IntegrativeKnowledgePortfolioStudentHandbook

Copyright © 2012 Stacey M. Fenton and Melissa Peet ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Integrative
Knowledge
Portfolio
Process
2012 Student Handbook
Stacey Fenton, MA & Melissa Peet, PhD MSW
Editing Contributions From:
Duane Breijak
Portfolio Contributions From:
Jessica Eiland
Trenten Rocha
Alex Turin
Michelle Zellars

Copyright © 2012 Stacey M. Fenton and Melissa Peet ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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Table of Contents
What is the Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process? ............................................. 3
Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Sections .................................................................... 3
How Will Creating an Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Benefit Me?............................. 4
Getting Started on Creating an Integrative Knowledge Portfolio in Digication ............. 6
Logging In ................................................................................................................ 6
Changing Your Password ........................................................................................ 7
Creating a New ePortfolio ........................................................................................ 8
Creating Your Own Integrative Knowledge Portfolio .............................................. 10
Editing Portfolio Sections ....................................................................................... 11
Adding a Section.................................................................................................... 12
Editing a Section.................................................................................................... 12
Digication Portfolio Pages and Modules ................................................................ 13
Editing Portfolio Pages........................................................................................... 13
Editing Portfolio Modules ....................................................................................... 14
How Do I Get Help Using Digication? .................................................................... 17
Phase A........................................................................................................................ 18
Activities and Objectives............................................................................................ 18
Exercise I: Developing Short-term, Long-term and Lifelong Goals............................ 19
Entering Goals Exercise I into Digication ............................................................... 21
Exercise II: Identifying Key Learning Experiences..................................................... 22
Knowledge/Skill Areas for Creating the Work Showcase Table of Contents.......... 24
Entering Work Showcase Exercise I into Digication............................................... 25
Exercise III: Creating a Table of Contents for Your Work Showcase......................... 26
Phase B........................................................................................................................ 29
Developing Knowledge Synthesis Pages .................................................................. 30
Characteristics of High-Quality Knowledge Synthesis Pages ................................ 32
Exercise IV: Writing a Knowledge Synthesis Page.................................................... 34
Entering Work Showcase Knowledge Synthesis Pages into Digication ................. 37
Uncovering Knowledge and Values Using Generative Knowledge Interviewing ....... 38
Generative Knowledge Interviewing (GKI)™.......................................................... 38

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Exercise V: Feedback on Your Knowledge Synthesis Pages Using Generative
Knowledge Interviewing............................................................................................. 41
Generative Knowledge Interviewer Guidelines ...................................................... 44
Entering Generative Knowledge Interviewing Feedback in Digication ................... 45
Phase C........................................................................................................................ 46
Why Create a Philosophy Statement?....................................................................... 47
Philosophy Statement Components....................................................................... 47
Understanding Guidelines for Creating a Compelling Philosophy Statement ........ 48
Exercise VI: Creating a Philosophy Statement .......................................................... 49
First Example Student Philosophy Statement........................................................ 52
Second Example Student Philosophy Statement................................................... 54
Entering Your Philosophy Statement into Digication.............................................. 56
Exercise VII: Incorporating Feedback on the Philosophy Statement ......................... 57
Exercise VIII: Connecting Your Goals to Your Knowledge Synthesis Pages............. 58
Entering Your Goals Page into Digication.............................................................. 59
Phase D........................................................................................................................ 60
Exercise IX: Creating a Clear and Cohesive Welcome Page Message..................... 61
Creating the Welcome section in Digication........................................................... 63
Exercise X: Creating a Resume That Adds to Your Portfolio..................................... 64
Adding Your Resume to Your Portfolio in Digication.............................................. 66
Personalizing Your Portfolio ...................................................................................... 67
Exercise XI: Creating Coherence across Portfolio Pages.......................................... 68
Changing the Banner and Directory Icon for Your Portfolio ................................... 71
Feedback Criteria for Your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio .................................. 72
Publishing the Portfolio .......................................................................................... 73
Giving Access to Unpublished Content.................................................................. 74
Showcasing Your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio................................................. 75

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What is the Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process?
The phrase “Integrative Knowledge” refers to your understanding of how to adapt to
new challenges and environments. The Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process is
currently the only empirically-proven method in the country designed to help you in
connecting your knowledge across “tacit” or experience-based contexts and levels.
Students often create Integrative Knowledge Portfolios with the intention of creating a
professional portfolio. However, many later find the portfolio process helpful in making a
personal statement about who you are, where you have been, and where you want to
go in life.
Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Sections
Your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio in Digication will contain the following overarching
sections:
 A Work Showcase section, which highlights a series of Knowledge Synthesis
pages that illustrate how you weave together the knowledge, skills and insights
gained from pivotal learning experiences in life. Each experience is organized
into a larger knowledge/skill category which also serves as the table of contents
for the Work Showcase
 A Philosophy Statement page, which demonstrates your ability to retrieve and
articulate the specific values, beliefs, and sources of inspiration guiding your
work and decision-making
 A Goals page, which illustrates your capacity to imagine and verbalize a general
sense of direction and purpose for work and life as a result of participation in the
Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process
 A Welcome page, which demonstrates your ability to capture a readers’ interest
and succinctly introduce your portfolio
 A Resume page, which shows that you are capable of presenting your
experiences in a traditional format

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How Will Creating an Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Benefit Me?
Through the Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process, you will tap into the informal and
formal knowledge hidden in your daily learning and interactions to reveal the
knowledge, skills, and core capacities you use to navigate through challenges. You will
also discover the underlying passions, values and ideas that shape your world view.
The Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process then “bridges” these experiences to
provide meaning to others viewing your work and a sense of empowerment to you as
you share your experiences.
Specifically, by moving through each phase of the process, you will gain:
 An inner compass, which reveals the questions, values, beliefs, and concerns
that underlie your decisions and actions
 Guiding perspectives and frames of reference, which are the invisible
perspectives, theories, and approaches you use to successfully solve problems
and address challenges in a variety of contexts you encounter through everyday
life
 Awareness of core strengths and capacities, which are the unconscious skills
and abilities you’ve developed from learning how to adapt to new situations,
contexts, and information
 Awareness of sources of challenge and resistance, which are the habits,
characteristics, types of work, and/or situations with which you are likely to
struggle with
 High quality connections, which are the types of relationships, communities,
and/or partnerships you are drawn to for inspiration, guidance and resources
Alex Warbasse
“I think everyone should create an ePortfolio…
It has been so powerful to be able to capture the
essence of what is important to me in one place.
I learned so much about myself through the
process - skills I didn't know I had beyond
academics. I learned that these really different
and contradictory parts of me actually go
together….it has made SUCH a big difference in
how I approach my classes now…”

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University of Michigan

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Getting Started on Creating an Integrative Knowledge Portfolio in Digication
Logging In

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Changing Your Password
After signing into Digication for the first time, you should change your password to something you can easily remember.

