Final Project Portfolio

Fall 2024

Portfolio – Page 1

ACA 122 College Success Portfolio Assignment Definition Your Portfolio for ACA 122 is both a collection of your work and experiences from this class, as well as a launching point for moving forward. Portfolios are common documents in education, arts, design, and job search. Portfolios are comprised of students’ work and students’ reflections on their work.

Purpose The purpose of this portfolio assignment is to collect, reflect on, and present information that will help you make informed decisions about your academic and career goals. The portfolio documents and builds on your progress through the process of goal discernment: self-assessment, goal exploration, and goal setting. Some elements may require new research, while other elements may simply require reflection on the research you have already completed.

Learning Outcomes This assignment supports the following course learning outcomes:

• Students will develop a strategic plan for completing community college academic goals, including certificates, diplomas, and/or associate degrees.

• Students will develop a strategic plan for transferring to a university and preparing for a new career.

Grading This portfolio represents a significant part (25%) of your final grade in this class; therefore, this is an assignment that deserves significant attention from you. Do not wait too late to begin this assignment because you will need more than a few days to create a good portfolio! See the grading rubric on the last page for a specific listing of the points you can earn for this assignment. The required elements are explained in more detail in the pages that follow.

Formatting Guidelines

• Each entry should be typed in a 12-point font. • Double-space all your text and use titles and headings to separate and identify each entry. • Include a cover sheet that at the least, has your name, your instructor’s name, the course name, the

date, and the assignment name on it. (You may choose to add images and/or color if you like!) • Do not include in your final portfolio any drafts of previous assignments. All items included in the

portfolio should be new additions to work you have already done. The one exception is your completion of the Academic Timeline (HW5).

On Campus and Online Portfolio Resources

o For help with spelling, grammar, and general writing skills, you can take drafts of your portfolio to the CAE (Center for Academic Excellence). http://www.durhamtech.edu/cae

o The ACA LibGuide contains links to dozens of useful websites. http://durhamtech.libguides.com/ACA122 o Durham Tech’s Transfer Center in Phillips 3-126 and online has many valuable resources, including links to

college and university websites, and university catalogs and bilateral agreements. http://www.durhamtech.edu/transfer/index.htm

Fall 2024

Portfolio – Page 2

Portfolio Assignment Elements

1. A minimum ½ page Reflection about your academic and career choices. Think back on the reflection, self-assessments, and inventories we have completed (HW3 and HW4), as well as what you have learned about different Durham Tech credentials and transfer opportunities, and the career and program research you did (HW4 and HW5). With your new knowledge gained, how are you feeling about your choice of program and career that you wrote about in the original Lifeline Essay assignment? Has anything changed for you, and if so, why? In your narrative, consider addressing some of the following prompts:

• Based on your new knowledge of the types of credentials offered at Durham Tech, and the many different program options available at Durham Tech, are you still planning to pursue the same program you entered under, or have you chosen a new program path?

• After completing the Academic Timeline (HW5), did you discover anything unexpected or surprising about your program (for example, classes you did not expect you would have to take, or that your program requires more credit hours than you anticipated)? Have your findings caused you to think of additional questions?

• Based on your career exploration/research in the Occupational Outlook Handbook and Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center (HW4), has anything changed regarding your career focus/direction?

• Did you find out anything new that you did not already know about the career(s) you researched, and as a result, are there additional career avenues that you are now interested in? (If so, share what those additional career avenues are.)

• What will you do to continue learning more about your career of interest?

2. A minimum ½ page Company Profile or College/University Profile summarizing research about either a company you hope to one day work for, or a university you hope to one day transfer to. Do some research to find out more about either a company/organization where you hope to become employed, or, about a college/university that you hope to transfer to after you leave Durham Tech. Regardless of whether you choose to do a Company Profile, or a University Profile, your completed document should be at least half of a page, typed and double-spaced. Depending on which option you choose, consider addressing some of the following bullet points in your narrative: If choosing the Company Profile option: • General overview of the company or

organization – what kind of business is it, and what services do they provide?

• Who do they serve? What are the primary audiences that benefit from the work that they do? (for example, does their work benefit… Other businesses? Patients? Students? Community members? Research organizations?)

• Do they have a mission statement, or a statement of core values? If so, what is it? Does it resonate with your own core values?

• How large is the company/organization? Are there different branches, or locations? If so, which branch or location are you most interested in being a part of?

• What is the work environment/workplace setting for this particular company or organization?

If choosing the College/University Profile option: • General overview of the college/university – is

there a unique history or do they have a particular focus or specialization?

