FAQ - eDoc Electronic Portfolio for Students

• What is eDoc?
• How do I access eDoc?
• How do I create my FSHN eDoc electronic portfolio?
• After I create my portfolio, what do I do next?
• How do I navigate to the Technical Skills Outcomes page in my portfolio?
• How do I update the information on my professional skills and abilities required for Dietetics Internship?
• How do I upload files to my FSHN eDoc electronic portfolio?
• How do I link my files in my portfolio?
• How do I edit/rename/delete the files that I have linked in my portfolio?
• How do I share my portfolio with my instructor and peers?
• Can I share my electronic portfolio with people who are not affiliated with ISU?
• What does the Add Ability tool do for me?
• Can I take my portfolio out of eDoc?
• How many eDoc electronic portfolios can I create?
• What browsers are best to use?
• Who do I contact if I have technical difficulties with my eDoc electronic portfolio?

What is eDoc?

eDoc is an electronic portfolio system designed and developed at Iowa State University. It allows undergraduate and graduate students to collect and present evidence demonstrating academic and professional competencies to faculty advisors, instructors, departments and potential employers. It allows students to interact and collaborate with their peers in a professional and scholarly manner.

Each portfolio created in eDoc is organized according to a custom-built "theme" or "interface", designed by a participating program, department, college or employer.

How do I access eDoc?

eDoc can be accessed via iState portal. iState is a campus-wide service to aggregate information from a variety of campus sources into a simple, web-based tool for use by students, faculty, and staff of Iowa State University. Use the Login to eDoc (via the iState Portal) entry-way on the FSHN Electronic Portfolios webpage. Or type the URL of the iState Portal directly into your browser's address bar: https://portal.iastate.edu . Use your ISU Net ID and password to log into iState Portal. Select the Personal tab. If this is your first time of creating an eDoc electronic portfolio, you will be asked to initialize your file system. The process will take several seconds to complete. Now you are ready to create and manage your electronic portfolios.

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How do I create my FSHN eDoc electronic portfolio?

After selecting the Personal tab in the iState Portal, you will see the area in which you can manage your personal portfolios. Click the "Add" option on top of the page. Enter the title of your portfolio and select the Food Science and Human Nutrition portfolio type. Click "Save". You will then see the linked title of your newly created portfolio. Click the link to enter your FSHN eDoc electronic portfolio.

Notice that by the title of your portfolio there is a blue "do-dot", that if clicked expands to a menu of actions that can be applied to your portfolio. Use the "do-dot" to edit, rename, delete and export your portfolio.

After I create my portfolio, what do I do next?

Once you have created your eDoc portfolio, you will need to edit your biography. Use the Biography option on top of your Personal Portfolios page. Under "Academic Information", click on the "do-dot" action menu and select "Edit". Enter "Dietetics Internship" for your major.  Please, make sure you do not have spelling mistakes before saving this option. To save, click again on the "do-dot" by "major" and select "Save". Once you complete the process, the Technical Skills Outcomes for Dietetics and Food Science majors will be added to your portfolio.

How do I navigate to the Technical Skills Outcomes page in my portfolio?

Once you edit your biography, you will find the technical Skills Outcomes page under Core Abilities on the top navigation bar of your portfolio.

How do I update the information on my professional skills and abilities required for Dietetics Internship?

Navigate to the Technical Skills Outcomes page in your portfolio. In the left hand-corner, scroll the section down and select appropriate statements. Fill in the text-boxes where necessary. Once you fill in this info, DO NOT forget to save by clicking "Update" in the instructions box below the title "Professional Skills and Abilities required for Dietetics Internship".

How do I upload files to my FSHN eDoc electronic portfolio?

To upload files in your portfolio, first enter it. Roll the cursor over "Options" in the navigation bar. Select "Manage your Repository" option. Your File Repository is a private area where you can manage your files. Click "Upload File" on top of the Repository page. On the next page browse for the necessary files that you store on your local machine. Click "Upload". Once your files are uploaded onto your Repository, you can rename, delete, edit, download and organize them into folders.

