Morgan Xenos
ePortfolio Assistant
Center of High Impact Practices
Old Dominion University, 2016 - Current
ePortfolio Assistants are peer mentors trained to support students as they develop ePortfolios for a variety of contexts. Through individual appointments, the assistants help students work with digital programs, answering specific questions regarding how to do various actions as well offering general feedback on design, content, and function of an ePortfolio.
You can read about my experience as an ePortfolio Assitant here!
Undergraduate ePortfolio Assistant
I began as an ePortfolio Assistant during my third year as an undergraduate student at Old Dominion University. The semester I joined the team, the program was still fairly new to the university. This allowed me to play an active role in the development of the ePortfolio Program and I contributed to creating the high standard of excellence we now hold as a team. I also became a campus advocate to the use of ePortfolios not only for students but for faculty and staff.
As an undergraduate eportfolio assistant, I specifically helped students with:
-
Working with ePortfolio programs such as: Google Drive, Google Sites, Wix, and WordPress;
-
Developing multimedia elements for ePortfolios such as images, video, and audio elements;
-
Exploring other digital tools such as web-conferencing platforms, social media, and productivity tools.
As an ePortfolio Assistant, I would tutor students in one on one appointments via an online tutoring platform or in person. In addition to individual student appointments, my fellow eportfolio Assistants and I would be regularly called upon to visit courses to
offer presentations and tutorial demonstrations. The ePortfolio team would assist and/or lead in a verity of workshops, allowing me to gain valuable leadership experience and public speaking skills. I was also part of the Upperclassmen ePortfolio Initiative. In this program, upperclassmen were invited to apply to a program which was largely self-motivated. The students involved were required to attend an orientation, develop a four year showcase portfolio, and present at the digital poster session at the Spring Career Fair. Click on the photo taken of myself presenting at the Career Fair to take a look at my undergraduate eportfolio.
Graduate ePortfolio Assistant
Soon after I was accepted to Old Dominion University's Masters of Counseling Program, the Associate Director of ePortfolios and Digital Initiatives offered me a Graduate Assistantship in the ePortfolio Program. I had incredibly enjoyed my time in my undergraduate program working as an ePortfolio Assistant. Without hesitance, I accepted the offer! The Center for High Impact Practices collaborated with the with the Graduate College to create my current position in the ePortfolio program, Graduate ePortfolio Assistant. I am the first person to hold this position.
​
Below you can read about the Graduate ePortfolio Assistant below:
I have completed one semester a the Graduate ePortfolio Assistant. I still continue offer individual eportfolio tutoring appointments each week for undergraduate students. I have been making strides to reach the graduate population by increasing graduate awareness and use of ePortfolios. For instance, I offered a workshop for the English Graduate Organization (EGO) and two workshops for PFF/PFP (15 students). I am currently helping revise the PFF/PFP website regarding the use of ePortfolios within that program. I am also hunting contacts from other graduate organizations to continue identifying and working with student organizations.
​
The following are some statistics from my first semester as the Graduate ePortfolio Assistant (Fall 2018):
-
The ePortfolio team had 30 graduate students seek ePortfolio Assistance, many as a direct result of outreach efforts mentioned above. I also assists undergraduates as needed, completing 59 appointments over the course of the semester.
-
I continued to conduct class visits, completing 29 visits.
-
Assisted in reviewing/revising over 100 tutorials for various platforms we create; those are available here.
-
She worked with a doctoral level English course (ENGL 810 Major Debates - 15 students), with our team designing two class-specific workshops over the course of the semester, as well as a split-level Biology course (BIOL 4/504 Conservation Biology - 17 students).
-
Collaborated with the Graduates School's Career Pathways program to offer graduate students two workshops: "Introduction to ePortfolios" and "WordPress Workshop" open for all graduate students. Below, you can view my presentation materials for the two workshops:
Fall 2018 Reflection
In my reflection, I discuss my experience as a Graduate ePortfolio Assistant including ways I could improve my tutoring and how this position taught me skill I will use as a Mental Health Professional.