Thus, the portfolio itself will require informal and formal writing throughout our curriculum. Senior portfolios will require the participation of all faculty in Rhetoric and Composition. This participation will come in a number of forms. Because the portfolio is a tool that works through a number of courses, it is difficult to know precisely how instructor feedback will be incorporated, but clearly these portfolios are meant to display writing that has gone through significant revision. The portfolios are a product of student-faculty collaboration.
Revision is at the heart of using portfolios for assessment.
Revision, therefore, is necessary for portfolios to work. Since all Rhetoric and Composition courses are or will be designated writing-intensive, students will be offered ample opportunity for revision. My interest in electronic portfolios stems from a number of pedagogical and pragmatic sources. It would not be pragmatic, for example, to have each of our students compile paper portfolios because they would soon overwhelm our storage capacity. Likewise, it is more pragmatic for students to leave the university with a disk full of their work rather than a cumbersome paper portfolio.