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Creating a New ePortfolio
To get started working on your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio, you will first need to create an ePortfolio in Digication. Follow
these steps to create a new ePortfolio:

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Creating a New ePortfolio (cont.)

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Creating Your Own Integrative Knowledge Portfolio
Your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio should not only showcase your work, knowledge, and interests – it should demonstrate
who you are and what you would like others to know about you. Here, you will learn about how to make changes to your
portfolio’s sections, pages, and modules.
As you may notice, there are several useful administrative features for sections, pages, and modules inside your portfolio. The
picture below describes these important features.

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Editing Portfolio Sections
The following provides instructions on using sections in your portfolio. You can easily locate sections beneath the banner
image.
As shown in the image above, your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio is organized into five major sections (Welcome, Goals,
Philosophy Statement, Work Showcase, and Resume), and several resource pages under Portfolio Completion Resources

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Adding a Section
As you develop your new portfolio, you may decide to add a new section to highlight related links to your portfolio, videos,
contact information, etc.. Follow the directions below for adding a new section.
1. Click on the Add/Edit tab located above the modules area. You will then see a small notepad and pencil pop-up next to
each section – this is how you will know you are in “editing” mode.
2. Select the Add Section option
and enter the name for your new
section.
3. Click on the Show Advanced
option and check the hidden box if
you would like the section to be a
hidden page for your eyes only. You
should uncheck this box if you would
like the public to see the section
once your portfolio is published.
4. Click Save.
Editing a Section
To edit a section, just click on the
pencil and pad of the item you would
like to change and you will be able to
type in new text, change the web
address of the link, or make the
page hidden. To delete any section,
click on the pencil and pad
corresponding to the section and
click the delete section link.

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Digication Portfolio Pages and Modules
The purpose of this section is to highlight portfolio pages and modules – the areas of your portfolio containing the most content
– and provide you with instructions for creating, editing and deleting these areas of the portfolio.
Editing Portfolio Pages
You can navigate within specific sections of a
portfolio by clicking on page links located in the bar
on the left-hand side of the screen (pictured below).
The same skills you learned for editing portfolio sections applies to editing pages:
1. Click on the add/edit tab on the left-hand side of the screen and select Add Page.
2. Enter the page’s name and then click the show advanced option to indicate whether it’s a
hidden page, header for a section of pages, or a “collapsed” subpage under a pre-existing
page.
The hidden pages will always be in italics, headers (which are unclickable) will always show
in bold, and collapse pages and regular pages will always show in regular text style. You
may go back and delete a page at any time by clicking on the delete this page option.
3. Click Save.
Pages and modules can enable
you to structure your portfolio
in a way that truly showcases
who you are and what you want
others to know about your
unique skills and knowledge.

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Editing Portfolio Modules
Whereas the sections and pages of your portfolio will “label” the content found in modules, the modules themselves contain
most of the content in your portfolio. As you may have noticed, modules are the boxed areas in the middle of portfolio pages
(pictured below).
You can start exploring modules by clicking on the Add A Module button located just below the sections area of your portfolio
on the right-hand side of the screen (pictured below).

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At this point, several module options will appear.
Under the Basic area, you can choose to add
Image/Video/Audio, which will add one large image, or one
audio or video clip. After creating the module, switch to the
“Edit” tab, and click “Replace this Media.” This will bring up a
file browser, which you can use to locate the file you want to
upload. The files can be no more than 20MB, and any file larger
than 500 pixels wide will be resized. This means almost all
images, audio files (MP3s) up to 20 minutes, and video files as
long as 10 minutes can be uploaded.
By selecting Rich Text (the most common module in
Digication), you will be able to use some of the most
commonly-used text editing features, such as adding
in text, picture/video/audio links, tables, website
URLs, etc. More instructions for using the Rich Text
editor are included under the Welcome section of
your Digication portfolio.

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Next, you can add a Gallery module – an array of pictures that are enlarged as you click on them. Make sure to use high-
quality pictures, as the enlargement of a picture can distort its true pixilation as seen here.
Finally, you can select the Contact Form module
if you would like viewers to submit feedback to you
via email from your portfolio. If you are using
Digication to display your work experience for
potential employers, this tool is ideal for receiving
further inquiries. However you choose to structure
your portfolio using these module options is up to
you. Just remember to save your work often to
avoid losing information!
Editing Tips
Please remember as you do your work in Digication that computers crash and Internet-
based platforms can be buggy. Consider doing all of your work using document editing
software (i.e. Microsoft Word) so that you do not lose considerable time with
disappearing work. After you finish your work, you can copy and paste it into Digication.
You can “publish” modules without
publishing them publicly if your
portfolio is still set to “private” under
settings. However, if your portfolio is
set to “public”, it is best to save
changes to a module before
publishing since this will give you
time to review your work before it is
viewable by the public.

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How Do I Get Help Using Digication?
Once you have signed in, if you need help with any Digication-related features, click on the HELP? link in the upper right hand
corner of the page.
If you need further assistance with Digication-related issues, you can email support@digication.com or call (888) 342-DIGI.

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Phase A
Understanding Where You Have Been
and Where You Are Going
Purpose of Phase A
Completing this phase will help you to figure out what sorts of life circumstances and
situations have impacted your learning the most and how you can use those
experiences to guide your desired future. Below you will find the key activities for this
phase and their location inside Digication:
Activities and Objectives
ACTIVITY LOCATION IN DIGICATION
Developing Short-term, Long-term, and
Lifelong Goals
Under Goals as Exercise I
Identifying Key Learning Experiences Under Work Showcase as Exercise I
Creating a Table of Contents for Your Work
Showcase
Under Work Showcase as Exercise II
The activities within this phase
correspond to the Goals and Work
Showcase sections of the Integrative
Knowledge Portfolio Process
In Phase A, you will complete
activities that prompt you to
 Develop goals
 Identify personally
important learning
experiences
 Generate a table of contents
for the Work Showcase

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Exercise I: Developing Short-term, Long-term and Lifelong Goals
Becoming an intentional learner and developing integrative knowledge capacities
requires you to think about and understand your short-term, long-term, and lifelong
learning goals as often as possible. Although you will not develop a fine-tuned Goals
page for your portfolio until the last phase of the process, articulating a set of goals early
in the process will help you to better identify the kinds of experiences you would like to
document for the Knowledge Synthesis pages of your Work Showcase.
Directions: Use the table below to answer the questions about your goals. You may also
view this exercise under the Goals page of your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio and
enter your responses there.
Short-term Goals. List 3-5 goals you have
for your education in the next year:
What would you like to accomplish?
What would you like to learn?
What would you like to experience?
What are your goals for this
course and how do you relate to
your larger short-term goals?
Long-term Goals. List 3-5 educational or
career goals you envision for your future
(2-5 years):
How do you think this course or
program will help you fulfill your
long-term goals?
Lifelong Goals. List 3-5 goals you envision
for your personal life:
How do you think this course or
program will help you fulfill your
lifelong goals?

