GIS/Remote Sensing/Geospatial
Techniques Portfolio
A Portfolio is a compilation of evidence that you are
qualified to do something. It will also help you start your search for jobs. All
key information and samples of your work will be assembled in one place. No
digging through boxes and files or trying to remember information from years
past!
What competencies do you need to meet? The competencies one
usually required to achieve are:
1. Knowledge Integration
2. Critical Thinking
3. Effective Communication
4. Collaboration & Team Problem Solving
5. Social Responsibility
But for geospatial techniques, you can list something else,
such as image classification, dasymetric mapping,
cartogram mapping, etc.
A standard portfolio
has the following components:
·
Table of Contents
·
Personal statement/mission/philosophy
·
Resume
·
Goals (short & long term)
·
Overall reflection Reflections on each competency areas
(i.e., labs and project)
·
Evidence of Competence, for example:
o
Samples of course assignments
o
Other relevant activities (work, extracurricular, volunteer)
o
Recognition and awards
o
Transcripts/plan of study
Personal
Statement
(Personal
Statement/Mission Statement/Personal Philosophy)
Your personal statement will be like a personal mission
statement. It is a statement of your personal philosophy. Typically a personal
statement or mission statement is a short description of what is important to
you. It can express things such as what you do or want to do, how you do it, and
why.
Resume
There are many styles of resumes. You will want to pick one
that is most appropriate for your background, skills, and goals. It is best to
keep your resume simple, concise and professional (avoid colored paper and
fancy fonts).
Goals: Short
and Long Term
You should identify short and long term goals as soon as you
start the portfolio process.
Short Term Goals
Short term goals are those you wish to accomplish by the
time you complete your academic coursework. Study the competencies you need to
reach and consider them when setting your goals.
Long Term Goals
Long term goals are those you will attain after you complete
your coursework -- they may be a little more vague. They
might include getting a job in a specific area of the field, or in a specific
setting, or geographical area. You may want to work with a particular type of
client, or for a particular company. Completing an internship or getting an
advanced degree could also be long term goals.
Revising
Your Goals
Your goals (especially your short term goals) should be
revised regularly. Keep copies of all goals even if you have changed or
attained them since it will be helpful to see the progression from where you
started to where you end up. This may be something you want to discuss in your
reflections when you complete the portfolio.
Reflections
When assembling your final professional portfolio, think
back over all the knowledge you have gained, the experiences you have had, and
the skills you have developed. You will then write about how you have met the
specific competencies. You will need to support your comments with discussion
of specific work you have done (examples need to be included in the portfolio).
Discussion of your strengths and areas you still need to develop should be
included. You might also reflect on how your attainment of the competencies
progressed, which experiences were particularly valuable, or what you could
have done differently.
Each of the competencies that you identified should have a
separate reflection. In addition, an overall reflection is also required. It
will be easier to do if you think about your progress as you go. As you work on
assignments, consider jotting notes about particular insights you gained. Also
note skills you developed or used (example: technology, research, or
communication skills). Keep your notes with each assignment or with your
portfolio worksheets.
Since good communication is one of the competencies you must
demonstrate, it is expected that your reflections will be well written. They
should be well thought out and not ramble, or be redundant. You should use
correct sentence structure and spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be
accurate. The style should be professional, not casual or informal.
It will be left up to you to select which samples of your
work will best demonstrate that you have attained a particular competency. Most
samples could potentially demonstrate several different competencies. For
example, a lab report could demonstrate written communication skills, critical
thinking, and knowledge integration. While you may choose to use the lab report
as key evidence of knowledge integration, you might also refer to it when
discussing critical thinking, if appropriate.
There is no set number of examples of work to substantiate
your competence. Your evidence will be stronger if you use a variety of sources,
and methods. Complex, comprehensive assignments will tend to offer better
evidence than simple ones.
Pulling
it All Together
The professional portfolio you assemble shortly before you
finish your course work should be the best you have to offer. The more
carefully you have gathered and organized your work as you progressed through
your classes, and the more carefully you documented employment, volunteer, and
extracurricular activity, the easier it will be to pull together your portfolio
and write your reflections.
The final product should be assembled in a 3-ring binder. While
creativity is an important trait, the emphasis on the portfolio should be
content. It should be professional in appearance and format. Refrain from using
fancy papers and excessive graphics. While there is some room for flexibility, the
material should generally be arranged in the order discussed in this document. Samples
of work should be organized in some logical fashion and clearly titled or coded.
Someone reviewing the portfolio should be able to easily identify and find
whatever is being referenced in the reflective sections.
Quality, not quantity, should be the rule. Adequate evidence
should be included to demonstrate that competencies have been met; however, it
is not appropriate to include everything you have accumulated. Your critical
thinking skills need to be utilized when selecting what to include.
Plastic page protectors should be reserved for those items
that can not or should not be hole punched. Tabbed
dividers should be used for major sections of the portfolio.
The
Future of Your Portfolio
Do not think of discontinuing your portfolio building
process after you have completed your professional portfolio. It is never
“FINAL!”
You should update your portfolio with a final official
transcript listing the degree/certificate you have earned. Also, update your
resume accordingly.
Portfolios are now being used more than ever in job hunting
and professional development. You should always have a place to cluster all
important documentation of your qualifications and skills. Just as you are
being asked to filter out certain things to include in the portfolio required
for your baccalaureate degree or certificate, you will want to continue to
gather supportive evidence of your qualifications so in the future you can build
different portfolios for different purposes.
You might need to pull together one combination of samples
when applying for a job in private company but pull together a different set of
samples if applying for a job in industry or a community setting. You may want
to continue to maintain worksheets to document your jobs, volunteer and
“extracurricular” activities – particularly membership and activities in
professional organizations. You may want to document accomplishments and skills
learned. That information will be useful whenever you need to update your
resume or have a job interview.
For this course, you only need to prepare the following
documents for your portfolio. You can expand it later.
1. Cover
page
·
Name
·
Course information
·
Date
2. TOC
3. For each
task, prepare:
A. Synopsis
·
Major theme/topic
·
Descriptions
·
Reflection
B. Supplemental images/pictures/diagrams