Student Help
Q: What do I need to start my ePortfolio?
Visit our build section to determine what ePortfolio option is right for you.
Q: I want to use my SFSU web space for my ePortfolio. Where do I start?
A: Go to "Getting Started" in our web-based tutorial. You will find a step-by-step tutorial, free web-editor to download, and sample templates to use in publishing your ePortfolio.
Q: What is appropriate content to put into my ePortfolio?
A: Your department or course may have specific requirements, and there are general guidelines in the getting started tutorial.
Examples of appropriate content include:
- Reflection(s) on what you have learned;
- A mission statement or philosophy relating to your area of expertise;
- Examples of your best work (in any digital medium);
- Proof of subject matter competency in your major;
- Internship or work experience, skills, and experience.
- Your resume.
Click here for help writing your resume
Take a look at some of the ePortfolios in our Gallery for further ideas:
Q: Who can see my ePortfolio?
Anything that you publish within your SFSU web space can be seen by the web-viewing world. If you are using eFolio you can set your site to private or hidden and protect your work from being seen to the outside world. Protect your privacy, and avoid publishing anything that may be self-incriminating or harmful to your professional reputation. Please review your site for usability, accuracy, spelling, and completeness. You may be asked to share your ePortfolio within individual courses, or as a requirement in your major.
- Protect your privacy - Convert to PDF for free
Q: I want to list my ePortfolio with search engines. How can I do this?
You can submit the URL of your website to specific search engines for free: Google, Yahoo, MSN and more, or you can pay fees to specific search engines, and directories. You can also link your personal blogs or other web site or web groups to your SFSU website but please use discretion.
Q: What happens to my ePortfolio after I graduate from SFSU?
Currently your ePortfolio website will be hosted for 6 months past graduation. Plans are underway to allow alumni association members to keep their ePortfolio sites indefinitely.
eFolios currently have no deactivation timeline.
Q: How can I "pack it up" to take it with me and re-launch it in another domain?
For users hosting their site on the SFSU server
We recommend that you take this step after graduation. Your entire website is stored on the SFSU server in a folder called "public_html". To download your site, connect to your remote site on the server, and then select the "public_html" folder, and download or "get" the entire folder/site.
- After you have successfully downloaded your entire site to your local computer, test it to be sure it is complete and has the exact same file/folder organization. Make sure it is properly formatted. Check if any of the image, URL or email links are broken. You should then burn these files to a CD as a backup. You can reuse/edit/load your site at a later date if you need to. The text or graphics might be useful to you even if you entirely redesign your website.
- Contact your web hosting service for specific instructions on uploading your ePortfolio files.
For users using eFolio
Users using eFolio will need to download a third-party program to backup their site. Windows users can download a program called WinHTTrack. Mac users can use a program called DeepVacuum. Users using DeepVacuum however will need to have ASP installed on the server they will be using as their backup, so contact your web hosting service to ensure this enabled.
Window Users
- Open WinHTTrack. Click Next to begin the setup process of backing up your eFolio.
- Insert in a Project Name and Project Category.
- Make a New Folder on your desktop to save your project and select “Base Path” to that folder inside WinHTTrack.
- “Action” should be set to “Download web site(s)”
- Click “Add URL” and insert your eFolio address. (i.e. http://yourname.sfsuls.efolioworld.com)
- Click “Next”
- Click “Finish”
The program will now backup your site; this may take a few minutes. Once completed, open up the folder you made on your desktop and you should see a folder inside with the name you set as Project Name. Inside that you will see an index file. You can now browse your site through that file. The rest of the files of your site will also be in that folder, most likely within a folder named after your URL (yourname.sfsu...). When you find a place you would like to upload your eFolio too, you will just need to upload the contents that are within the folder named after your URL.
Mac users
- Open DeepVacuum
- Make sure the "Direct URL(http, ftp)" option is selected
- In the URL field insert your URL (i.e. http://yourname.sfsuls.efolioworld.com)
- In "Download Folder" select "Choose New Path" and save it in a new folder on your desktop
- Click "Whole Site" in the "Presets" window
- Click "Start Downloading"
The program will now backup your site; this may take a few minutes. Once completed, open up the folder you made on your desktop and you should see a folder inside with the name of your URL. Inside that you will see an index file. You can now browse your site through that file. When you find a place you would like to upload your eFolio too, you will just need to upload the contents that are within the folder named after your URL. This process will not work if ASP is not installed on your web hosting server. Please contact your web hosting company to ensure this feature is enabled.