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Entering Goals Exercise I into Digication
1. Click on Goals in the sections menu.
2. In the area featuring the various pages under the Goals section (on the left-hand side
of the page), click on “Exercise I: Creating your Initial Short-term, Long-term, and
Lifelong Goals.”
3. Click on the Edit tab of Exercise I’s module. The module’s edit tab
will now be highlighted and the module will display a typing area
which will let you know you are in editing mode.
4. Answer the questions by typing directly into the table located in the
module.
5. Click Save.

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Exercise II: Identifying Key Learning Experiences
The purpose of this activity is to help you to identify and briefly reflect upon your top 10-
15 learning experiences to date and create a table of contents for the Work Showcase in
your portfolio (see the Work Showcase section located on the left side of your Integrative
Portfolio screen).
By the end of this exercise, you will have organized your most important learning
experiences into at least 3-5 Knowledge/Skill Areas (e.g. "Research", "Team Work",
"Leadership", "Intercultural Communication", etc.). These Knowledge/Skill Areas provide
readers of your portfolio with a quick and yet powerful understanding of the types of
knowledge, skills and capacities you have developed thus far in life.
Directions: For the table on the next page, follow steps 1-3.
1. In the first column, provide a brief description of your most important learning
experiences to date. Include at least 5-7 experiences from work or other types of
formal learning (e.g. creating a course, participating within a professional organization,
developing a new initiative, etc.), and at least another 3-6 learning experiences from
other areas of life (e.g. community leadership, friends,
family, etc.).
2. In the second column, jot down a sentence that captures the
essence of what you learned at the time of the experience, and
add another sentence about why it is important to you now.
3. In the third column, write down Knowledge/Skill Areas you
think might apply to the experience (see Knowledge/Skill Areas
sheet). Knowledge/Skill Areas need to be broad enough to
include several different experiences. For examples, go to
MPortfolio.umich.edu and see how Michelle Zellers and Alex Turin have created the
Work Showcase section of their portfolios.
Knowledge/Skill areas are
the themed groups
organizing your Knowledge
Synthesis Pages

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Memorable
Learning
Experience
What did you learn from the
experience and/or why was it
important?
Knowledge/Skill
Category
Ex. Leading a
successful team
project
Learned how to communicate in a way
that is more patient and understanding
of others; learned how to “try and fail” in
front of others and ask for help/advice.
Communication,
Team Work, or
Leadership

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Knowledge/Skill Areas for Creating the Work Showcase Table of Contents
Directions: The following Knowledge/Skill Areas have been created from years of
Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process research and have been shown to be effective
in helping participants organize your learning experiences for producing clear, coherent
Knowledge Synthesis pages. Please use the Knowledge/Skill Areas to frame your key
learning experiences.
Advising
Advocacy
Assessment
Arts-Related Skills
Benchmarking
Communication Skills
Community Work
Conflict Resolution Skills
Curriculum Development
Creative Writing
Creativity
Editing
Facilitation
Fundraising
Global Engagement
Graphic Design
Grant Writing
Group and Team Work
Intercultural Skills
Leadership
Learning from Diversity
Lesson Planning
Marketing
Networking
Patient Care
Policy Work
Professional Development
Program Management
Program Development
Research
Self-Assessment
Social Change
Social Identities
Strategy and Planning
Teaching
Team Work
Writing and Publications
Other

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Entering Work Showcase Exercise I into Digication

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Exercise III: Creating a Table of Contents for Your Work Showcase
Creating a Table of Contents will allow you to organize your key learning experiences
under themed groups, or Knowledge/Skill Areas, so that viewers can read about the
various ways you have honed a particular skill set.
Directions: From the table in Exercise I, complete
the following two steps. Each step contains
specific directions for how to complete the step in
Digication.
STEP 1: Identify 3-5 Knowledge/Skill Areas that occur most often and put these in the
Work Showcase table of contents in the box on the left side of the page.
To replace the placeholders for each Knowledge/Skill Area with your own
Knowledge/Skill Areas:
1. Click on the Work Showcase link in the sections menu.
Notice how this student, Alex Turin,
organized his key learning experiences under
the Knowledge/Skill Areas “Creativity”,
“Facilitation”, “Research”, and “Working
with Kids”. Each Knowledge/Skill Area serves
as the header for related Knowledge
Synthesis Pages

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2. Click the Add/Edit button located just above the
Work Showcase box to the left of the Digication
page. A small pencil/paper icon should appear next
to each header.
3. Click on the pencil/paper icon next to
"Knowledge/Skill Area 1". A text box will display.
4. Replace Knowledge/Skill Area 1" with the first
Knowledge/Skill Area you chose to include from
Exercise I and click Save.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for each subsequent
Knowledge/Skill Area.
 First, input the title you've selected.
 Next, click Show Advance, select the Header
checkbox, and finally click Save.
NOTE - If you would like to add more Knowledge/Skill Areas than what you originally
had, use the Add Page button that appears when you click Add/Edit.

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STEP 2: Choose 8-10 of the learning experiences that are relevant to the
Knowledge/Skill Areas you selected that you would like to showcase in your portfolio.
Insert the name of the learning experience (e.g. Teaching HIV Prevention in South Africa)
into your table of contents.
To add new key learning experience page titles:
1. Click the Add/Edit button located just above the box on the left. A small pencil/paper
icon should appear next to each header.
2. Click the pencil/paper icon next to the first Knowledge
Synthesis Page. A text box will display.
3. Replace the text in the
Page Name field with the
first Knowledge Synthesis
Page title you have
chosen and Save.
4. Repeat these steps for each subsequent Knowledge
Synthesis Page.

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Phase B
Demonstrating Your Knowledge, Strengths and
Accomplishments
Purpose of Phase B
Knowledge Synthesis refers to the process of creating new insights from thinking about
your learning on several different levels. The purpose of including Knowledge Synthesis
Pages in your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio is to give you a place to talk about the
important learning moments in life, big or small, that have shaped who you are, and the
unique knowledge and abilities honed through those experiences.
Writing Knowledge Synthesis Pages Under Work Showcase as Knowledge/Skill
Areas 1-5
Uncovering Knowledge, Skills, and Values
Using Generative Knowledge Interviewing
Under Portfolio Completion Resources as
Generative Knowledge Interviewing and
Knowledge Synthesis Resources
Feedback on Knowledge Synthesis Pages
Using Generative Knowledge Interviewing Under Work Showcase as Exercise III
In Phase B, you will complete
 Identify the skills,
lessons, and impact
generated from your key
learning experiences
 Invite others to provide
constructive feedback to
inform your work on
your Knowledge
Synthesis Pages
The activities within this phase correspond
to the Work Showcase section of the
Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process

