Syllabus & Calendar
Course Title: Job Search using E-Portfolios
Instructor Contact Information
Instructor: John Vigna
Contact via email only using Moodle Quickmail.
Technical Support
Online Development Team, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo
Email: online@viu.ca
Telephone: 250-753-3245 x2667 (Mary Ross) or x2536 (Brent Lee)
Administrative Support
Julie Clarke, Vancouver Island University, Powell River
Email: clarkej@viu.ca
Telephone (toll-free) 877-888-8890 or 604-485-8032
Course Description
E-Portfolios are fast becoming an indispensable component in career planning for professionals. More than just a 'resume' tool for students, e-portfolios are being used for career documentation and are valuable in situations such as job evaluations and advancement. This course will introduce you to the basics of creating your own (ongoing) e-portfolio. you will use projects created both inside and outside the Technical Communication program to create a picture of yourself as a Technical Communication professional. You will also learn how to market yourself using your e-portfolio and other self-marketing tools. This course is excellent for those searching for a job, shifting careers, or looking to advance within their current situation.
Goals & Objectives
- To provide students with the skills required for identifying their niche and target market.
- To provide students with tools and opportunities to create their own e-Portfolio.
- To provide students with an effective job search strategy that can be applied using their ePortfolio.
Texts and Materials
No required text. The instructor will provide a lecture for each topic, as well as a list of books and web resources that students may find helpful.
Instructor Bio
John Vigna is an award-winning writer who provides copywriting and editing services to a variety of clients through his company, John Vigna Ink. A 2002 Vancouver Entrepreneur of the Year in the Business-to-Business category, John has delivered a number of workshops and taught technical writing and business skills courses.
Our Moodle Classroom
Our Moodle space is our online classroom. Here you’ll find the following:
News Forum – The news forum is a general discussion forum used for the delivery of class news and events. Check here for any date changes or news of general class interest.
Course Syllabus - You are currently reading the Course Syllabus. It will be posted in your online classroom to give you an overview of the online classroom setup and the week-by-week schedule for your class.
Water Cooler is a discussion area used for non-course-related topics.
Lectures are delivered as html or pdf files, and should be easily viewable. These documents are introduced as we come to each topic. Each lecture will also contain an addendum with detailed instructions on how to do each assignment. Read these instructions very carefully. If you don't understand any part of the instructions, seek clarification by posting your question in the weekly forum. Assignments are submitted to the Assignments area, under the topic the instructor has opened with that week's assignment number.
Weekly Reading/Resources - Additional reading or resources may be part of your course. Use this material for additional interesting information related to your lectures, or as assigned by your instructor.
Practice Files may be included to provide material for you to use when completing your assignments or for extra practice.
Weekly Assignment is where you'll upload your completed assignments. If more than one file is required, you'll need to zip them before uploading.
Weekly Forum (also known as 'Discussions') - Be sure to visit the Forum/Discussion area for each week’s lesson. Discussion topics will be posted by the instructor for each week’s lesson. You will be expected (as part of your grading for the course) to contribute. For more information on what’s expected here, see the ‘Grading’ area below.
On groups: The instructor may assign groups throughout the course as needed so that students can work on assignments in collaboration. Both class email and discussions will be useful as you work with others in the class on various assignments.
Grades is where you'll check your points to date.
Grading Criteria and Total Components of a Grade:
Each student will be graded by earning points for class participation, for assignments, and for the final examination. Grades will be assigned as follows:
97 - 100 points = A+
93 - 96 points = A
90 - 92 points = A-
87 - 89 points = B+
83 - 86 points = B
80 - 82 points = B-
77 - 79 points = C+
73 - 76 points = C
70 - 72 points = C-
65 - 69 points = D
Less than 65 points = Fail
Points will be distributed as follows:
Participation in class discussions: 40 points possible
Students should participate in class discussion by posting their comments or questions and by responding to at least one other classmate each week. The instructor expects each student to contribute at least two thoughtful, quality postings per week (including the response to a classmate). Just logging on and reading other people's postings is not considered participation, nor is mere agreement with others' postings.
