Portfolios

Public

Discussion:

Hi Amber,

Thanks for sharing. I love that you incorporate a portfolio in the education process. Because I'm not aware of what precisely is on your evaluation forms, I'm not sure if this would make sense but if anything were quantified such as ratings from evaluations in which a Likert scale was used, that data could actually be used to generate a line graph in Excel to visually show improvement but also demonstrate other qualities skills possessed by the graduate.

I've interviewed people before for staff positions and one young lady impressed me so much, I still remember her. She came in with a binder and used feedback data from reviews and customer satisfaction surveys (that included Likert scales) and created graphs visually showing her improvement over time. This demonstrated not only her skill but her analytical skills, her communication skills, her ability to use Excel, her attention to detail, her sales skills (persuasively communicated her skills) and the extent to which personal development and improvement mattered to her. 99.9% of people will never monitor their progress in this fashion and go through the trouble of graphing it out!

My point is, it was impressive. Consider these types of ideas to further enhance your students' portfolios and look for opportunity to help them display quantifiable data in areas that matter to employers. I can imagine that there is lots of focus on massage alone when in reality, they may be asked to sell products, upsell services, and of course, build long-term clientele. How can students demonstrate all of these types of skills in a portfolio?

Robert Starks Jr.

Hi Amber, Thanks for sharing. I love that you incorporate a portfolio in the education process. Because I'm not aware of what precisely is on your evaluation forms, I'm not sure if this would make sense but if anything were quantified such as ratings from evaluations in which a Likert scale was used, that data could actually be used to generate a line graph in Excel to visually show improvement but also demonstrate other qualities skills possessed by the graduate. I've interviewed people before for staff positions and one young lady impressed me so much, I still remember her. She came in with a binder and used feedback data from reviews and customer satisfaction surveys (that included Likert scales) and created graphs visually showing her improvement over time. This demonstrated not only her skill but her analytical skills, her communication skills, her ability to use Excel, her attention to detail, her sales skills (persuasively communicated her skills) and the extent to which personal development and improvement mattered to her. 99.9% of people will never monitor their progress in this fashion and go through the trouble of graphing it out! My point is, it was impressive. Consider these types of ideas to further enhance your students' portfolios and look for opportunity to help them display quantifiable data in areas that matter to employers. I can imagine that there is lots of focus on massage alone when in reality, they may be asked to sell products, upsell services, and of course, build long-term clientele. How can students demonstrate all of these types of skills in a portfolio? Robert Starks Jr.