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Developing Knowledge Synthesis Pages
You will begin the process of developing Knowledge Synthesis Pages by reflecting on
your key moments of learning, and then invite others to listen to you tell a story about
your experiences via Generative Knowledge Interviewing (which you will learn about later
in this phase). This generative storytelling process will help you pinpoint things that
construct a fuller picture of your experiences and clarify the skills, knowledge, and core
capacities underlying your efforts and decision-making during those experiences. You will
then connect these two levels of understanding to create the Knowledge Synthesis
Pages.
The incorporation of Knowledge Synthesis Page writing with Generative
Knowledge Interviewing will help you develop:
 Capacity to identify and value different forms of knowledge
 Demonstrated knowledge, skills and insights showcased in a portfolio
 Understanding of the basic Generative Knowledge Interviewing principles and how
to apply them
 Effective feedback loops with Generative Knowledge Interviewing partners for
developing written content for the portfolio

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What Types of Experiences Should I Include in My Knowledge Synthesis Pages?
The answer to this question will greatly depend on the course or program through which
you are completing the Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process. Many students choose to
include specific learning experiences that occurred during a study abroad trip, a college
course, or community leadership project. However, some of the most impactful Knowledge
Synthesis Pages discuss every day experiences, such as teaching a younger sibling how to
walk or starting a book club. Any experience that has helped you better understand who you
are, what you most enjoy, and what you want to do in life can serve as a Knowledge
Synthesis Page for your portfolio.
Where Do My Knowledge Synthesis Pages Go?
Each Knowledge Synthesis Page becomes a page under the Work Showcase section of
your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio. Most completed Integrative Knowledge Portfolios have
7 to 15 individual Knowledge Synthesis Pages in the Work Showcase. Each example, which
is the equivalent of a 1 to 2 page single-spaced document, describes what you learned from
a particular experience, how the learning connects to larger personal and/or social goals, and
other areas of your life.
You can check out more students Work Showcases at the University of Michigan by visiting
the MPortfolio Showcase: http://MPortfolio.umich.edu/showcase.html
Knowledge Synthesis
Pages under the
broader grouping of
Knowledge/Skill Areas

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Characteristics of High-Quality Knowledge Synthesis Pages
Knowledge Synthesis Pages generally contain the following areas:
 Title
 Description/Overview
 Skills Gained
 Lessons Learned
 Impact/Importance
Although these areas are suggested, many Integrative Knowledge Portfolio students
have found that the areas allow readers to quickly understand what you learned or
gained and how it fits with other elements of your portfolio. In general, having consistent
headers from one page makes the content of your portfolio easy to understand and
appreciate.
Take time to read the area descriptions below. These descriptions will help you to frame
the questions you should ask yourself while creating each of your Knowledge Synthesis
Pages.
Title of Your Knowledge Synthesis Page
Titles work best if they are action-oriented and
really capture the essence of what you learned
or gained from an experience (e.g. "Starting a
tutoring program" "Learning abstract thinking
through calculus" "Applying statistics to
everyday life").
Description/Overview
This area of the Knowledge Synthesis Page provides a brief summary (one paragraph) of
the overall experience that grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to continue
reading. It often begins with a brief overview of the work, including its purpose and goals,
and then includes a sentence or two about your role and why the work was valuable or
important to you. You should ALWAYS include at least one image, aligned to either the
right or left, in this section.
Skills Gained
This area describes your role: what you did, with whom you worked, and the types of
knowledge and skills you gained. Use a variety of specific action verbs (ex. mentoring,
training, facilitating, etc.) and behaviors to describe the kinds of decisions and actions
that went along with this work/experience. Search the web for guidance to specific skill
language related to your interests, major, or work.
Make sure to insert at least one
picture justified to the left, right or
center in each Knowledge Synthesis
Page’s Description/Overview area
(notice in the example image on the
next page, the picture is left
justified).

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Lessons Learned
This area allows you to think about how
you are currently applying the knowledge
and skills you have learned to other areas
of life, as well as how you imagine using
those knowledge and skills in the future. It
is VERY important that you be specific in
this section, providing as many examples
as possible.
You should avoid generalized statements,
such as “I learned a lot” and “this
experience made me a better person”.
Instead, discuss how the experience
helped you learn and grow and in what
ways did you become a “better person”.
Impact/Importance
This section demonstrates your capacity
for "big picture" thinking. It should describe how your learning connects to goals or values
beyond your immediate experience (i.e. how your work benefitted an individual, a group
of people, an organization, or social network). It should also capture the influence or
impact your work has had on others and yourself (in terms of your own professional
development or life goals).
For example, consider how the work/experience you are describing relate to the
following:
 Address your larger learning and professional goals (i.e. the importance of
learning Spanish could be that it prepares you to be successful in a diverse
workplace).
 Support a change underway within a group, community or institution (i.e. the
importance of doing research on a health-related issue could be that it motivated
you to participate more actively in the national health-care debate).
 Enhance group/community development or well-being (i.e. the “importance” of
being a resident advisor is that you can help first-year students make the critical
transition to college life).
A Note on Visual Elements
The visual element (image, diagram or picture) usually captures some theme, context, or
poignant moment. An effective visual element captures some kind of insight, theme, goal, or
outcome described in the work/experience and is distributed throughout the page. You
should include two or more visual elements on each Knowledge Synthesis Page.

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Exercise IV: Writing a Knowledge Synthesis Page
Directions:
1. Read and respond to the questions and prompts in each area. These questions
and prompts will guide you in creating your Knowledge Synthesis Pages.
2. Include at least 1-2 images, aligned to either the right or left, in your Knowledge
Synthesis page (see example image below).
3. Make sure to replace ALL instructional text and images in the digication module
with your own responses and images.
4. Save all work frequently. Typing responses in a Word processor and “cutting” and
“pasting” into the Digication module is highly recommended.
ACTION-ORIENTED TITLE OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE SYNTHESIS PAGE
DESCRIPTION/OVERVIEW
Provide a brief summary (one paragraph) of the overall Knowledge Synthesis page in this
section. Include at least one image.
NOTE: The image to the left is just a
placeholder. You should select an image that
is most relevant to illustrating the experience
you are writing about in the Knowledge
Synthesis Page.
SKILLS GAINED
Answer the prompts below to complete the "Skills Gained" area.
1. Briefly describe (i.e. within 1 - 2 sentences) the steps or actions involved in this
learning experience. Provide enough information so readers can later understand why it
was meaningful to you.
2. Describe 1 - 2 challenges you encountered with regards to this learning experience
(e.g. in trying to address the goals of an assignment, in working with others, etc.).
Consider addressing the following in your response:

35
 Describe an "a-ha" moment or two related to either identifying the challenge or the
process you engaged in to address it.
 Describe specifically what you learned in addressing the challenge and what
happened as a result. For instance, what types of decisions or actions did you
engage in to respond to the challenge and what kinds of strategies, insights and/or
tools did you gain as a result?
 What kinds of previous knowledge, skills and/or strengths did you drawn upon to
address the challenge?
LESSONS LEARNED
Answer the prompts below to complete the "Lessons Learned" area.
1. How has this experience influenced your understanding of yourself, including your
awareness of your own background and social identities?
2. How has this experience informed your overall development as a learner, family
member, leader, worker, friend and/or professional?
3. How do the insights you have gained from this experience connect to specific
academic concepts or ideas you have already learned, or concepts and ideas that you
are currently learning in this course?
4. How have you applied what you’ve learned from this experience in other areas of your
life so far? For instance, has it expanded your notion of what "diversity" means or
influenced how you approach people in social situations?
5. How do you expect to use what you have learned from this experience in the future?
For instance, do you see it having an impact on what you are interested in, where you
might work, or how you will approach working with others?
IMPACT/IMPORTANCE
Answer the prompts below to complete the "Impact/Importance" area.
1. What types of positive feedback have you received from others about your learning
from this experience thus far?