• Admissions criteria – What does a prospective transfer student to this institution need to have? (Average GPA of admitted students? Certain courses? Certain experiences?)

• What is/are the admissions deadline(s)? • How big is the student body/how many students

attend there? How large are classes, on average?

• How big is the campus, and where it is located? • What is the average cost of tuition? • Are there special scholarships or programs for

transfer students? • What challenges might a transfer student face

at that institution?

Fall 2024

Portfolio – Page 3

3. Your completed Academic Timeline from Self-Service, updated as needed based on your instructor’s comments from grading. If you completed the Academic Timeline assignment, you have already done this Portfolio element! However, depending on your instructor’s feedback on your graded Academic Timeline, you may need to modify some aspects of your Timeline. Make any necessary modifications before submitting your Portfolio. If you never completed the Academic Timeline assignment, refer to the condensed steps below to complete this element: • Part 1: Review the “Plan of Study” or “Course Selection Guide” for your program, and for each course

listed, decide which future semester you will plan to complete it. • Part 2: Add each required course from your “Plan of Study” to a future semester in your “Timeline” in

Self-Service. • Part 3: Be sure that your Timeline accurately reflects ALL remaining courses that you need to complete

your program at Durham Tech.

If you have not updated your Academic Timeline incorporating any feedback from your graded assignment, you may not receive full credit for this component in your Portfolio!

4. Two Separate one-paragraph SMART Goals This element of the Portfolio builds on our work in class around SMART Goals, Grit, and Mindset. • Your SMART Academic Goal Statement: Type at least one paragraph that specifically addresses your

academic goals, including the credential you are currently working toward, and any future credential(s) you plan to earn (even after leaving Durham Tech, if applicable), as well as when you intend to complete each one. Include the specific plan (strategies) that you will use to execute your academic goals, as well as your timeline for making it happen. Also address any potential obstacles or distractions that you may encounter along the way, and how you might push through them. Be sure that your finished goal statement is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

• Your SMART Professional Goal Statement: Type at least one paragraph that specifically addresses your professional goals, including any potential employers, future advancements, or career changes, as well as the tentative timeline for when you intend to have achieved the goal(s). Include the specific plan (strategies) that you will use to execute your career goals, as well as your timeline for making it happen. Also address any potential obstacles or distractions that you may encounter along the way, and how you might push through them. Be sure that your finished goal statement is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

5. Enter your SMART long-term academic and SMART long-term professional goals in the “Notes”

section of Self-Service. Log into Self-Service, go to Student Planning → Plan & Schedule → Advising, and enter your academic and professional SMART goals under “Compose a Note.” When you are done, click “Save Note”. NOTE: It is best to type your goals into Self-Service rather than copying the text into Self-Service. Self-Service does not accept special characters copied from Word, like apostrophes. For example, if you type “I plan to get my Associate’s degree”, the apostrophe in “Associate’s” will cause an error, so it would need to be retyped within Self-Service. The error may look like the screenshot to the right:

Fall 2024

Portfolio – Page 4

6. A minimum one-paragraph “Problem-Solution Paper” Update As a continuation of HW3 (Problem-Solution Paper), this update should be at least one full paragraph, and should address the following:

• Which of your three possible “solutions” you tried • An update as to how well your chosen ‘solution’ is working • How you will either adapt the solution to work better in the future, OR, which different solution you

will try, as you continue to fix your “problem” in the future.

7. A minimum ½ page Reflection on your overall experience in ACA 122. This final reflection should be written as a narrative, not simply a bulleted list. Use the questions on the following page to guide your reflection. You do not have to address all of the questions in your reflection, but focus on the questions that you can most meaningfully address. A good rule to consider as you draft your reflection is “What, So What, Now What?” First, what did you learn; secondly why is it important, and third, what does it mean for you now that you know it – what will you do with that knowledge? Questions to consider for the Reflection element of the Portfolio: • How has your approach to college and being a student changed during this class? In what ways have

your attitudes about learning, studying, time management, wellness, and/or finances changed? • What has been your one biggest, most significant “take-away” from ACA 122 this semester? Why was

that one thing so particularly meaningful for you, and how did you (or will you) apply it in your life? • What did you learn about yourself in ACA 122? • Did taking this class confirm any decisions you had previously made about your academic or career

goals? In what ways? • Did taking this class change any decisions you had previously made about your academic or career

goals? In what ways? • Which campus resource that you learned about this semester has been the most valuable for you? • Which campus resource that you learned about this semester do you plan to utilize in the future? • What would you do differently if you had a fresh start to the semester, knowing now what you perhaps

did not know when the semester first began? How will you apply that knowledge to make next semester different?

