Design Factory New Zealand: Your Portfolio of Evidence

Why have a Research Portfolio?

A portfolio supports you in your role as an academic by creating a record of your reflection, development, and achievements over time. You may like to use aspects of your portfolio to provide evidence for formal probation review, progression, or promotion processes.  

• Present creative work of value within its field
• Reveal the significance of the creative work
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of relevant histories, theories, and contexts informing the creative work
• Engage an effective research method that allows the creative process and product to be interrogated
• Demonstrate rigorous critical reflection on the process leading to the production of the creative work

You should include some evidence of your participation and reflection in each of these areas, although, at any point in your academic career, your work is likely to have a greater focus on some areas than on others. As well as including these areas of academic work, try to include an overview section where you reflect on and review your activities in relation to your overall goals and career plans.

There are four headings you could include;

 1. Research Developments and Insights

This is where you put your advancement in knowledge on your project and methodologies. 'Advancement of knowledge' includes activities that might commonly be referred to as research. The Academic Portfolio could be used to enable you to reflect upon the nature of research in your discipline, the research process, and how you see yourself as a researcher. It could enable you to reflect upon your own development as a scholar and/or researcher and provide evidence of research development and contribution.

Questions for reflection about the advancement of knowledge

• What are your personal research interests?
• What are your research goals or intentions?
• In what ways can your research make a contribution to society?
• How do you find out about resources which could support your research?
• How have your experiences helped you to develop or change your understanding of research?

Supporting evidence

• A reading log showing the journals and other publications which you read on a regular basis
• Notes you have kept in the process of working with a mentor, or supervisor with your reflection on what you are learning from the process
• Copies of contributions of a scholarly kind made to computer-based research discussion groups or listserves
• An up-to-date publications list, with separate headings for refereed journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, contributions to other materials, etc, along with reflections on what you see as your most important publications
• Copies of publications that cite your research
• Invitations to present through the design factory
• Raw data from surveys, interviews etc
• Photos and images that support your project
• Any supporting documentation

2. Community of Practice Days

Remember the community of practice days are there to support your learning. There are lots of useful interesting topics and guest speakers that can shape your project in ways you couldn't image at the beginning of your research. Go with an open heart to receive new knowledge and support from your follow ākonga/students and Kaiako/Supervisors.

Questions for reflection about the community of practice days

• How does the topic relate to my personal research?
• What actions do I need to do as take away from this day?
• Has it developed new insights I didn't know before?
• What was the one thing that will add to my success that I can take away from today?

Supporting evidence

• Notes and reflections on the different topics presented at the Community of Practice days

 3. Industry Partners

Your industry partners are a very important part of your research journey. Your relationship with this is a very critical part of your understanding of how your project and research fit into the wider world. 

Questions for reflection from your Industry Partners

• How are you meeting your industry partners' expectations?
• How are you keeping your industry partners informed on your research journey?
• Are there any misunderstandings or differences of opinion?

Supporting evidence

• Minutes from any meetings
• Record any events or activities planned by your industry partners that you attended

4. Personal and Academic Plans and Goals

It may be helpful to consider how the activities above fit with your personal goals and plans, or what kind of pattern they show when looked at together. remember to always keep your "Why" in mind whenever you do something. Also when times get hard in your study and you are feeling overwhelmed come back to this section and reflect and think about your "Why".

Questions for reflection

• What gives me the most satisfaction as a researcher?
• What causes frustration and is there anything I can do about it?
• Where would I really like to be in my career in a year's time, five years' time, or ten years' time?
• Do I have any particular goals that I would like to achieve in my research?
• Are my personal goals and career plans consistent with the goals negotiated with my supervisor, or should I consider some re-negotiation?

Good software to store all your different types of resources and use as a reflective journey for your research journey. Checkout this YouTube video on how to get started with Mahara.

Obsidian could also be a good software for recording your research project and organising your resources. Check out this YouTube video on how to get started on obsidian.

One Note is a great tool to use to organise you data. Here is a YouTube video that could help.

Miro (Online whiteboard) Sign up for free - Check out this youtube video on how to get started on Miro