How do I link my files in my portfolio?

Once you have uploaded your files, you need to link them to the appropriate places in your portfolio.

• From the Core Abilities navigation bar select the ability to which you'd like to link to a sample of your work . Click "Add an artifact" under "artifact". Enter the artifact title in the window that comes up next, and click "Save" under the title.
• On the next page you will be able to upload a new file or select it from your File Repository if you have already uploaded it.You will be able to select additional Core Abilities areas if they apply to your artifact.
• Enter your reflection on the work sample that you are linking.
• Finally, click "Save" in the right hand corner of the page right above the artifact link. This will link the file that samples your work to the appropriate place in your portfolio.

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How do I edit/rename/delete the files that I have linked in my portfolio?

To edit/rename/delete the files that have been linked in your portfolio use the "do-dot" action by the title of each artifact and select the action that you would like to perform.

How do I share my portfolio with my instructor and peers?

To share your portfolio with your instructor and peers decide which role you wish to assign them: the guest or evaluator. The guest can only view your portfolio; the evaluator can make comments and edit your files. Only those .doc files that you have posted (linked to the appropriate places in your electronic portfolio) can be edited by the evaluator. Neither evaluator or guest can see the files in your File Repository area.
To share your portfolio, follow these steps:

• Click "Share Your portfolio" under "Tools".
• On top of the next page click "Add User".
• Enter an individual's Net ID in the provided space and select a role from the drop down menu. Click "Save" on top of the page..
• You will see an email notification to be sent to the individual with whom you are sharing access. You can skip the notification (look at the top of the page) if you do not wish to send it.
• Once you send or cancel an email notification, you will be brought to the page that enlists authorized users that have access to your portfolio. Use the "do-dot" menu next to each user's name to change their access privileges.
• Click "Save" to save the preference.
• Instructors---Jean Anderson janderso@iastate.edu; Janet Johnson janetj@iastate.edu; Laurie Kruzich lkruzich@iastate.edu

Can I share my electronic portfolio with people who are not affiliated with ISU?

Yes, you can. When sharing your portfolio, enter an individual's email address (e.g.: somebody@hotmail.com). eDoc will generate email that will contain the URL to your electronic portfolio and a password to be used by that individual.

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What does the Add Ability tool do for me?

The Add Ability tool helps to individualize your portfolio. You can add different sections to your portfolio that showcase your interests and skills beyond the areas of Communication, Problem Solving, Social Concerns/Ethics and technical Skills that are defined by the FSHN Department.
To use this feature:

• Click "Add Ability" under "Options" from your portfolio's navigation bar.
• You will be prompted to enter a title for your ability area. Click"Save" on top of the page.
• Your new ability will appear under "Other Abilities".
• You will be able to edit the description of the ability by clicking the "Edit" button.

Can I take my portfolio out of eDoc?

Yes, you can take your electronic portfolio out of eDoc and download it onto your computer. On the Personal Portfolios page, which you enter through the Personal tab upon logging into the iState portal, you will see that each portfolio has a "do-dot" action menu by its title. Select the "Export" action from the menu. The File Download window will appear and you will be asked what you would like to do with the file. Save it onto your computer. You will need to change the file name, because all portfolio are automatically named "export. zip". The zipped folder of the portfolio needs to be extracted before viewing.

How many eDoc electronic portfolios can I create?

The number of eDoc electronic portfolios that you can create is unlimited. The File Repository area has a limit of 750 MB.

What browsers are best to use?

eDoc is optimized for Firefox, but you can use any browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape, AOL, Firefox, Mozilla.  In general, if you are having a problem with one browser, try another one.  It is strongly recommended that you do not use IE with Macs. 

Who do I contact if I have technical difficulties with my eDoc electronic portfolio?

Two Instructional Development specialists, Lesya Hassall and Rex Heer will answer your questions about eDoc. You can also call at 294-2906

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