Put in its simplest form, an online portfolio can be described as a medium by which a student can portray his/her ideas, and talents in a certain subject area.  Beyond this, it can be broken down into several areas.

            One of the most important parts of an online portfolio is the student’s resume.  This can provide anybody viewing the portfolio with background information on the student that put together the portfolio.  This would include such information as past employment in their chosen field, as well as college courses that the student thinks would help their chances of being considered for employment.

            A second very important part of an online portfolio, are samples of the student’s work that they are most proud of.  This can give prospective employers, teachers, as well as fellow students a good idea about the author of the portfolio is capable of doing, and perhaps what their strong points are.

            This section could possible consist of many different things.  It could contain perhaps multimedia samples that he student had designed, it could contain a database that the student designed, or perhaps a program that was written for users to better access said database.

            An aspect of the portfolio that many students tend to overlook when designing it, is the navigational menu used.  Having a well designed and thought out navigation structure for the portfolio is very important.  Being able to navigate with ease from one page of the portfolio to the next shows that the student is well organized, and they know how to make many different things work together with ease.

Not only is the online portfolio a platform for students to display their past work, it also can provide them with a way to communicate to prospective employers with their career goals, as well as any special interests that they might have, whether it is related to their chosen field or not.

            When used correctly, the online portfolio can be a very effective tool to show case what a student has learned, whether it is for prospective employment, or for a class.  A well thought out portfolio will be able to portray many of the students’ skills, interests, as well as prime examples of their work.