A single online portfolio

Original non-fiction-style practice text.

The college proposes an online portfolio for every practical subject. Students would photograph work, upload planning notes and collect feedback in one account. Teachers like the prospect of seeing a project develop without carrying stacks of folders. The college also hopes that a shared system will help students explain their progress when applying for further courses. An art tutor has already used a small trial successfully with one class.

The consultation revealed differences which that class had not tested. Some students share a home computer with siblings and cannot upload whenever they wish. Others rely on phones whose photographs do not show small construction details clearly. A model photographed from one angle can conceal weak joints or an important feature behind it. For textiles, the weight and feel of a material do not transfer into an image at all. Teachers would still need to examine original work, so the digital record might duplicate rather than replace part of their workload.

Students asked who would organise years of files after folders and naming habits diverged. Several subjects currently use different terms for the same project stage. A storage limit could force students to reduce image quality or remove earlier attempts, precisely the evidence of development which the system is meant to keep. The trial tutor had spent extra time showing the class how to upload and annotate; that teaching time was not included in the proposal for college-wide adoption.

There were further concerns about access after leaving. The current account arrangement would end with enrolment, although graduates might need the portfolio later. Projects containing contributions from several people would also require agreement before being displayed outside the class. During a service interruption, students could be unable to present work for a tutorial even when the finished object stood beside them. The college has therefore extended its trial instead of setting a date to remove paper. The tutor remains enthusiastic about the system, but would rather discover its limits while another route is still available.

According to the text, what are the concerns about replacing all paper project folders with one online portfolio?

Use continuous writing, not note form, and use your own words as far as possible. Your summary should not be more than 120 words. Up to 10 marks are available for reading and up to 5 marks for writing.