Table of Contents

Welcome to the RPW ePortfolio Help Guide............................................................ 1

What is an ePortfolio and how will I use it?............................................................. 1
Learning objectives.............................................................................................1
What should I include in my ePortfolio?.................................................................. 2
Home..................................................................................................................2
About................................................................................................................. 3
Resume.............................................................................................................. 4
Course artifacts...................................................................................................4
Summary for each artifact.................................................................................. 4
Reflection on each artifact.................................................................................. 5
Sample student artifacts..................................................................................... 5
Additional artifacts (optional).............................................................................9
Sample additional artifacts................................................................................. 9
How do I create an ePortfolio?...............................................................................10
Choose the right platform for your needs..........................................................10
Embedded links................................................................................................ 10
Copyright.......................................................................................................... 10
Creative Commons License............................................................................... 11
When will my ePortfolio be assessed?................................................................... 12
How will my ePortfolio be assessed?..................................................................... 12
Assessment criteria...........................................................................................12
Common mistakes............................................................................................ 12
How can I learn more?...........................................................................................13
Website design and structure............................................................................13
Fair use and copyright.......................................................................................13
Online identity management............................................................................ 13
Job hunting with the ePortfolio.........................................................................13
Whom can I contact for help?................................................................................ 13
Welcome to the RPW ePortfolio Help Guide
As a rhetoric and professional writing (RPW) major, you are responsible for creating and
maintaining an ePortfolio in order to graduate. This guide will help you understand how to
create your ePortfolio as well as maintain it and prepare it for assessment. Please review
this guide carefully and refer to it often. If you need help at any time, please feel free to
contact us.

What is an ePortfolio and how will I use it?

An ePortfolio is an organized selection of your best work that can be viewed and shared
online. It highlights the range of your skills and demonstrates your growth. Your ePortfolio
is a statement of who you are as a writer and a professional.

You will use the ePortfolio for several purposes. This tool provides you with
● an active form of learning that reinforces and integrates the concepts of your
program coursework;
● an opportunity to practice your writing and improve your technical skills;
● a comprehensive way for your professors to assess your progress as a student;
● a showcase for potential employers to easily view your work, which can offer you a
competitive edge over other applicants;
● a chance to highlight your strengths and the range of personal qualities you can
bring to a job.

Learning objectives
A final, important goal of the ePortfolio is to make sure you are meeting the learning
outcomes that you are expected to take away from the RPW program.

Your ePortfolio should practically exhibit your ability to

● identify, articulate, and focus on a defined purpose for the creation of written texts
● respond appropriately to the needs of the relevant audience;
● demonstrate an ability to write in multiple genres (using conventions and formats
appropriate to the situation);
● employ flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading texts
● demonstrate appropriate technologies/software to write, design, organize, present,
and communicate information to address a range of audiences and purposes;
● analyze rhetorical contexts to identify the relationships among language,
information, and knowledge as well as their connection to social, cultural, historical,
and economic issues;
● understand the ethical dimensions of information and technology;
● incorporate design principles into documents (both print and online);
● understand the role, importance, and methods of conducting research in
professional writing.

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What should I include in my ePortfolio?
The following list details the required content expected in your final ePortfolio:
● Home (including navigation bar)
● About
● Resume
● Course artifacts (minimum one per course)
o ENGL 2159 Introduction to Professional Writing
o Specialized 4000-level writing course
o ENGL 5095 Capstone for Professional Writing
o Four RPW electives
● Summary of each artifact
● Reflection on each artifact
● Support materials (optional)

You may review our complete list of course requirements and options here.

Home
The home page serves as the welcoming point of your ePortfolio, and it creates your
audience’s first impression of you. Your home page does not need to follow a standard
layout, but it should include:
● a professional-looking headshot
● a brief intro (this can be expanded upon in your ‘About’ section)
● optional links/widgets to email or professional social sites

You will also establish a navigation bar linking to different sections of your ePortfolio. This
is the primary way that users move through your ePortfolio, so make sure it is accessible on
all pages and that it links internally to each one.

