Portfolios   The term portfolio has somewhat different meanings within the specific areas of the Communication Arts major. Students opting in the different specializations of Mass Communication option (Broadcast Media, Corporate Communication, information Specialist, Internet Technology, Media Technologies, and Print and Web Journalism) and the option of Public Relations must display different skills sets, abilities, and demonstrate somewhat unique experiences through their portfolios. Students should take careful note of the concept of portfolio, since other than a resume, a portfolio is the single greatest element used to demonstrate creative acts during an internship or employment interview. Sometimes interviewers even ask for a copy of a student's portfolio prior to the interview.     What Goes Into a Portfolio? How Are The Actual Materials Selected? How is a Portfolio Built? What is an Appropriate Length for a Portfolio?

	What Goes In a Portfolio?   A portfolio is defined as "the contents of a portfolio, especially as representing somebody's creative work" (Microsoft Office X, Word, Dictionary, 2004). Your portfolio offers you the opportunity to collect samples of your creative works for later display during the internship and employment interview process. Students are well advised to begin collecting these "creative works" as soon as they begin producing any worthwhile product be it any of the following items.     any videotape, CD-ROM, or DVD production in which a student has any role including both music and audio/video performances and computer enhanced work radio, TV, and cable commercial copywriting or productions radio, TV, and cable promotional announcements or public service announcements copy or productions samples of radio, TV, and cable (broadcast) news stories, particularly those used on cable channel 99 or WAPX radio examples of newspaper and magazine news stories, particularly stories printed in the APSU All State newspaper publications produced at APSU displaying a student's work as copy editor, graphic design, layout and planning, content writing, photography and more news releases written for radio, TV, cable, newspaper, magazines, or the WWW materials from a press kit prepared for a press conference brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, booklets, flyers, and posters created through desktop publishing software (likely QuarkXPress) summaries and portions of special events and advertising and PR campaigns saving materials that were part of these efforts as well as letters praising the work done in these activities printed images or CD-ROMs containing web sites designed, produced, and published focusing on written content and well as the design elements logos and other images designed by a student and displayed in a .gif, .png, or .jpg format a listing and description of actual web sites designed and published by a student

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	How is a Portfolio Built?   A portfolio usually consists of a special notebook with a clear cover sleeve. This clear cover sleeve enables the student to put an 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper in the sleeve identifying the portfolio with the student's name, address, telephone number, and email address for contact. Sometimes a photograph of the student appears on this page in the front sleeve, but most experts agree that there is no reason for a photograph. In fact, some say that it provides advance and unnecessary information about the individual student which could even lead to lack of consideration for the internship or employment position. Inside the notebook (portfolio) are clear plastic folders (8 1/2 by 11 inch) so the student can slide written work, pictures, designs, and other materials for easy categorizing and display for potential interviewers. Clear sleeves especially manufactured to hold videotapes and CD-ROMs and DVDs are also available at most book and office supply stores (Office Depot, Staples). This allows the student to include within the notebook-portfolio his or her audio and video productions. All items within the notebook-portfolio should be organized into meaningful groups of materials by similarity. For example, news releases, commercial copy, special events, video productions, audio productions, web sites, logo designs, newspaper display ads, WWW banner ads, etc. The very front of a portfolio usually contains a copy of the student's resume, professional references, and a table of contents for the other materials contained in the notebook-portfolio. Some portfolio-notebooks even contain copies of the student's letter of recommendation. These letters of reference are usually limited to professional references.

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	How are the Actual Materials Selected?   Students should save samples of their work as soon as they begin taking the courses where specific creative examples of their work can be collected. For example, a student enrolled in COMM 2400, Writing for the Electronic Media (3), will write public service announcements, promotional announcements, commercial copy, and Internet copy. All of these sample should be saved. As the student progresses, writing news stories for radio, TV, cable, and newspapers, more advanced copies can be saved. Commercial copy and news releases composed in COMM 3910, Media Relations, can replace the earlier commercial copy and news releases, if in fact it is of higher quality.   It is a student responsibility to maintain a library of samples of their work throughout their collegiate career in the Communication Arts major all of which can be included in their portfolio-notebooks. On campus Practicums and off campus internships provide students with even more opportunities to collect samples of their creative works that can be included in their portfolio-notebooks. Works completed as part of Communication classes (video and audio productions, DVDs, campaigns, special events, brochures, etc.) also provide excellent resources for inclusion in students portfolio-notebooks. When you are nearing the time for an internship or graduation, ask your advisor or other professors in the department to review your portfolio-notebook. If you are ready to seek employment, in addition to professors in the Communication and Theatre Department, ask your site supervisor from previous practicums and internships for their assessment of your portfolio-notebook.

	What is an Appropriate length for a Portfolio?   A portfolio usually contains no more than 35 diverse samples of your creative work, and that is assuming that all of the samples included are of the same, top notch quality. Generally, as students progress in the development of their skills, they remove the samples of their early creative work replacing them with the most recent, high quality examples. When displaying your creative works in a notebook-portfolio do not use overkill. Too much of a good thing detracts from the overall feel of quality within the portfolio. Be certain you have spell-checked and proof-read your news, commercial, promotional, and public service copy. Spelling and other errors are simply inexcusable at the portfolio point in time. Such errors will likely cost you an internship or the job. Ask communication competent individuals for their opinions of your work, but do not extend the privilege of review to people who lack experience and expertise in the communication industries. It's a mistake to share you work with others who do not have the skills and knowledge to appreciate it. Such unknowing people can either intentionally or unintentionally hurt your feelings with needless and inappropriate criticism of your work. When you ask experts, be prepared for their criticism. Even professionals working in the same field disagree on what is quality work. For example, some video producers like shots from multiple camera angles with plenty of zoom-ins, while others believe too many angles and zooms are distracting to the viewer and take away from the real message of the production.

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