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I must confess that I must agree with those who recommend against a digital
portfolio--well, at least a CD-ROM portfolio. I would like to add a few
words, however.
One of the things that make and break documents is "thud factor." That is to
say, there is a certain value in the very weight of a document or collection
of documents. This can be especially valuable if you leave the portfolio
behind (as you can with a satellite portfolio). If you take a disk into an
interview, you give the interviewer no sense of how much work you have really
done. Instead, they might only be left with a sense of confusion.
I might add that some multimedia documents are so big that they may take up
whole disks by themselves. I think your students might be better off it they
take in a portfolio that contains several disks than if they take in a disk
that contains several projects.
On the other hand, an online portfolio might be valuable if your real agenda
is to have the potential employer call you in to see the hard copy version.
Your students might create a Web site that shows portfolio pieces. If it is
carefully designed, your site will move quickly enough, even through modems.
Hoping someone finds this useful.
Dave Hailey
Assistant Professor
Professional Writing
Utah State University
