A student academic sharing software called cuPortfolio, currently being implemented as a pilot project at Carleton, drew a mixed reaction from students and faculty who have used it.
The software, which allows students to post a portfolio of their academic work online, was used in a 2014 fall semester first-year journalism course.
Several students taking the course said they had a poor experience with cuPortfolio.
“I think the software is adequately designed,” said Michael Barry, a first-year journalism student. “However, I do not believe it’s exceptional. I think it could benefit from simplifying its interface and uploading process.”
Ilse Mendoza, a first-year journalism student, said she took extra time out of class to learn the software but still had trouble using it. She also said most other students in her class did not enjoy using the software.
Sarah Newman, another first-year journalism student, said the software “wasn’t as difficult to learn as it was just frustrating to use.”
According to Allie Davidson, the analyst for cuPortfolio at Carleton’s Educational Development Centre (EDC), about 20 classes have used the new software as of now.
Davidson said “with any new technology, especially with a pilot, there’s going to be bumps along the road” but said the EDC was pleasantly surprised with how well the pilot project has gone so far.
The program also allows students to share their work with others and customize the content and look of their portfolio.
Unlike cuLearn, cuPortfolio lets students directly connect with other students and faculty, and also provide feedback for other students’ work.
While experiencing few technical bugs, cuPortfolio had notably crashed in the hours before a first-year journalism assignment was due, leaving some students stressed, said Kanina Holmes, the instructor for the class.
Holmes said the problem was fixed within hours and cuPortfolio was generally a good program.
“For the students who didn’t have websites previously, cuPortfolio would offer plenty of great options and was a really good entry point,” she said.
Davidson said with most new software technology, there is a learning curve with understanding how to use it.
“I would say students reached the most success with cuPortfolio when they give themselves time to go through the learning curve with the new technology,” she said.
Newman said while cuPortfolio was advertised as an attractive platform to showcase work to potential employers, it is far from it.
“Compared to a personal website, cuPortfolio looks unprofessional and clunky. It really can’t compete,” she said.
Davidson called the software a “reflective and active student learning tool” but acknowledged there was still work to be done on the pilot project.
She said the EDC will continue consulting with instructors and students while overhauling its support site.
