Portfolios

The purpose of compiling the portfolio is two-fold: first, it encourages students to preserve their best work; second, it supplies material for non-graded, qualitative assessment of student growth by the students themselves and by Honors Program staff.
Half of the material preserved in the portfolio will be self-selected by the students. These entries include one writing task from each seminar, Service Learning entries and up to four special optional choices students may wish to include. These may include course work, pieces written from campus publications, musical compositions and so on. Your special choices do not have to be from your honors seminars.

The specified pieces include two impromptu essays (one written at the beginning of the first year, one written the beginning of the junior year), the senior honors project (both written and videotaped forms), the senior reflective essay (in which students discuss their growth using the portfolio contents as source material), and a copy of their Four-Year Plan.

Just as students choose what goes into their portfolios, the material in the portfolios belongs to the students. The Honors Program staff requests permission to copy materials for longitudinal studies before students graduate.

Portfolio Contents Checklist

Impromptu Essay I (First Year)
Photocopy of Four-Year Plan
Scholar Written Assignment
Scientist Written Assignment
Artist Written Assignment
Citizen Written Assignment
Impromptu Essay II (Junior)
5 Selected Entries from your Service-Learning Journal
Senior Honors Project
Senior Reflective Essay

Special Choice I (optional)
Special Choice II (optional)
Special Choice III (optional)
Special Choice IV (optional)