The following home page examples (Figures 1–3) are provided for reference:

Figure 1: Marianna’s ePortfolio home page

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 Figure 2: Rachel’s ePortfolio home page

Figure 3: Kristen’s ePortfolio home page

About
What content you include on this page and how you format it is up to you. This is your
chance to introduce yourself professionally to your audience; think about what makes you
unique and what you would want future employers to know about you. While you're still in
college, it's a good idea to include your major and year. You could also include
● technical skills
● work/volunteer experience
● a study abroad experience
● favorite hobbies

It's best to keep this section relatively short. View your ‘About’ page as a cover letter that
can allow your audience to get to know you a little better, but keep it professional. You may
also include pictures that highlight your personality, but keep them appropriate!
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Resume
It is important to include your resume on your ePortfolio, as potential employers will want
to see an outline of your academic and professional history in the form of a traditional
resume. You should dedicate one page of your ePortfolio to a static resume as well as a
downloadable link (in case interested parties would like a hard copy to print). There are
different options for embedding your resume on your site, including media upload/file
embed functions, PDF viewers, or uploading as Scribd documents.

You will first upload your resume to your ePortfolio when you create it in ENGL 2159. You
should continue to update it throughout your college career and have it market ready by the
time you reach your capstone course.

A general section-by-section layout of a traditional resume is as follows:

● header with contact info
● education
● experience
○ this can be listed before education if you have work experience
that is relevant to the position you are applying for
● additional sections
○ skills, volunteer, honors/awards, etc.

Course artifacts
In the RPW program, artifacts may consist of traditional research papers, posters, reports,
brochures, videos, podcasts, websites, and more. Your ePortfolio must contain at least one
artifact from each of your RPW courses. Occasionally, your instructor will tell you if there is
a specific assignment you should add to your ePortfolio, but generally, you may choose what
to include. Feel free to add more than one artifact from a specific RPW course or artifacts
from other, non-RPW courses that you feel represent your skills. Remember that for each
artifact, you must include a summary of the assignment for which it was created and a
reflection of your experience creating the artifact.

Summary for each artifact

For every artifact you include in your ePortfolio, you must explain what it is and put it into a
specific context. Evaluate your assignments as though you’ve never seen them before and
recognize that prospective employers may need additional context. Explain each piece by
adding a short informational summary that includes:
● the purpose
● the intended audience
● your role (if it was a collaborative project)
● a brief explanation of why you are including it in the ePortfolio (e.g. the
assignment demonstrates your proficiency in a specific software)

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Reflection on each artifact
Reflections help your instructors evaluate your progress and show that you can integrate
what you learn in your courses into projects. Some students may choose to remove the
reflections when they graduate, while others keep them to show their growth.

Reflections will likely be longer for artifacts that you complete closer to graduation. As you
progress in your coursework, you should be able to make more connections between your
various courses, the skills you have gained, and your future career goals.

Remember that during your capstone course, you will be responsible for writing a critical
essay that reviews the progress that you have made throughout your time in the RPW
program. Your reflections will provide valuable material from which you can draw for this.

Sample student artifacts

The following student artifacts (Figures 4–6) highlight a variety of different works you may
create in your RPW courses. In addition, their summaries introduce and contextualize their
respective artifacts, and their reflections highlight their growth through the program.

Nature signs for ENGL 2072 Writing for Parks and Museums

Figure 4: Nature signs artifact

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(Nature signs for ENGL 2072 Writing for Parks and Museums cont.)

Summary: As a group of four, we worked with the Cincinnati Nature Center to create a
couple of signs focused on their restoration efforts. I helped write and edit the text on the
sign. I also gave input on our design choices. In this specific case, we were instructed to
create a main, relatively general static sign (in green) instructing people to stay on the
trails. This sign could be placed near various different restoration projects. For one of the
blue signs, the Nature Center instructed us to focus on the invasive Amur Honeysuckle since
they are working on removing it. For the second blue sign, we highlighted the benefits of
native plants because the Nature Center is working on restoring native plant populations.
The goal of the signs is to educate visitors on the Nature Center's current restoration work,
encourage them to stay on the trail and implement their restoration efforts in their own
yards. Most Nature Center visitors are families and senior citizens. Because of our target
audience, we decided to make the signs accessible to various ages. These signs demonstrate
my ability to write and design park signage. They also demonstrate my ability to create
materials for a client using their style guide.