Quality of postings is more important than their sheer frequency, length or grammatical form. Quality includes, but is not limited to:
- commentary on the lecture for the current topic;
- detailed sharing of a student's experience or research relative to the week's topic;
- opinions on the topic that are backed with compelling facts and reasoning;
- raising questions that help the class better understand the topic, particularly by proposing; and explaining implications that might have been overlooked in the lecture, or in previous discussion.
Quality participation also means conveying your experience, research, opinions, questions or commentary in a professional manner. Disagreements among discussion participants are expected and often valuable, but they should be expressed tactfully, not in a confrontational tone.
Assignments: 50 points possible
Points per assignment are listed in the Course Schedule, below.
Assignment instructions will be added to the end of each lecture. Completed assignments should either be posted to the Discussions topic created by the instructor for that week's assignments, or submitted to the appropriate assignement area, as described in the assignment instructions. Please do not send completed assignments to the instructor's email box. Use pdf, html (save as web page) or rtf (save as rich text format) as the format for your completed assignment.
Late assignments will automatically have one point subtracted for each day late, unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor for late submission due to extenuating circumstances.
Unofficial final grade in class
You may check your unofficial grade in the class from the 'Grades' link on your Moodle course homepage within one week of the course end date. Your official final grade will be sent to you via 'snail mail'.
Extra-credit: The instructor may offer opportunities for extra-credit points. Participation in extra-credit opportunities is strictly optional.
Feedback Schedule
The instructor will provide feedback and points on graded assignments within one week of the due date for that work, unless otherwise noted in the assignment instructions. Late submissions may take longer. Students will be notified when feedback and points are available via an announcement on the Homepage. Feedback for each assignment will be posted in the appropriate discussion forum, and points will be posted online via the "Grades" area.
The instructor does not normally participate in real-time chat discussions, but students are welcome to use this feature on their own.
The instructor normally logs onto the course discussion forums at least once daily, Monday through Friday. Exceptions are the instructor's travel or sick days, which may be posted as an announcement on the Homepage.
The instructor's office hours are anytime Monday through Friday via Moodle Quickmail.
Student Conduct
Vancouver Island University students are expected to behave in a responsible manner respectful of the learning environment inside the classroom, whether attending in person on online. This policy applies to all Vancouver Island University campus and off-campus locations where Vancouver Island University sponsored activity is occurring. For further information, link to Vancouver Island University 's Student Conduct Code pages.
Course Topics and Assignments Outline
Week 1:
Topic: Identifying Your Niche and Target Market
Whether you are looking for a job in the traditional sense of the word, or freelance projects, there are a number of marketing techniques you have to undertake.
But before you even begin to think about marketing yourself, you have to know exactly what it is you are offering. If you don’t know, how will your prospective employers/clients?
Assignment 1: Skills evaluation and niche discovery (5 points)
Week 2:
Topic: Self-Marketing
Creating a brand for yourself is an integral part of finding work. No job seeker should be without a solid resume, at least two cover letter templates, a small E-Portfolio and business card.
Resume and cover letter basics will be reviewed along with a look at creating your business/calling card. Online and print portfolios will be discussed as a means to showcase your understanding of job requirements, establish your expertise, and illustrate how you can solve a client's problems.
Assignment 2: CV, About, Letter of Introduction (15 points)
Week 3:
Topic: Building your e-Portfolio - Part 1
Now that you've identified your audience and niche, and summarized your skills in a succinct way, it's time to put in online for prospective employers and clients. But what should you include in this one chance to make a lasting impression?
Building and maintaining an e-Portfolio is one of the most effective and quick ways to market yourself. One of the most effective methods is to create a concept for your e-Portfolio that best captures your professionalism. We'll look at easy-to-use freeware tools for building your e-Portfolio. And you will create a clean look and feel that shows your skills and work in its best light.
Assignment 3: Build your e-Portfolio (15 points)
Week 4:
Topic: Building your e-Portfolio - Part 2
We'll pick up from last week and continue building your e-Portfolio to completion. Topics covered include a discussion on the pros and cons of blogging as a marketing tool, what samples to include in your portfolio and how to get the word out about your e-Portfolio so that prospective clients and employers can find you.
Assignment 4 (Final): Complete your e-Portfolio (25 points)
Questions, comments, or concerns? Please contact Instructor via Moodle Quickmail.
Copyright 2005© John Vigna