Electronic Portfolio Options
Electronic Portfolio Options
Explore Virginia Tech’s options for electronic portfolio management:
| Tool | Overview | Best For | Limitations | Get Started |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Express | A cloud-based design platform that allows users to create webpages. It uses a modular, scroll-style layout to showcase media and text. (Formerly known as Adobe Spark.) | Visual Storytelling: Ideal for creative disciplines, quick “about me” pages, and users who want high-end design with zero coding. | Linear Structure: Sites are typically single-page scrollers, making complex multi-page navigation difficult. Not a “true” website builder. | Faculty/Staff: https://acrs.adobe.com/go/fd102766-492b-48b7-bda5-605f9d3c12a1 Students: https://acrs.adobe.com/go/4c18f5f4-9b60-4b59-846a-02fe9acebb6 |
| VT Blogs | A university-hosted WordPress environment. It provides a standard blogging structure with themes and plugins curated by TLOS. | Reflective Practice: Best for academic blogging, course-based reflections, and students who want a familiar, structured interface. | Standardization: While easy to use, it offers less “under-the-hood” customization than VT Domains and is tied strictly to VT authentication. |
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| VT Domains | A “Domain of One’s Own” initiative providing a personal web hosting account (cPanel) where users can install WordPress, Omeka, or code from scratch. | Digital Ownership: Best for students wanting to master web literacy and keep their data. Users control the name, design, and backend of their website. | Technical Curve: Requires a higher level of “web-savviness” to manage security, updates, and site configuration. | vt.domains |
| Pressbooks | A web-based book publishing tool based on WordPress, designed specifically for creating open educational resources and structured documents. | Long-form Narrative: Excellent for capstone projects, digital “books,” or portfolios that require a table of contents and formal chapters. | Rigid Format: Optimized for “books,” so it may feel too structured for a traditional creative resume or a casual gallery. | https://lib.vt.edu/create-share/pressbooks.html |
| Google Sites | A simple drag-and-drop website builder integrated with Google Workspace. It allows for easy embedding of Google Drive files (Docs, Slides, etc.). | Ease of Use: Best for quick organization of existing Google Drive artifacts and collaborative group portfolios. | Storage & Portability: Google storage quotas may be limiting for large portfolios. Moving a site to a personal account can be cumbersome. | Navigate to drive.google.com, sign into your VT account > Google app menu (9-dot grid icon) > Sites |
| Overleaf | A collaborative online LaTeX editor. While primarily for document prep, it can be used to host a “living” technical CV or project repository. | STEM & Technical Portfolios: Best for students in engineering or math who need to showcase typesetting, formulas, and code. | Not a Website: It produces PDF files or project links rather than a navigable website. Has a steep learning curve for non-LaTeX users. | https://www.overleaf.com/edu/vtech |