On Feb. 12 and 19, World Languages and Digital Humanities Studio graduate assistants Larissa Rocha, Chy'Na Nellon and Michael Hall, and Studio FLTA Alena Shestopalova led a series of ePortfolio workshops with Elementary Italian undergraduate students, overseen by Italian Section Head Ryan Calabretta-Sajder and Assistant Director Cheyenne Roy. 

The Italian program has recently replaced final exams with ePortfolios, where students build a website over the course of their studies (up to four semesters), reflecting on various assignments while gaining critical digital abilities that will have an impact far beyond language-learning. Thus, ePortfolios comprise high-impact practices (HIPs), allowing students to track their work over time and to share it with a diverse audience of instructors, advisers and potential employers—as well as friends and family. 

In the workshop series, graduate assistants talked to Italian students about the importance of ePortfolios and led hands-on workshops, during which students began to create their own ePortfolios according to departmental guidelines. 

If you would like to learn more about ePortfolios and some guidelines for building your own (as a student or teacher), the studio will host its kickoff DH Meet-Up centered on ePortfolios from 12:30-1:45 p.m. on Thursday, on Feb. 29, at JBHT 207. The Meet-Up will feature professor Ryan Calabretta-Sajder (Italian) and Raquel Castro Salas (Spanish). Lunch will be provided!