Tarnowski, M., Knutson, M., Gleason, E., Gleason, C., & Songer, E. (1998) ‘Building a Professional Portfolio’ Music Educators Journal, 85 (1), pp17-20+38

Tarnowski, M., Knutson, M., Gleason, E., Gleason, C., & Songer, E. (1998) ‘Building a Professional Portfolio’ Music Educators Journal, 85 (1), pp17-20+38

The article is a nearly a decade old but iterates some of the key needs for a professional portfolio (music teacher). The author describes this type of portfolio as needing three facets: 1) professional development, 2) teaching abilities, 3) personal and professional attributes. There is also an indication for the need for audio elements within the music educator’s portfolio, digital portfolios lending themselves to this multimedia requirement.

Creative Review (2004) ‘How to get a Job’ Creative Review, Nov 2004, p37

Creative Review (2004) ‘How to get a Job’ Creative Review, Nov 2004, p37

Significantly, the article talks extensively about the use of traditional paper-based portfolios during interviews for jobs in the design sector. This goes against the other emerging idea of digital portfolios being used by graduates and employers aside of the interview period. The implication is that the physical portfolio is still seen as important; “…it is always good to include hard copies for the ‘feel factor’.”

The article also focuses on the need for graduates to tailor their portfolio for the individual company that they are aiming to gain employment with one interviewee stating that they are including information about how to do this on their website. “Candidates themselves can prepare by tailoring their portfolio to suit the job which they are up for.”

Burgoyne, P. (2004) ‘Experience Necessary’ Creative Review, March 2004, p10

Burgoyne, P. (2004) ‘Experience Necessary’ Creative Review, March 2004, p10

This short editorial from the popular art and design publication, Creative Review, describes the magazine’s focus for the month, work placement. It highlights the importance of placement in enabling graduates to get work in art and design, but also acknowledges the other elements of employability. “Placements, along with the right personality and a portfolio that demonstrates the ability to think conceptually as well as handle type and images competently, are the essential ingredients for any graduate CV.”

Butler, P. (2006) A Review of the Literature on Portfolios and Electronic Portfolios

Butler, P. (2006) A Review of the Literature on Portfolios and Electronic Portfolios [Online] Available at: https://eduforge.org/docman/view.php/ 176/1111/ePortfolio%20Project%20Research%20Report.pdf (accessed 23 July 2007)

2006 review of literature on e-portfolio research with some focus on art and design specific e-portfolio use. The most significant points emerging relate to the purpose and use of e-portfolios and from where these are driven. (Purposes: what an e-portfolio is designed for. Uses: What e-portfolios are actually used for.) Although there are several interpretations of the purposes of e-portfolios, they essentially range from, at one end of the scale, a process / learning portfolio to, at the other, representational / showcase.

Art and design specific analysis is based on a relatively small sample of literature but indicates a subject-oriented preconception that is also evident in other fields. For art and design this is that the portfolio is fundamentally a collection of visual work, often supported with reflective / explanatory information.” (Blaikie et al., 2004)

The review highlights benefits associated with electronic portfolios: skill development; evidence of learning; feedback; reflection; psychological benefits; assessment; artefacts; maintenance; portability and sharing. (p11)

Perry, M. & Medler, A. (2004) Marketing your Creativity: New Approaches for a Changing Industry, Lausanne: AVA Publishing

Perry, M. & Medler, A. (2004) Marketing your Creativity: New Approaches for a Changing Industry, Lausanne: AVA Publishing

The authors have written the book for graduates who are readying themselves for employment in the design sector. They talk about the changing face of employment in the sector describing, “client spending on marketing activity is undoubtedly down and permanent jobs in the industry have suffered, freelance is more buoyant.” (p38) The authors offer an alternative ethos for enhancement employment opportunities, suggesting interdisciplinary awareness and diversity of skill-base being key elements.

The book describes ways that graduates can market themselves for employment. Digital portfolios – CD or web based – are first on the agenda and assert a need for easy to access and readily compatible content the key. A number of other approaches are listed; digital direct mail, email, multimedia, but the portfolio is seen as a fundamental tool. “Turning your traditional portfolio into a digital portfolio opens up all kinds of doors or you.” (p54) And the authors re-state the need for individuality and asserting the “brand of you.”

