FIRST YEAR COLLEGE / USC 101A and 102A

INSTRUCTOR: KATHY ZIGA

PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT

Purpose of the USC 101A/102A Portfolio
  1. Showcase and collect your work and accomplishments
  2. Demonstrate your growth over this year
  3. Help you organize your thoughts and gather the information for the letter of intent assignment
  4. Provide a structure to help you build your career portfolio for the future
  5. Continue the process of self – understanding you have been engaged in this year.

Learn about Yourself

Explore & Investigate

Majors and Careers

Make a Decision

(decide, plan, act, and evaluate)

Your assignment is to create your own portfolio

Your portfolio will collect activities, assignments, letters, papers and other items in a form that you can share with your classmates and keep for the future. Put it in a binder, three-ring folder, booklet, etc. – something to keep it secure and properly organized. Each section needs to be indicated by a tab or separator and labeled clearly.

The project should have a cover page that includes your name, section number, and a title. It can be as creative as you choose. Your portfolio should begin with a table of contents. There will be five main sections:

  • Introduction
  • Who Am I: Personal Growth and Experiences
  • Major Search Information
  • Career Exploration
  • Accomplishments

Your grade will be based on the material you have collected, organization, and creativity in presentation. However, the most important thing to show is that you put thought into what went into it, making sure that the portfolio is an accurate representation of you. Refer to the rubric for details.

Continued on the following pages are the sections of the portfolio and the materials that should be included in each. You can always add to these groups, as you feel necessary.

Required Items for Your Portfolio

Although you will complete many assignments over the course of the year, some are particularly important in helping you understand yourself, explore your options, and think critically. These assignments are required items that must be included in your portfolio. Each area is worth 10 points, for a total of 50 points for the project.

1. Introduction to the portfolio

Write or type a short essay or a letter to the reader in which you describe what the reader can expect to find in the portfolio. Why would the reader want to look at it? What should the reader be able to learn about you by looking at the portfolio? You might think of this introduction as a guide for the reader, or as laying out the main “story” of who you are or who you have become, what you have learned and what is important to you.

2. Who Am I: Personal Growth and Experiences

  • Copy of your transcript/degree audit (includes AP, IB and fast forward credit received)
  • MBTI results / reflection
  • Summer Reading Assignment
  • Learning Styles
  • Diversity / Community
  • Letter to yourself (description p.3)

3. Majors Search Process

  • Strong Interest Inventory Results & Reflection Paper
  • Majors Fair worksheets / reflection
  • Academic Networking worksheets / reflection
  • Academic Majors Search Assignment
  • Copy of your approved plan of work from spring 2007 semester
  • Letter of Intent

4. Career Exploration

  • Informational interview
  • Any special projects / activities that were career related

5. Personal Accomplishments

  • Letters of recommendation
  • List of service, leadership, or involvement activities
  • Work from any course that you are really proud of
  • Award letters
  • Pictures
  • Reference List – List 3 to 5 people that you could use for a reference
  • Any items that would give an observer important information about you
Who Am I: Personal Growth & Experiences
Letter to Self

Throughout the year, you have been asked to write journals and complete assignments based on your experiences. The Portfolio is a culmination of those experiences, wrapped into a nice package. For the area of Who Am I: Personal Growth & Experiences, reflect on the activities you have completed this year:

  • Timeline activity
  • The Class Race
  • Bead Activity
  • Forums
  • ADDRESSING Framework
  • Majors Fair
  • Journals
  • Others

Write a letter to yourself. Include the following:

  • Discuss what you have learned about yourself this year, including specific experiences that caused this personal learning; this can include diversity, ability, interests, how you relate to others, how others relate to you, etc
  • Discuss what you hope to learn, obtain, accomplish, and develop (and other goals that come to mind) by the time you graduate.
  • Your biggest accomplishment: what was it and why was it your biggest accomplishment?
  • Your biggest challenge: what was it, and why was it your biggest challenge?
  • Your favorite part of being at NCSU, and why
  • If you could change one thing about your time at NCSU this year, what would it be and why?
  • The person you connected to the most this year, and why
  • The person you hope to develop a closer relationship with in the future, and why
  • Conclusion: give yourself some advice for the future (3-5 sentences minimum).

You may make this portion of the portfolio as creatively as you wish. Include pictures, quotes, anecdotes, or simply write a paper. Be sure that whatever you create will fit in the binder you picked for your portfolio.

Note: this is a personal reflection assignment based on who you are and your experiences. All work should be original.

Portfolio Grading Rubric

Requirement / Points Received
Part I: Introduction to the portfolio
Includes all required components, answered/addressed completely (2 points)
The introduction is clear and provides a guide for the reader (2 points)
Part II: Who Am I: Personal Growth and Experiences
A copy of required components is included (7 points)
Letter to self is focused and clear overall (2 points)
Letter is proofread for spelling, grammar, and punctuation (2 point)
Letter is typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, and name is on every page (2 point)
Part III: Majors Search Process
A copy of required components is included (7 points)
Part IV: Career Exploration
Includes all required components, answered/addressed completely (4 points)
Part V: Personal Accomplishments
A copy of required components is included (8 points)
Part VI: Additional components
Creativity (4 points)
Presentation (4 points)
Demonstrates the Decision-Making Model (6 points)
Total (50 possible points – extra points may be earned for exceptional work)

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