academic status. Developed by students as part of full
filling their academic requirements for a certain course, learning e-portfolios are a showcase of
learning processes and serve as an evidence of learning having taken place or currently taking
place Roux & Halstead (2017). Learning portfolios are shared among colleague students to elicit
peer feedback and form a vital part of learning process. Last but not least, assessment of
education portfolios are used to assess ones general and specific academic skills and
competencies. By application of both summative and formative reviews, a feedback on the
eminence of evidence submitted by students in their portfolios is generated and relayed back to
instructors, departments and colleges (Hultquist, 2016).
With the knowledge of types and uses of e-portfolio, I will now focus on the design and
characteristics of an e-portfolio.
1. Easy to navigate

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My E-Portfolio
The experience on goes through while navigating an e-portfolio or any website for that
matter is synonymous to user friendliness one experiences while interacting with a certain
software in a computer or any other electronic device (Girouard & Bailey, 2017). An e-portfolio
should be designed in such a manner that it allows quick and easy navigation from content or
item to another in a systematic way. Navigations should thus be placed in a desirable order.
Ironside et al (2017 p.190) observes that many sites have since taken keen consideration on this
aspect and taken it to a whole new level, making it an unavoidable part of the browsing
experience.
2. Coherency
Hoeve et al, (2014) contents that one of the most fundamental strengths of a modern e-portfolio
is its ability to create a narration environment. The content should be coherent and flawless and
this easily controls the experience of the user, easily swinging him to the author’s side. June et al
(2016 p.183) however cautions that the developers should avoid the temptation to overwrite and
fall into lengthy stories that end up bogging the readers.
3. Includes variety of materials
Urden et al (2017) likens a portfolio as court exhibits that must not just be proven but
seen. He adds that they must be enough to convince the reader of the narrator’s story. A well
designed e-portfolio should contain several images, documents, links and any other hard
evidence that can be easily accessed as proof of works done.
4. Systematic interrelation between the artefacts