Fall 2024

Portfolio – Page 5

ACA 122 College Success Portfolio Assignment Grading Rubric

Be sure that your Portfolio is neat and organized! All entries should be typed and double-spaced. No components should be hand-written! Be sure also that you have included a Cover Page. Your Cover Page can be designed however you wish, and you may include images or other additions, but it must at least include the following components: • your name and the date • the instructor’s name

• the course name (ACA 122) • the assignment name (Portfolio)

Be sure that you have referenced and followed the Formatting Guidelines listed on Page 1 of this assignment packet!

Required Element Points Possible

Points Earned

Part 1: Self-Assessment 1. A Reflection that re-examines your academic and career direction. Must be at least ½

page, and address several of the provided prompts. 15

Part 2: Goal Exploration 2. A Company Profile or University Profile (at least ½ page). If choosing the Company Profile

option, your profile clearly highlights important information about an actual company or organization that you might want to find employment with after graduation. If choosing the University Profile option, your profile clearly highlights important information about an actual college or university that you might want to attend for university transfer.

15

3. An updated Academic Timeline in Self-Service, complete with all the courses required for your specific credential. (If necessary, be sure that you update your Timeline incorporating any feedback from the instructor on your graded HW5.)

10

Part 3: Goal Setting 4. Two separate one-paragraph SMART goal statements. One paragraph addresses your

long-term academic goals and one paragraph addresses your long-term professional/career goals.

20

5. Your SMART academic goal and your SMART professional goal are entered into the “Notes” section of Self-Service. 5

Part 4: Reflection and Final Product 6. A one-paragraph (at least) Problem-Solution Update. As a continuation of HW3

(Problem-Solution Paper), this update should be at least one full paragraph, and should address what solution you tried, how well it is working or not working, and how you will either adapt the solution or try a different solution to continue to fix your “problem” in the future.

10

7. A ½ page (at least) Reflection on your experience in ACA 122. The reflection demonstrates your understanding of what you learned this semester and how you will apply it toward your academic and career goals.

15

8. The portfolio is typed, stapled together, organized, neat, and properly formatted. It does not contain distracting spelling and/or grammar errors, and it uses academically appropriate language. It has a cover page.

10

Total 100

Fall 2024

Portfolio – Page 1

ACA 122 College Success Portfolio Assignment Definition Your Portfolio for ACA 122 is both a collection of your work and experiences from this class, as well as a launching point for moving forward. Portfolios are common documents in education, arts, design, and job search. Portfolios are comprised of students’ work and students’ reflections on their work.

Purpose The purpose of this portfolio assignment is to collect, reflect on, and present information that will help you make informed decisions about your academic and career goals. The portfolio documents and builds on your progress through the process of goal discernment: self-assessment, goal exploration, and goal setting. Some elements may require new research, while other elements may simply require reflection on the research you have already completed.

Learning Outcomes This assignment supports the following course learning outcomes:

• Students will develop a strategic plan for completing community college academic goals, including certificates, diplomas, and/or associate degrees.

• Students will develop a strategic plan for transferring to a university and preparing for a new career.

Grading This portfolio represents a significant part (25%) of your final grade in this class; therefore, this is an assignment that deserves significant attention from you. Do not wait too late to begin this assignment because you will need more than a few days to create a good portfolio! See the grading rubric on the last page for a specific listing of the points you can earn for this assignment. The required elements are explained in more detail in the pages that follow.

Formatting Guidelines

• Each entry should be typed in a 12-point font. • Double-space all your text and use titles and headings to separate and identify each entry. • Include a cover sheet that at the least, has your name, your instructor’s name, the course name, the

date, and the assignment name on it. (You may choose to add images and/or color if you like!) • Do not include in your final portfolio any drafts of previous assignments. All items included in the

portfolio should be new additions to work you have already done. The one exception is your completion of the Academic Timeline (HW5).