Reflection: ​Through this project, I learned how to effectively gain park visitors' attention
through signage. I learned that short and simpler sentences are often better than long
sentences when writing material for signs. I also learned how to write for a specific
audience. This was one of the first times I had thought about what audience I was writing
for, which helped guide decisions like word choice and content of the signs. Now, when I am
designing or writing anything, I think about who the audience is. I think about what attracts
my target audience and often make decisions based on what my target audience would like.
A lot of the choices we made focus on writing interpretively as a group, directly connecting
the reader to our main points. I learned that to make a sign more impactful, connecting the
reader by directly mentioning them can make the sign more impactful to them because it
feels like the sign is "talking" to them directly. I also learned that having a unified theme
throughout a sign (or multiple signs) helps make the message more impactful. I also
learned how to effectively work to complete a project in a group when we sometimes had
differing ideas. Lastly, I learned how to best interact with clients through this project.

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Social media audit + campaign proposal for ENGL 2074 Social Media and Society

Figure 5: Social media audit + campaign proposal artifact

Summary: Together, these two documents function as an audit of the social media
presence of Pet Athletic Club (a local dog training and daycare/boarding facility), and a
subsequent campaign proposal for improvement of their community engagement and
outreach. I audited PAC's three main social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, and
Twitter) and their respective activity and statistics (with detailed screenshots) of each; I
then used what information I gathered from this audit to inform my detailed suggestions
and goals for PAC in the following campaign proposal. This project highlights my skills in
researching and implementing various aspects of social media management such as content
strategy, social media marketing, SEO, the effectiveness of certain platforms over others for
businesses, and how to utilize user-generated content; in addition, the tailored content
strategy plan, mockup content, and a sample weekly posting schedule showcase my
strengths in creating effective campaign proposals.

Reflection: This project was very involved, and many aspects of it proved to be a challenge
for me, because I was unfamiliar with social media management, had never conducted a
social media audit or campaign proposal, and had also never worked on a client-based
project before. This was an excellent assignment for learning more about the inner
workings of managing a social media account, developing more strategic thinking, and
gaining experience with professional writing and business-related skills such as analyzing
performance, writing effective memos/documents, and communicating
criticism/suggestions professionally and respectfully. This is also beneficial experience for
a future career, even if I do not work with social media, as I may need to provide analysis for
clients, communicate critiques professionally, or plan business strategies.

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Rhetorical term handout for ENGL 2159 Intro to Professional Writing

Figure 6: Rhetorical term handout artifact

Summary: The purpose of the assignment was to create a handout that would easily and
intuitively explain a rhetorical term. The handout is designed to reach university students
who want to learn more about the various persuasive techniques people employ. I made the
handout on Canva, and since my rhetorical device was dialysis, I incorporated contrasting
colors and images to better explain the term. Along with the handout, I wrote a reflection,
using memo format, where I analyzed my creative process and explained how I utilized
design principles.

Reflection: This project challenged my ability to intently design a poster that would inform
the target audience—college students who were waiting or walking inside their campus’s
academic building. I learned to use design elements that augment and elevate the textual
content, so the audience would experience a visual and written understanding of the term. I
also learned to implement cultural references and design elements that appeal to the
audience. I admit, when I look back at my work and see design choices, like the white small
text atop the light gray page, I recognize these decisions demonstrate a few mistakes, but
they are also an integral part of my development. More importantly, each time I have seen
this project, I continue to find more details I want to change, which shows me that I have
continued to make progress as a rhetoric and professional writing student.

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Additional artifacts (optional)
In addition to including artifacts from your RPW courses, you may also include other
materials to showcase additional strengths. Some possibilities include:
● relevant work from other courses
● work done for internships, jobs, or volunteer positions
● creative work (personal blogs, creative writing, art/design work)
● published works (creative writing, articles, etc.)

You also need to include summaries and reflections for these additional artifacts. These
may be handled differently than for course artifacts—for example, a student who has a
significant number of pieces from an internship might choose to write one summary and
reflection (or a combined summary/reflection) to introduce all their artifacts, focusing on
what they gained from the internship experience.

Sample additional artifacts

Short Vine Literary Journal Editor:
● From August to December 2022, I worked as a literary nonfiction editor for Short
Vine, which is the University of Cincinnati's undergraduate literary journal. I worked
in a group of three to select, copy edit, and provide developmental edits for pieces in
Short Vine’s Fall 2022 edition. Through this experience, I learned how to help
develop a literary journal's aesthetic criteria in an effort to curate pieces that work
well together. I also learned how to work in a group to select pieces when group
members didn’t always agree. Most importantly, I learned how to separate what I
like from what is "good." It's important to acknowledge that something can be good
even if I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards it.