Mendoza, H.R., Bernasconi, C. & MacDonald N.M. (2007) ‘Creating New Identities in Design Education’ International Journal of Art and Design Education, 26 (3), pp308-313

Mendoza, H.R., Bernasconi, C. & MacDonald N.M. (2007) ‘Creating New Identities in Design Education’ International Journal of Art and Design Education, 26 (3), pp308-313

Mendoza et al explore a community theory of shared knowledge in interdisciplinary design fields. The ideas are not dissimilar to Lave & Wenger’s legitimate peripheral participation in that the authors state that they “do not subscribe to the idea of restrictive fields of knowledge which thereby prevent access to others. We argue that a collective mapping of interrelated knowledge territories creates a stronger framework…”

“The ability to interrelate with others using the ap, to add and to edit it creates a powerful participatory learning tool.” There are also links with well-founded web 2.0 technologies such as wikis and weblogs in the underlying ethos expressed in the article. The authors go on to affirm the belief that restricting knowledge through boundaries is counterintuitive to its mercurial nature.

Aston, J. (1999) ‘Ambitions and Destinations: the Careers and Retrospective Views of Art and Design Graduates and Postgraduates’ Journal of Art and Design Education, 18 (2), pp231-240

Aston, J. (1999) ‘Ambitions and Destinations: the Careers and Retrospective Views of Art and Design Graduates and Postgraduates’ Journal of Art and Design Education, [online] 18 (2), pp231-240 Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=5&hid=108&sid=221003da-cfc0-4b78-9d80-6a4910217d08%40sessionmgr7 (accessed 11 October 2007)

The quantitative study uses data about graduate employment perspectives that is up to 16 years old but is indicative of progression routes over a significant period in the late 90s. It is likely that the figures have evolved. The assimilation of survey data provides a perspective of the employment landscape in art and design, suggesting that roughly a third of graduates become self-employed for at least some of the time after they graduate. There is lso an indication that one fifth of graduates do some voluntary work that «fulfilled a transitionary function» in the first three years following graduation. The article states that approximately 30% of 1st level graduates had been unemployed at some point during the year after they complete their course, but that drops to about 10% thereafter. 45% took further study.

Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991) Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991) Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

The authors describe the concept of legitimate peripheral participation as being central to their theory of Situated Learning. In broad terms, legitimate peripheral paticipation describes the way in which members of communities of practice are valued by their willingness to learn and contribute to the knowledge of a sociocultural community based on a predicated mastery of existing knowledge and skills.

There is a relationship with this theory and the recurrent capacity of Web 2.0 technologies as described by Downes (2007); Interaction: participation in a community of practice; Usability and Relevance. So there are significant parallels to the theme of ownership (user, organisational) of portfolios for learning and employment.

Booth, H. (2004) ‘Products of Placement’ Design Week, 18 Mar 2004, pp22-23

Booth, H. (2004) ‘Products of Placement’ Design Week, 18 Mar 2004, pp22-23

The author describes a portfolio as being a vital element in the arsenal of a graduate in their search for employment. The article describes exemplary processes from the student perspective to getting a job. Invariably this involves the development of a flexible and portable portfolio; “I wanted them to see I understood what makes a good idea.” The article also highlights the need for expression of individuality and personality in graduate portfolios, re-affirming the basis of design industries being selected themselves on their stylistic approaches.

Another student experiences also identifies peer assessment of a representational portfolio as having facilitated employment opportunities. However, the focus of the article does show that ‘reciprocal’ placement is perceived as playing a far more important role in seeking and gaining employment.

Ball, L. (2007) Electronic PDPs for Art, Design, Media and Communications. Workshop at HEA-ADM e-PDP conference, 21 May 2007, Sheffield Hallam University

Ball, L. (2007) Electronic PDPs for Art, Design, Media and Communications. Workshop at HEA-ADM e-PDP conference, 21 May 2007, Sheffield Hallam University

Workshop exploring the employer and professional perspectives towards the use of electronic PDPs for art, design, media and communications facilitated by Linda Ball. The session highlighted a number of key issues, including the crossovers between e-portfolios and PDP, essentially steering away from the constraints inherent with close-knit definition.

The data shared for the workshop provides a flavour of the feedback from employers in the fields of product design, film and media production, metalwork and jewellery, and multimedia and communication design. This information demonstrates the simliarties and divergences between recruitment processes in diverse vocational fields.