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2. What kind of impact do you think this learning experience may have had on others and
how has that benefitted them?
3. In your process of learning, did you have to overcome some personal challenges
and/or fears that you think others (your friends or family) might be able to relate to? If so,
can you imagine sharing your experience with others?
4. If and when you do decide to share what you have learned with others outside of class,
what would you like others to gain from hearing your story?

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Entering Work Showcase Knowledge Synthesis Pages into Digication

38
Uncovering Knowledge and Values Using Generative Knowledge Interviewing
Writing a Knowledge Synthesis Page can allow you to learn
how to deeply think about your experiences as a lens to your
core skills, values, passions and knowledge.
Unfortunately since most of our understanding of ourselves is
so experienced-based or tacit, it is difficult for us to identify
every aspect of our experiences on our own. Therefore, we
need others to listen to our stories about our learning in
order to get a better sense of what specific skills, knowledge
and capacities were used and developed. When we become
more cognizant of our tacit knowledge, we often arrive at
profound understandings of how we can develop and uniquely
contribute to the world around us.
Generative Knowledge Interviewing (GKI)™
Generative Knowledge Interviewing, a method of tacit knowledge retrieval, empowers
individuals and organizations to clearly identify the ingredients of their success. By
engaging people to explore their “lived” experiences through storytelling, the Generative
Knowledge Interviewing process can be used to quickly identify the capacities, skills and
conditions that facilitate clarity and excellence, as well as the challenges or obstacles that
can hinder an individual or organization.
What’s so “Generative” About Generative Knowledge Interviewing?
This interview technique is “generative” because it allows both the interviewer and
interviewee to uncover the underlying value inherent in the speaker’s “lived” experiences.
In other words, both the person listening and the person speaking can more easily point
out the unique knowledge, skills and capacities the speaker has gained through solving
problems, working with different types of people, negotiating competing interests, etc. As
a result, Generative Knowledge Interviewing can position the interviewer to discover the
highest forms of the interviewee’s abilities and capacities as demonstrated from the
interviewee’s experiences.
One student named Cassandra, a senior in Psychology who plans to use her portfolio to
apply for jobs, used Generative Knowledge Interviewing in the following situation:

39
Cassandra has had many incredible learning experiences in college but she’s
not sure what they all mean or how they could possibly all go together. As part
of the Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process, Cassandra works with a GKI
peer mentor to explore her work and life experiences; she realizes that she has
significant strengths and skills that she had not recognized previously in areas
of group facilitation, problem-solving, leadership and self-starting initiatives. At
the end of the GKI process, Cassandra is ready to demonstrate her new
insights in the pages for her Integrative Knowledge Professional Portfolio.
Through the GKI process she realizes that she has far more career options
than she had previously thought. When necessary, she will be able to
effectively communicate her unique knowledge, skills and capacities to future
employers in writing and in interviews.
So How Does Generative Knowledge Interviewing Work?
The goal of Generative Knowledge Interviewing is to begin surfacing, identifying and
presenting the essential knowledge that is embedded in a person’s experiences through
a process involving storytelling, listening, dialogue, reflection and documentation. The
role of the interviewer is to assist the interviewee or speaker in telling a complete and
detailed “story” or series of stories about their current or previous experiences.
The process of constructing a single story involves prompting the speaker to describe
moments of their experience as specifically as possible by telling stories of (a)
accomplishing a goal, (b) responding to challenge, and/or revelatory and enlightening
moments.
Through skillful interviewing, the facilitator draws out key insights and lessons
from these stories, and in this way elicits the tacit knowledge present in the
speaker’s life experiences.
 First, the speaker is encouraged to tell their stories from an active first-person
perspective, demonstrating what they thought and how they responded to
particular moments along the way.
 Then throughout the storytelling process, the interviewer is listening as deeply as
possible to what is said explicitly and implicitly by the speaker.
 As the stories progress, the interviewer discerns patterns, capabilities and themes,
and validates her/his observations by asking additional questions.
 After a full set of stories are recounted, the interviewer begins to share words or
phrases with the speaker– derived through generative listening – that help identify
the speaker’s competencies, core passions, and other motivating factors that
support the speaker in acting at their highest ability.

40
 The interviewer then summarizes and documents these findings electronically in a
word document, ePortfolio page or email and sends it to the speaker. The process
continues as the speaker considers the interviewer’s insights and works to
integrate them into their life.
Steps of Generative Interviewing
1. Intending and Creating a Generative Space: the interviewer helps the speaker(s)
clarify the goals of the interview: what they would like to learn and how they will use the
knowledge gained
2. Indwelling and Retrieving: the interviewer seeks to get “inside” the speakers’
experiences by asking them to tell stories about key learning, work, and/or life
experiences, while paying attention to the speakers’ agency – their perceptions, actions
and decisions within the story
3. Identifying and Discerning: the interviewer prompts the speaker to “unpack” key
words and phrases, while he/she listens for themes, ideas, images or words that emerge
in response to the stories but are not actually spoken by the speaker
4. Validating and Aligning: the interviewer shares the ideas, words, and themes they
discerned from listening to the speakers’ stories to see if they resonate with the speaker.
As needed, the interviewer repeats steps 2-4, prompting additional stories until the
interviewee’s core capacities are fully verified and documented
5. Anchoring and Amplifying: the interviewer prompts the speaker to connect his/her
core capacities to a larger understanding of his/her roles and identities across various
contexts and imagine how knowledge of these core capacities can help them better
respond to the world
How Will I Use Generative Knowledge Interviewing in the Integrative Knowledge Portfolio
Process?
 In this part of Phase B, you will learn the basic skills of Generative Knowledge
Interviewing.
 You will then use those skills to help others uncover the tacit knowledge
embedded in their Knowledge Synthesis Page experiences (just like how the GKI
peer mentor helped Cassandra in the example above).
 Later on in Phase C, you will once again use Generative Knowledge Interviewing
to develop a Philosophy Statement for your portfolio.

