Artifact

This Portfolio!

Assignment Prompt: A portfolio is a collection of materials (" artifacts") that demonstrate achievement. A portfolio should include evidence that the student has successfully completed the required coursework for the master's program by reviewing completed coursework and using a completed or current project to demonstrate what was learned in the coursework.

A portfolio should contain the following materials:

I. An Introduction and Description of the Student

A current professional vita; personal vision statement; a leadership philosophy statement. The leadership philosophy paper needs to be informed and presented through the lens of an ORGL Concentration(s) (e.g. Change, Global, Servant Leadership) that represents the degree of emphasis.

II. A Leadership Project

A description of a current or completed project that you have been or are involved with that challenged the student to utilize the various competencies achieved in the program. In most cases this project will be work or career related; ideally, it should be something for which the student provided some leadership, and was complex enough to call upon the knowledge and skills the student developed in the program. The leadership project needs to be informed and shaped by the expertise (knowledge, skills, & dispositions) if gained from a degree concentration and emphasis of study (e.g. Change, Global or Servant Leaderhip).

III. Leadership Course Objectives and Competencies

A listing of courses completed along with identified course objectives and competencies referenced in your own words. Most of this should be available in the course syllabi that have been collected; in some cases it might be best to summarize a series of related competencies or objectives. It is helpful to include a bibliography of books and articles studied during the course of their program.

IV. Evidence of Competencies and Knowledge Attained

A sub-section of the portfolio that demonstrates & showacases how the student used knowledge, skills, and dispositions from coursework in the identified project. The expectation of this section is that you explain integration and application of ORGL competencies and especially concentration competencies in the project. Additionallly, share some 'aha' or generative moments and places where application of competencies have surfaced in personal and professional life.

While a portfolio contains these pieces of evidence, it really should be more than just a notebook of things you have done. The best portfolios also contain descriptive or reflective statements that indicate why a specific example or artifact is included-what an artifact demonstrates, what was learned, etc. Portfolios are more about the quality and completeness of artifacts, than about the quantity and volume.

There is no rigid format or style required for this project. Certainly storytelling, plain language, cohesion of sections, and logical organization with tabs and clear sections is useful, interesting, and readable. It will be important to include a captivating langing page and introductory summary that clarified scope, purpose, and direction of the portflio

In addition to satisfying the requirement for this course, a portfolio is very valuable for at least three other reasons. First, most students gain a tremendous amount of pride and increased level of awareness by viewing what they have learned and accomplished. Second, students will often use their portfolio or a modified version of it as an interviewing tool to help a potential employer learn more about the students and the skills and knowledge they gained in the masters program.The portfolio continues to represent a benchmark or baseline representation of your journey with leadership education.