Beginning a Comprehensive Portfolio

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The next step in my PhD journey is the production of a comprehensive portfolio to synthesize the academic growth evident in my scholarship, academic expertise, and research competence. I am framing this process for completion with minor and major due dates, timelines, and tasks. With the end goal of a successful portfolio defence within six months, I have applied SMART goals to the process, as outlined in the graphic – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound.

There are many decisions to make in these early steps. The work done in each of the courses of the PhD will support and guide these steps. Looking back, the alternate dissertation research I completed in the Research Colloquium course will frame the choice of digital tool and the format of the comprehensive portfolio. The metaphor for the portfolio [Labyrinths] emerged during the Doctoral Seminar 2, and the theme of walking step by step has been applied to the PhD blog site since its inception, starting after acceptance into the program.

Framing the portfolio requires some time to reflect on timelines, activities, events, research, and academic endeavours. In the coming weeks, I will outline and capture my process toward completion of the comprehensive portfolio on this blog site as a supplemental ethnographic journal. This will model an auto-ethnographic stance and may provide additional evidence to connect and link to my comprehensive portfolio. The site for the portfolio has been setup as a Scalar instance, with an early outline shared here.

Labyrinth: A PhD Comprehensive Portfolio

  1. Personal Introduction
    • My Media Making Spaces
    • My Teaching and Learning
    • My Alternative Comprehensive Portfolio & Dissertation
  2. Welcome to the Labyrinth
    • Labyrinth as a metaphor
    • Labyrinths explored
    • Labyrinth construction
  3. Step By Step 
    • Linear paths and Non linear paths
    • Academic growth through the courses
    • Academic growth through research and writing
    • Academic growth through teaching and learning
  4. Into the Center of the Labyrinth
    • Academic Paths through literature review
    • Paths examining research frameworks
      • epistemology
      • ontology
      • methodology
      • methods
      • validity and authenticity
    • Funding Proposals
    • Walking the Path with others
      • Contributions to scholarly works
  5. Portfolio References
  6. Appendices and Supporting Documentation
    • Appendix A: Curriculum Vitae
    • Appendix B: Funding Applications
      • SSHRC 2018, 2019
      • OGS 2018, 2019
      • Open Education 2019
    • Appendix C: Scholarly Publications
      • Intentionally Equitable Hospitality (2019)
    • Appendix D: Conference presentations
      • CSSE 2020
      • OER 2020

I capture this framework here as a reflection of the path to this point, but also as a site for future reflection on steps not taken or paths not explored.

My labyrinthian journey for my PhD Comprehensive Portfolio begins here.