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Exercise V: Feedback on Your Knowledge Synthesis Pages Using Generative
Knowledge Interviewing
Part I: Conducting a Generative Knowledge Interview
Directions: The purpose of this exercise is to provide a list of questions to aid the
Generative Knowledge Interviewer in gathering rich, descriptive insights from the
speaker. Use these questions to help the speaker expand their written learning
experiences for their Knowledge Synthesis Pages. You should make sure to write key
phrases or points of insight that can later be connected to understand what knowledge
and skills were gained through the speaker’s learning experience(s).
1. DESCRIPTION/OVERVIEW & SKILLS GAINED SECTIONS
• Tell me about the work/experience you are writing about for your
Knowledge Synthesis Page(s).
• What were the overall goals of the job or task? How did you work to
achieve those goals?
• What was the most engaging aspect of the experience you wrote about?
• Describe an “a-ha” moment you had – the more specific, the better.
• What are some ways in which you work with others individuals from
different backgrounds who had values and/or work styles different from your
own?
• What was your role? What were you trying to accomplish, and how does it
relate to the overall needs/goals of the organization?

42
2. LESSONS LEARNED SECTION
• How did this experience address your own learning and/or professional
goals? What are your current learning goals?
• What specific types of knowledge and/or skills have you either enhanced or
gained from this experience?
• How do you see this experience as helping to shape how you may
approach things in the future?
• Have you applied or used what you did in that experience in other areas?
Please describe. If not, how do you think it could be used in other areas?
• Can you identify any other larger types of insights or skills from this
experience that you can see yourself carrying forward into other areas of
your life?
3. IMPACT/IMPORTANCE SECTION
• How was this experience relevant to the “big picture” goals of your
institution/organization?
• What do you see as the potential impact or outcome of your work in this
experience?
• Can you identify a particular goal, group, process, organization or
community that can benefit?
• What positive feedback have others provided about this work/experience?

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Part II: Reflecting Information Back to the Speaker
Directions: Use the notes you created during the Generative Knowledge Interview to
identify specific strengths, capacities, values, concerns, motivations, and passions that
guided the speaker during the experience they described during the interview. You will
provide these concrete feedback points to the speaker for them to improving their
Knowledge Synthesis Page on the experience.
Strengths and Core Capacities
1. Identify at least two strengths and/or capacities that were similar across your
partner’s Knowledge Synthesis story. Write down what the capacity is and an
example of how they express it in specific contexts.
Strength or Core Capacity 1:
a. Name of strength or capacity:
b. A specific example of how your partner expresses this strength or capacity
through their perceptions, decisions, relationships and/or actions in specific
contexts:
Strength or Core Capacity 2:
a. Name of strength or capacity:
b. An example of how the speaker expressed this strength or capacity through
their perceptions, decisions, relationships and/or actions in specific contexts
Motivating Factors and Values
2. Identify at least two passions and/or values that informed your partner’s decisions
and/or actions based on the strengths/capacities you pinpointed above.
a. Passions, Motivations, Values or Concerns 1
b. Passions, Motivations, Values or Concerns 2

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Generative Knowledge Interviewer Guidelines
 Assist the speaker in describing specific moments related to their learning –
prompting them to talk about what they were doing in as much detail as possible.
 Make sure to ask the speaker to further describe or “unpack” common
phrases or terms they use.
 Listen for generic adjectives or adverbs such as “interesting” “frustrating”
“amazing” “fun” and then prompt the speaker to say more.
 Listen for recurring themes from the speaker’s
story (ies) -- it is helpful to quickly write down a word
or two so you can recall these themes or insights
later.
 Reflect back to the speaker what you hear them
saying after they have told you a chunk of their
story. For example, “what I heard you saying so far
is that you took on a leadership role within an
organization that was in dire need of good leadership
…sounds like there were a lot of challenges you
faced fund-raising, creating ways for people to
communicate…”
 After you have reflected back to the speaker what
they have said, it is important to share your own
insights into their story and see if they resonate with the speaker’s
perspective. Usually these kinds of comments will prompt the speaker to go
further and sometimes they will also create an “a-ha” moment of insight.
 Encourage the speaker to “anchor” their newly conscious understanding of
their tacit knowledge in their portfolio as soon as possible. Since tacit
knowledge is so entrenched in our experiences, it will recede quickly back into our
unconscious decision-making and behavior. Writing about it in the portfolio will not
only allow the speaker to enhance their pre-existing Knowledge Synthesis Page,
but it will help them to retain a conscious awareness of the insights revealed
during the Generative Knowledge Interviewing Process.

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Entering Generative Knowledge Interviewing Feedback in Digication

46
Phase C
Demonstrating Passions and Values
Purpose of Phase C
During this phase, you will complete a series of exercises that help them identify your
values and beliefs as well as the sources of curiosity and engagement that underlie your
decisions and actions.
Writing a Strong Philosophy Statement Using
Generative Knowledge Interviewing
Under Philosophy Statement as Exercise I
Completing Your Goals Page Under Goals as Exercise II
In Phase C, you will complete
 Identify the passions,
values and motivations
behind your behavior and
decision-making
 Develop a clear, succinct,
and purposeful Philosophy
Statement
 Complete your Goals page
correspond to the Goals and Work
Showcase sections of the Integrative

47
Why Create a Philosophy Statement?
The Philosophy Statement allows you to identify and explore the values, passions, and
ideas that are most meaningful to you. It addresses “why” you do what you do. After
reading it, people will understand the values, beliefs and commitments that inform your
decisions and actions.
Some questions you will answer through the
Philosophy Statement are, "Why do I do what you
do?" "What are the beliefs or values behind my
actions?" and “What motivates and/or inspires me
most?” Students often say that this is the part of the
Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process that has
the most profound effect on them since developing
the Philosophy Statement creates a focal point for
the overall Integrated Knowledge Portfolio.
Philosophy Statement Components
 Your Philosophy Statement should illustrate how you will aspire to contribute to
your families, communities, professions and society as a whole, as well as the
approaches and methods you wish to use, or have already used, in working
toward your goals.
 You should make sure to describe three to five core themes that articulate values,
beliefs or approach that capture why you will choose particular types of work or
areas of study.
 You should also provide concrete examples of how each theme connects to your
actions and decisions.

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Understanding Guidelines for Creating a Compelling Philosophy Statement
Directions: Use the guidelines listed below in preparation for Exercise VIII: Creating a
Philosophy Statement. Be sure to send these guidelines to your partner/reviewer after
you complete the Philosophy Statement exercise and are ready to send it to others for
constructive feedback.
Illustrative – A compelling Philosophy Statement demonstrates your ability to connect an
abstract or conceptual understanding of your values with specific examples of how the
values have been previously demonstrated in your decisions and actions, as well as how
you intend to integrate the values in the future. The axiom of “show, don’t just tell” is key
to reflecting your values in ways that do not sound like a cliché. Many people begin with
an inspiring quote and then demonstrate how or why the quote illustrates their values.
Key Themes – Since your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio is intended to reflect patterns
and interconnectedness, it is important that you demonstrate several underlying key
values or themes in your philosophy statement. Even though you may have a single
value that is most important to you, you will demonstrate a greater level of maturity by
demonstrating how you negotiate and express several different values or capacities (i.e.
building strong communities, exploring diverse perspectives, and supporting positive
change) in your life and work than you will by focusing on a single value or example.
Balanced – A good Philosophy Statement discusses past, present, and future with
similar detail. For instance, if a Philosophy Statement has several illustrative anecdotes
that represent how you demonstrated values in the past, then it should also have several
examples of how you intend to demonstrate and even further develop your values in the
future. Another form of balance occurs through making sure that each value is reflected
in a similar length of text and level of detail.
Keep in mind that it is really important for you to seek feedback from others as you
complete this process! Constructive feedback will allow you to shape a compelling
Philosophy Statement page.