Junior Authors/SIP Publications Manuscript Editor:

● In January 2022, I began volunteering as a manuscript editor for the Cincinnati -
based Junior Authors program; shortly after, I moved into regular work as a
freelance manuscript editor for the program, editing fiction and nonfiction for both
young clients (Junior Authors) and adult clients (SIP Publications). My duties in this
role are to provide comprehensive editing on submitted manuscripts, including
copyediting, proofreading, basic developmental editing, and basic formatting. I have
gained valuable experience from my work in this role, not only in honing my editing
skills, but also in managing expectations from the program director and clients,
meeting strict deadlines, and knowing when to be objective with edits.

Visual Resource Inventory Field Operations Team:

● The process of working on the app guides showed me just how effective written
documentation can be. When the app was released, many technicians were confused
about how to download the app, let alone use it. Most issues were simply thought to
be user errors—which was ultimately true because the user didn’t know what they
were doing—so I continually pushed for written instructions to be created. I began
writing instructions for the features technicians had the most issues with. I was able
to send those instructions to technicians who were not able to troubleshoot over the
phone. Technicians who had written instructions were better able to navigate the
app in the future. This led to the creation of the official app guides.

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How do I create an ePortfolio?
Now that you know what content to include in your ePortfolio, you can begin the process of
constructing the website that will showcase your work. As you build your ePortfolio, please
keep the following in mind:

Choose the right platform for your needs

You may choose from a variety of website builders to create your ePortfolio. Do your
research and pick a platform that best fits your needs. We recommend you check out free
platforms, though you may use paid ones if you wish. Free tools will still allow you to create
a functional and engaging ePortfolio, but the choice is yours. If you are unsure about which
platform to choose, speak to your professor for specific suggestions.

Before choosing a platform, think about what you want to include on your ePortfolio, as
that will help guide your choice. You don’t want to invest a great deal of time creating your
ePortfolio only to discover that the platform you’ve chosen can’t accommodate the
structure, design, and formats that your goals require. Save yourself the irritation of
working with a platform that is incompatible with your technological skills by comparing
platforms before you begin.

Embedded links
Displaying your work as clearly as possible makes it easy for your audience to see what you
have done and to assess your work. Display and embed images of your artifacts and
documents on your site.

For example, if you have created an external website, you should provide a link to the
website. It is far better for you to display one or more images of the website and to use the
images as links to the actual website (be sure to have these links open in a new tab or
window). This is also true for any documents you have created, such as advertisements,
brochures, user guides, etc. Save each as an image file and upload the image (you might
have to get creative—for example, using screen capture software).

Copyright
Anything you create is automatically copyrighted, regardless of if, how, where, or when you
choose to display it. Unfortunately, some people think that if something is on the web, it is
free to use. If you want to make it clear that your work is protected, you can include the
following on the work itself and on the web page where you are displaying it:

© Your Name, Year(s). All Rights Reserved.

You do not need to register your copyright in order to use the © notation; however, if you
have created/written something that you feel is truly unique and valuable, you may want to
register it with the US Copyright Office. This will give you an extra level of legal standing if
you must later defend your copyright. That process is beyond the scope of this
documentation, but you may head here for additional information.

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You could also choose to make your work available as part of the public domain with a
simple statement to that effect. This means that anyone can use it for any reason, and you
essentially give up all rights to the work. Think carefully before making such a decision.

It is also important to give proper credit to anything on your site that you did not create by
yourself. Always cite when appropriate.

Special considerations might need to be made in the following scenarios:

● Projects for clients: If the project is something you have done for a client outside of
the program, you must secure permission to use the project in your ePortfolio or
find another way to showcase your experience working on it without disclosing any
sensitive information.

● Collaborative projects: In collaborative projects, everyone who worked on the project

shares in the copyright ownership. In your description of the artifact, you need to be
clear about what role you played in the project and what, specifically, you did for it.
You also cannot make the work available under Creative Commons or public domain
unless everyone involved in the project agrees.

● Images: If you want to include images in your ePortfolio that you did not create
(photos, graphics, etc.), you must be sure that the image is available for use, that you
give credit to the creator of the image, and that you pay for a license to use the image
if required. Images on the web are not freely available unless the person who took
the photo or created the graphic specifically says so. It is always best to
double-check or obtain your own images from a reputable location.