On Campus and Online Portfolio Resources

o For help with spelling, grammar, and general writing skills, you can take drafts of your portfolio to the CAE (Center for Academic Excellence). http://www.durhamtech.edu/cae

o The ACA LibGuide contains links to dozens of useful websites. http://durhamtech.libguides.com/ACA122 o Durham Tech’s Transfer Center in Phillips 3-126 and online has many valuable resources, including links to

college and university websites, and university catalogs and bilateral agreements. http://www.durhamtech.edu/transfer/index.htm

Fall 2024

Portfolio – Page 2

Portfolio Assignment Elements

1. A minimum ½ page Reflection about your academic and career choices. Think back on the reflection, self-assessments, and inventories we have completed (HW3 and HW4), as well as what you have learned about different Durham Tech credentials and transfer opportunities, and the career and program research you did (HW4 and HW5). With your new knowledge gained, how are you feeling about your choice of program and career that you wrote about in the original Lifeline Essay assignment? Has anything changed for you, and if so, why? In your narrative, consider addressing some of the following prompts:

• Based on your new knowledge of the types of credentials offered at Durham Tech, and the many different program options available at Durham Tech, are you still planning to pursue the same program you entered under, or have you chosen a new program path?

• After completing the Academic Timeline (HW5), did you discover anything unexpected or surprising about your program (for example, classes you did not expect you would have to take, or that your program requires more credit hours than you anticipated)? Have your findings caused you to think of additional questions?

• Based on your career exploration/research in the Occupational Outlook Handbook and Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center (HW4), has anything changed regarding your career focus/direction?

• Did you find out anything new that you did not already know about the career(s) you researched, and as a result, are there additional career avenues that you are now interested in? (If so, share what those additional career avenues are.)

• What will you do to continue learning more about your career of interest?

2. A minimum ½ page Company Profile or College/University Profile summarizing research about either a company you hope to one day work for, or a university you hope to one day transfer to. Do some research to find out more about either a company/organization where you hope to become employed, or, about a college/university that you hope to transfer to after you leave Durham Tech. Regardless of whether you choose to do a Company Profile, or a University Profile, your completed document should be at least half of a page, typed and double-spaced. Depending on which option you choose, consider addressing some of the following bullet points in your narrative: If choosing the Company Profile option: • General overview of the company or

organization – what kind of business is it, and what services do they provide?

• Who do they serve? What are the primary audiences that benefit from the work that they do? (for example, does their work benefit… Other businesses? Patients? Students? Community members? Research organizations?)

• Do they have a mission statement, or a statement of core values? If so, what is it? Does it resonate with your own core values?

• How large is the company/organization? Are there different branches, or locations? If so, which branch or location are you most interested in being a part of?

• What is the work environment/workplace setting for this particular company or organization?

If choosing the College/University Profile option: • General overview of the college/university – is

there a unique history or do they have a particular focus or specialization?

• Admissions criteria – What does a prospective transfer student to this institution need to have? (Average GPA of admitted students? Certain courses? Certain experiences?)

• What is/are the admissions deadline(s)? • How big is the student body/how many students

attend there? How large are classes, on average?

• How big is the campus, and where it is located? • What is the average cost of tuition? • Are there special scholarships or programs for

transfer students? • What challenges might a transfer student face

at that institution?

Fall 2024

Portfolio – Page 3

3. Your completed Academic Timeline from Self-Service, updated as needed based on your instructor’s comments from grading. If you completed the Academic Timeline assignment, you have already done this Portfolio element! However, depending on your instructor’s feedback on your graded Academic Timeline, you may need to modify some aspects of your Timeline. Make any necessary modifications before submitting your Portfolio. If you never completed the Academic Timeline assignment, refer to the condensed steps below to complete this element: • Part 1: Review the “Plan of Study” or “Course Selection Guide” for your program, and for each course

listed, decide which future semester you will plan to complete it. • Part 2: Add each required course from your “Plan of Study” to a future semester in your “Timeline” in

Self-Service. • Part 3: Be sure that your Timeline accurately reflects ALL remaining courses that you need to complete

your program at Durham Tech.

If you have not updated your Academic Timeline incorporating any feedback from your graded assignment, you may not receive full credit for this component in your Portfolio!

4. Two Separate one-paragraph SMART Goals This element of the Portfolio builds on our work in class around SMART Goals, Grit, and Mindset. • Your SMART Academic Goal Statement: Type at least one paragraph that specifically addresses your

academic goals, including the credential you are currently working toward, and any future credential(s) you plan to earn (even after leaving Durham Tech, if applicable), as well as when you intend to complete each one. Include the specific plan (strategies) that you will use to execute your academic goals, as well as your timeline for making it happen. Also address any potential obstacles or distractions that you may encounter along the way, and how you might push through them. Be sure that your finished goal statement is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

• Your SMART Professional Goal Statement: Type at least one paragraph that specifically addresses your professional goals, including any potential employers, future advancements, or career changes, as well as the tentative timeline for when you intend to have achieved the goal(s). Include the specific plan (strategies) that you will use to execute your career goals, as well as your timeline for making it happen. Also address any potential obstacles or distractions that you may encounter along the way, and how you might push through them. Be sure that your finished goal statement is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