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Exercise VI: Creating a Philosophy Statement
The purpose of this activity is to work with others to identify patterns and themes for creating a
Philosophy Statement and to gain the skills needed to write an initial draft of your philosophy.
Part I: Identifying Passions, Strengths and Values
Directions: Spend 5-10 MINUTES noting your responses to the questions below. You do not
need to write down full answers - just enough so you can discuss your responses with others.
 AS SPEAKER, you will spend 15 min. sharing your responses and reverse roles;
 AS INTERVIEWER, your role is to prompt the speaker to share their responses in such
a way that you can understand the kinds of values and criteria that are embedded in
their decision-making and responses. You should listen for thoughts and insights that
occur to you as you are listening to the speaker’s responses. Write down any themes or
values that came to mind. When the speaker finishes, articulate the themes you
identified and examples of how they are relevant to the speaker’s actions and decision-
making (refer to Phase B for guidelines on Generative Knowledge interviewing).
Questions Responses
When have you felt deeply engaged or
purposeful? Describe at least 2 experiences of
deep engagement:
Experience 1:
 What was the context? What were you doing
and why was it engaging?
 Describe an “a-ha” moment or an experience
of challenge. What was the result?
Experience 2:
 What was the context? What were you doing
and why was it engaging?
 Describe an “a-ha” moment or an experience
of challenge. What was the result?
Who are the people, groups, and/or organizations
you admire and why? How have they influenced
how you think, relate and/or act?
Describe an experience when someone
motivated and/or inspired you. Who were they
and how did they inspire/motivate you?
What did you think or do differently as a result?
If you had a magic wand and could influence or
change the world in any way, what would you do?
What specific changes would you create?

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Part II: Reflecting Information Back to the Speaker
Directions: Use the notes you created during the Generative Knowledge Interview to
identify specific passions, values, concerns, and motivations that guided the speaker
during the experiences they described during the interview. You will provide these
concrete feedback points to the speaker for them to create their Philosophy Statement in
Digication.
Passions and Values
Identify at least two strengths and/or capacities that were similar across your
partner’s stories of engagement and insight. Write down what the capacity is and an
example of how they express it in specific contexts.
Passion or Value 1:
c. Name of passion or value:
d. A specific example of how your partner expresses this passion or value through
their perceptions, decisions, relationships and/or actions in specific contexts:
Passion or Value 2:
c. Name of passion or value:
d. An example of how the speaker expressed this passion or value through their
perceptions, decisions, relationships and/or actions in specific contexts
Motivating Beliefs and Concerns
Identify at least motivating beliefs or concerns that informed your partner’s decisions
and/or actions based on the passions/values you pinpointed above.
c. Motivating Belief or Concern 1
d. Motivating Belief or Concern 2

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Part III: Organizing Your Passions, Values, and Strengths into a Philosophy
Statement
Parts I and II of this exercise helped you discover specific situations where your
values, passions, and strengths are clear. You also had the opportunity to clarify
some of the external motivators and characteristics that inform your values,
passions and beliefs (such as inspirational/motivational quotes, people, groups,
causes, etc.). In Part III, you will organize your insights from Parts I and II into at
least three main areas that will be included in your Philosophy Statement.
Directions: In the boxes below, answer each question for each of the main areas of your
Philosophy Statement. After you answer the questions, identify at least one (1) picture
that best captures each main area. After completing this exercise, you should have a
draft of the content for your Philosophy Statement.
Question Main Area 1 Main Area 2 Main Area 3
1. What were
the key values,
passions, and
strengths
highlighted
during your
Generative
Knowledge
Interview?
2. What areas of
your life do
these values
appear? Give
specific
examples.
3. Who and/or
what shapes
your values,
passions, and
strengths in
each area? How
do they do this?

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NOTE: Your Philosophy Statement should contain the elements illustrated in
the example Philosophy Statements (on the following pages of this
handbook).
First Example Student Philosophy Statement
The philosophy statement below has the following effective qualities:
1. It is organized around several clear, centralized themes making it easier for the
readers to appreciate Jessica's main ideas and experiences.
2. It integrates pictures relating to each theme creating visual metaphors for the
reader to better understand the importance of the ideas and experiences and how
Jessica personifies characteristics of notable individuals with similar social change
perspectives.
3. Each of the sections has statements that illustrate what Jessica values
and examples of those values in real life; these examples let the reader know that
Jessica's values and beliefs guide her decision-making and actions on a daily basis.
Jessica Eiland
(Can be found online at http://MPortfolio.umich.edu/showcase.html)
James
Baldwin
My Mother and I Grace Lee Boggs My Father and I
Martin Luther
King Jr
Today I am going to tell my story. Today I am going to be heard.
Today we are going to tell our stories. Today we are going to be heard.
I am told that my mission statement as a child must have been to "save the world one
man, woman and child at a time". As an adult, what I hope for and work toward is a
society where people are more supportive of one another; a place where the dreams of
individuals are connected to and considerate of the goals and aspirations of others, and a

53
place where people have the shared intention of creating stable, supportive networks and
communities for all people.
Living Stories of Transformation
My own story is intertwined with the lives and stories of others. The relationships with
peers, friends and family that I have had and the transformative stories I have heard
contributed to my understanding of the world and motivated me. My father grew up in a
small, rural, segregated Mississippi town. His determination to succeed in order to
become a highly educated and successful black male role model despite enormous
limitations has instilled in me a powerful commitment to resist oppressive constraints and
commit to doing work that enhances the lives of others. My mother was committed to
raising me with a strong sense of self-worth and self-capability that I have not only used
in my own life but worked to relay to others. In addition to my parents, the lives of
professors, writers, and activists such as Grace Lee Boggs, James Baldwin, Martin
Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama, Lakota Harden and many others have also motivated
me. From them I have gained the courage to overcome my fears and take risks that will
change lives, neighborhoods, communities, local and national policies and even create
international movements.
Working with Others Towards Self-Empowerment
I recognize that my core strength is encouraging and supporting others to take control of
their surroundings, and helping them connect to the strengths within themselves and in
their communities. I have learned from my previous work that successful community
organizing takes considerable time and effort. It requires getting to know people, learning
about their experiences, and listening to their stories. I am willing to invest the time to
build the strong relationships that are essential to forming a solid foundation for change.
Using Creativity to Build Community
I am mindful of the importance of the human voice in creating change. From my work with
elders in urban communities, I have learned how to utilize creative forms of expression,
such as theatre, role-plays and monologues as a means to give voice to powerful stories,
and initiate the kind of dialogue that brings people of different generations and cultures
together. Creativity can be used as a powerful tool to connect people to their strengths,
share stories of challenge and transformation, and build bridges of understanding and
collaboration that transcend differences.
Addressing Economic and Political Inequalities
Through my work in Detroit, New Orleans and other places across the country, I have
learned a great deal about economic and political inequalities and oppression in urban
America and how these differences impact the well-being of people in those
communities. Although difficult, I accept the fact that changes in society and communities
must address systematic social inequalities. I am committed to learning about these
inequalities and having this knowledge inform all the work I do.