Alternatively, you may want to allow others to use and edit your work under certain
conditions, as long as they give you credit. The Creative Commons License was developed
for this purpose.

Creative Commons License

You own anything you upload or create online. Therefore, you have all the rights to the
work. Please consider using a Creative Commons License on all of the work you upload for
your ePortfolio.

The Creative Commons License allows you to specify any of the following terms:
● allow modifications of your work;
● do not allow modifications of your work;
● allow modifications if the work is shared;
● allow commercial use of your work;
● do not allow commercial use of your work.

Please visit creativecommons.org to learn more.

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When will my ePortfolio be assessed?
● At the end of ENGL 2159 Introduction to Professional Writing: Your ePortfolio
will be graded on content/completeness, visual appeal, writing quality, and
organization.
● As you take each core course in the RPW program: Your instructor might suggest
a specific assignment to include, or leave the choice to you.
● In ENGL 5095 RPW Capstone: In the spring of one of your final semesters, you will
register for the RPW Capstone. In this course, you will finalize your ePortfolio and
make sure it is ready for use in your job search. Your instructor will make sure that it
includes all of the required elements for each of your RPW courses. In addition,
another RPW faculty member will assess your ePortfolio according to the criteria
listed in the next section. (Remember, you are required to successfully complete
your ePortfolio to pass your capstone and to graduate.)
● After you graduate: Your ePortfolio will also be assessed by potential employers.
Once you leave the program, you should consider revising your ePortfolio to better
appeal to employers. For example, you should omit course numbers from artifacts.

How will my ePortfolio be assessed?

The following sections describe the assignment’s criteria and common mistakes.

Assessment criteria
You will be assessed on whether you accomplish the following:
● include all of the required components;
● highlight your skills, critical thinking, accomplishments, and interests;
● reflect your progress in meeting the goals of the program;
● demonstrate your awareness of principles of design, structure, and readability;
● show technological proficiency in crafting your ePortfolio.

As your ePortfolio evolves into a finished piece of work, it should document your learning
and represent you as a professional in your chosen field.

Common mistakes
Instructors see a few mistakes repeatedly in ePortfolios. In order to avoid these problems,
be sure to include all of the required components and follow the planning guidelines. The
most commonly seen problems include the following:

● Missing content: Double check the list of what you need to include in your
ePortfolio to make sure you aren’t missing anything. Whenever you take an RPW
course, make sure to choose at least one artifact to include in your ePortfolio.

● Poor organization and design: Remember that when potential employers view
your site, they won’t only judge the artifacts included, they will also judge the site
itself. Make sure your site is visually appealing and easy to navigate. Be consistent
with your design choices—carefully think about your color scheme, heading
structure, font style, alignment, and use of white space. Use the design and theory
skills you have learned in your courses when designing your site.
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 ● Technological shortcomings: Enrich your site with subpages, multimedia
elements, working links, and easy navigation to other pages in your ePortfolio.

● Poor writing: Edit and proofread your ePortfolio multiple times. Ask others to also
proofread your work. Make sure that you would be proud for a potential employer to
view everything in your ePortfolio. Your writing should represent you well.

● Identity issues: Your ePortfolio is part of your professional image. Make sure it does
not contain any inappropriate photos or overly personal details. It should show a
unified philosophy and leave viewers with a strong sense of your personality and
professional identity.

How can I learn more?

The following links elaborate on the tips shared in this guide. Read them to get further
clarification and/or to see examples.

Website design and structure

● 8 Universal Web Design Principles You Should Know
● Getting The Website Information Architecture Right: How to Structure Your Site for
Optimal User Experiences

Fair use and copyright

● Copyright and Fair Use (Stanford University Libraries)
● Copyright Crash Course
● U.S. Copyright Office Statement

Online identity management

● Building Your Professional Identity Online

Job hunting with the ePortfolio

● 5 Tips to Effectively Use an ePortfolio in the Job Search Process

Whom can I contact for help?

We hope this guide has clarified the process of creating an ePortfolio. If you have any
questions or need help at any time, please contact one of the RPW Coordinators.

Teresa Cook
teresa.f.cook@uc.edu

Laura Wilson
laura.wilson@uc.edu

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