Let’s hear from students
At conferences we often talk about the portfolios that students create or we conduct research with them as our participants. So why not hear from them directly? We want to give students a more prominent voice at the Annual Meeting 2021 to engage them in the conversations and workshops. This year we achieved that with the following:
- Free registration for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students to participate in all sessions
- Interviews with students prior to the conference to learn more about their portfolio practice
- Panel conversation with students at different levels of their education, reflecting on the conference theme of ‘Re-imaging the Future of Learning: ePortfolios, Identities, Equity, and Belonging’
- Conversation sessions led by students
- Graphical design work
Interviews
In the days leading up to the Annual Meeting, we are publishing the student interviews to help us start thinking about our own portfolio practices, where we situate ourselves, what we enjoy and see can be changed. How do we view our own portfolios under the lens of equity, inclusion, and belonging? Do we showcase our true learner identity?
Find out what students from Australia, Ireland, and the U.S.A. have to say.
Naomi Pitts

Naomi is a Bachelor student of Biosystems Engineering and Sustainability at Auburn University, Alabama, U.S.A.
She created her public portfolio to showcase her achievements and talk about her academic experiences for employability purposes.
Listen to Naomi‘s portfolio story or read the transcript of the interview with Naomi.
Breanna Edebohls

Breanna is enrolled in the Bachelor of Media Communication at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
She created a number of portfolios for class assessments and transformed some of them into public portfolios to showcase her work:
Listen to Breanna‘s portfolio journey or read the transcript of the interview with Breanna.
Ruby Cooney

Ruby studies Education Training in a bachelor’s program at Dublin City University in Ireland.
She has been using portfolios for the DCU Engagement Awards to showcase her accomplishments.
Listen to Ruby‘s explanations for creating her portfolio or read the transcript of the interview with Ruby.
Emaan Sami Khan

Emaan is a Bachelor student in Accounting and Finance at Dublin City University in Ireland.
She created portfolios for assessment tasks and to showcase her skills and is an etern supporting students creating portfolios. You can view her ‘LIFE Assignments portfolio’.
Listen to Emaan, including her top three reflective questions, or read the transcript of the interview with Emaan.
Mandi Mizuta

Mandi is a PhD candidate at Portland State University, OR, U.S.A. Her thesis is in education, with concentrations on post secondary education and collaborative governance.
She created her portfolio to complement her research, make her work more accessible, and use it as vehicle for future work opportunities.
Listen to Mandi, including her insight into collaborative governance, or read the transcript of the interview with Mandi.
Grace Robinson

Grace is a Bachelor student at Auburn University, AL, U.S.A. Her thesis is in education, with concentrations on post secondary education and collaborative governance.
Grace started her portfolio as website in a personal one day a week project and then turned it into a portfolio.
Listen to Grace, including her insight into collaborative governance, or read the transcript of the interview with Grace.
The music you can hear in the interviews is ‘Uplifting‘ from Twisterium.
Student panel: Lived portfolio experiences
On 22 July 2021, four students answered questions on the conference topic and also from the audience. We had a very lively panel that brought together diverse voices from three different countries. AAEEBL members will have access to the recording shortly. The students were:
- Breanna Edebohls (Monash University)
- Mandi Mizuta (Portland State University)
- Naomi Pitts (Auburn University)
- Samantha Hallows (Dublin City University)
Samantha also recorded herself prior to the Student Panel answering a number of questions.
Conversation sessions
A few students at various stages in their higher education proposed conversation sessions and co-facilitated them. Kudos to them for leading these conversations:
- Annie Small and Autumn Frederick (Auburn University): ‘Inequities in learners’ professional identities: How can ePortfolios bridge the gap?’, with Layli Miron
- Hannah Pugh-Mason (Wheaton College): ‘Contextual Learning and Its Implications for Intellectual History: A Student Perspective’
- Melissa Shaquid Pirie, Mandi Mizuta, and Sheila Mullooly (Portland State University): ‘Doctoral portfolios’, with Candyce Reynolds
Recordings of these conversation sessions will also be available to AAEEBL members shortly.
Session icons
Thanks go to Emaan Sami Khan (Dublin City University) for having created icons representing different types of sessions in the conference portal.