Purpose

Throughout the semester, we’ve explored how social media and elements of design can influence perception and attitude. The point of this final Portfolio is for you to take that knowledge and use it to create a professional online presence that you can share with potential employers. We will discuss each of the different elements in general terms, so if you have specialized knowledge about what your projected industry might want to see in such a document, feel free to tweak the assignment to suit their needs. The basic requirements on which I’ll be grading are below, but please add as much other material as you think will be helpful for your career trajectory.

Tasks & Deliverables

1. Professional Portfolio and Website

To develop your professional online presence, you will need to include the following components:

A clean, well-functioning website that you can use on the market
Personal social media policy/reflection (500 words)
Statement on working in teams (250-500 words)
A writing sample that shows your analytical and communication skills. (Your design report would be a good candidate for this.)
Digital résumé
Connection to a LinkedIn page or other professional social media platforms

2. Rationale

Word Count: 500+ words

As a companion to your major assignments, you will complete a “rationale,” in which you reflect on the choices you made in completing your work. Each Rationale should be a separate document of at least 500 words that explains your writing process, decisions made, and lessons learned over the course of a given project. These assignments allow you to explore how you approached each of BTW 285’s learning outcomes, with special attention to #4: “Clearly explain, defend, and reflect upon your rhetorical decisions, processes, and products with regard to media and technology.” The metacognition required in these documents will prepare you for the sort of self-evaluation and justification you will need to do in the workplace and beyond.

Each Rationale must be over 500 words, but how you decide to frame these words is up to you. However you approach it, you should describe the following:

Your Goals: What did you want to accomplish with your project? How did you go about satisfying the assignment’s requirements while still making your piece work for you? Did you achieve these goals? Did you compromise on them, or complicate them along the way?
Your Process: What did it take to develop the final draft of your project? How did you move from an empty page to a rough draft to a final draft? How did this process surprise you or feel like other projects you’ve worked on? What technologies or practices helped you?
Your Choices: What decisions did you have to make en route to your final draft? Is there anything you would do differently? How did you know what the right choice was at a given moment?