5. Enter your SMART long-term academic and SMART long-term professional goals in the “Notes”

section of Self-Service. Log into Self-Service, go to Student Planning → Plan & Schedule → Advising, and enter your academic and professional SMART goals under “Compose a Note.” When you are done, click “Save Note”. NOTE: It is best to type your goals into Self-Service rather than copying the text into Self-Service. Self-Service does not accept special characters copied from Word, like apostrophes. For example, if you type “I plan to get my Associate’s degree”, the apostrophe in “Associate’s” will cause an error, so it would need to be retyped within Self-Service. The error may look like the screenshot to the right:

Fall 2024

Portfolio – Page 4

6. A minimum one-paragraph “Problem-Solution Paper” Update As a continuation of HW3 (Problem-Solution Paper), this update should be at least one full paragraph, and should address the following:

• Which of your three possible “solutions” you tried • An update as to how well your chosen ‘solution’ is working • How you will either adapt the solution to work better in the future, OR, which different solution you

will try, as you continue to fix your “problem” in the future.

7. A minimum ½ page Reflection on your overall experience in ACA 122. This final reflection should be written as a narrative, not simply a bulleted list. Use the questions on the following page to guide your reflection. You do not have to address all of the questions in your reflection, but focus on the questions that you can most meaningfully address. A good rule to consider as you draft your reflection is “What, So What, Now What?” First, what did you learn; secondly why is it important, and third, what does it mean for you now that you know it – what will you do with that knowledge? Questions to consider for the Reflection element of the Portfolio: • How has your approach to college and being a student changed during this class? In what ways have

your attitudes about learning, studying, time management, wellness, and/or finances changed? • What has been your one biggest, most significant “take-away” from ACA 122 this semester? Why was

that one thing so particularly meaningful for you, and how did you (or will you) apply it in your life? • What did you learn about yourself in ACA 122? • Did taking this class confirm any decisions you had previously made about your academic or career

goals? In what ways? • Did taking this class change any decisions you had previously made about your academic or career

goals? In what ways? • Which campus resource that you learned about this semester has been the most valuable for you? • Which campus resource that you learned about this semester do you plan to utilize in the future? • What would you do differently if you had a fresh start to the semester, knowing now what you perhaps

did not know when the semester first began? How will you apply that knowledge to make next semester different?

Fall 2024

Portfolio – Page 5

ACA 122 College Success Portfolio Assignment Grading Rubric

Be sure that your Portfolio is neat and organized! All entries should be typed and double-spaced. No components should be hand-written! Be sure also that you have included a Cover Page. Your Cover Page can be designed however you wish, and you may include images or other additions, but it must at least include the following components: • your name and the date • the instructor’s name

• the course name (ACA 122) • the assignment name (Portfolio)

Be sure that you have referenced and followed the Formatting Guidelines listed on Page 1 of this assignment packet!

Required Element Points Possible

Points Earned

Part 1: Self-Assessment 1. A Reflection that re-examines your academic and career direction. Must be at least ½

page, and address several of the provided prompts. 15

Part 2: Goal Exploration 2. A Company Profile or University Profile (at least ½ page). If choosing the Company Profile

option, your profile clearly highlights important information about an actual company or organization that you might want to find employment with after graduation. If choosing the University Profile option, your profile clearly highlights important information about an actual college or university that you might want to attend for university transfer.

15

3. An updated Academic Timeline in Self-Service, complete with all the courses required for your specific credential. (If necessary, be sure that you update your Timeline incorporating any feedback from the instructor on your graded HW5.)

10

Part 3: Goal Setting 4. Two separate one-paragraph SMART goal statements. One paragraph addresses your

long-term academic goals and one paragraph addresses your long-term professional/career goals.

20

5. Your SMART academic goal and your SMART professional goal are entered into the “Notes” section of Self-Service. 5

Part 4: Reflection and Final Product 6. A one-paragraph (at least) Problem-Solution Update. As a continuation of HW3

(Problem-Solution Paper), this update should be at least one full paragraph, and should address what solution you tried, how well it is working or not working, and how you will either adapt the solution or try a different solution to continue to fix your “problem” in the future.

10

7. A ½ page (at least) Reflection on your experience in ACA 122. The reflection demonstrates your understanding of what you learned this semester and how you will apply it toward your academic and career goals.

15

8. The portfolio is typed, stapled together, organized, neat, and properly formatted. It does not contain distracting spelling and/or grammar errors, and it uses academically appropriate language. It has a cover page.

10

Total 100