54
Second Example Student Philosophy Statement
The philosophy statement below has several effective qualities:
1. It is organized around 3 central themes making it easier for the readers to
appreciate Alex's main ideas and experiences
2. It integrates pictures with each theme creating visual metaphors for the reader to
better understand the importance of the ideas and experiences
3. Each of the 3 sections has statements that illustrate what Alex values
and examples of those values in real life; these examples let the reader know that
Alex's values and beliefs guide his decision-making and actions on a daily basis
Alex Turin
(Can be found online at
http://MPortfolio.umich.edu/showcase.html)
Learning to Seize the Day
As a giant wall is made up of a constellation of bricks,
I see life as being made up of segments of
opportunities. For instance, the passages to
elementary school, to high school, or to the university
level all illustrate transitions from one unique
opportunity to another. Through my choices, I strive
to make full use of each opportunity, seizing every
resource in order to learn all that I can before the
time comes to lay another brick. As a university
student, I've made the most of my environment by asking questions to my professors,
accessing tremendous libraries, and speaking with any number of other students in
regards to essentially any topic of interest, be it coursework or career advice. It is
these resources, among others, that have enabled me to delve into and discover vast
areas of knowledge that would otherwise go unnoticed. Using opportunities,
resources, and time wisely allows me to set my own standard of excellence and then
strive to achieve it, not only as a way to return what was given me, but also in respect
to the work of my family.

55
Learning to Do Everything
My father's advice of my childhood years
still resonates through my head: "You
must be able to do everything." It is not by
any means a realistic expectation in its
literal sense, and I have always taken it to
mean that I must learn the skills and
overcome challenges to be able to adapt
in any given situation, in any opportunity.
Aside from the knowledge gained in
school, I've taken advantage of the
opportunities to learn - at least in a basic form - everything, from changing a tire to
cooking, music, literature, science, and foreign languages (which I am particularly fond
of). For instance, when two individuals share a language that is not the common
language of the region, it inherently creates a connection that cannot be forged in any
other way. It is this breadth of knowledge that allows me to strike up conversation with
just about anyone, on just about any topic. By being a balanced and well-rounded
person, I can participate fully in the world to have the deepest and widest impact
possible.
Learning for Life
Studying often carries with it the implication of an
exam in the not-so-distant future. The majority of
learning, which stems from such studying, seems to
vanish without trace en route in the few all-too-often
hedonistic hours following sets of examinations. This
"learning for the moment" is, to me, impractical and
a poor use of opportunity, resources, and time.
As I see it, all knowledge may be applicable in the
future, even if it is not immediately clear how.
Lifelong learning creates a foundation of knowledge
that can be activated and built upon in the future.
For instance, as an avid pianist, I have learned
numerous pieces that I enjoy playing; however, with
increased responsibilities, I have less time for
practice, and I have forgotten many of the pieces I had once enjoyed so much.
However, it takes a small fraction of the time to "relearn" a piece than to learn a new
one afresh, and the same is true of all knowledge. Moreover, as I build upon the
foundation and developed deeper, I find myself creating patterns of knowledge that
stem from experiences and learning. These patterns are interdisciplinary, leading to
new insights and ideas that not only help learn the information, but to apply it, to
understand it, and to use it.

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Entering Your Philosophy Statement into Digication

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Exercise VII: Incorporating Feedback on the Philosophy Statement
Directions: After incorporating the suggestions given to you during your Generative Knowledge
Interview into your drafted Philosophy Statement, use this sheet to figure out how you can polish
your Philosophy Statement before publishing your portfolio.
Key Themes Comments
Included several underlying key values,
passions, and strengths in philosophy
Quality of key themes
Balance Comments
Included past and present examples of
values, passions, and strengths
Quality of Examples
Articulated future development and use of
values, passions, and strengths
Sections are given equal space and level of
detail
Sections are clearly organized and easy to
read
Illustrative Quality Comments
Connected an abstract/conceptual
understanding of values, passions and
strengths (as evidenced through a quote,
anecdote, etc.)
Included pictures for each main area of
philosophy
Overall impression
Areas of Strength:
Areas for Improvement:

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Exercise VIII: Connecting Your Goals to Your Knowledge Synthesis Pages
Although you started to develop a Goals page in Phase A, you will now consider your
original goals in relation to other parts of your portfolio, such as your Knowledge
Synthesis Pages and Philosophy Statement. The purpose of this exercise is to aid you in
connecting these sections to demonstrate your ability to integrate your learning.
Directions: After completing several Knowledge Synthesis Pages, consider the following
questions before completing your polished Goals Page for your published Integrative
Knowledge Portfolio:
Questions Comments and Thoughts
How are the goals you identified in Step 1
reflected in your Knowledge Synthesis
Pages?
How are your goals reflected in your
Philosophy Statement?
Are there any disconnections between
your goals and Knowledge Synthesis
Pages? If so, what are they?
Are there any disconnections between
your goals and Philosophy Statement? If
so, what are they?
Name 1 – 2 additions you believe will
enhance your Goals page?

59
Entering Your Goals Page into Digication
Publishing your Goals Page
1. Click on the Goals link in the sections menu.
2. Replace the text and picture in the instructional module with
your own text (generated from both Goals exercises) and
picture(s) to create a Goals page.
3. Click Save to keep your changes. You will notice a red box at
the top of the module after saving (pictured below).
4. Click on the Publish tab and select Publish Changes. The
page should now show in the published view of your portfolio.

60
Phase D
Completing Your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio
Purpose of Phase D
The purpose of this phase is to prepare you for finishing your first Integrative Knowledge
Portfolio. Thus, you will learn methods for integrating and evaluating your work across the
portfolio, and showcasing your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio publicly.
Creating a Clear and Cohesive Welcome
Page
Under Welcome Page as Exercise I
Creating a Resume That Adds to Your
Portfolio
Under Resume as Exercise I
In Phase D, you will complete
 Showcase your resume
experiences in a way that
demonstrates awareness of
tacit capacities
 Welcomes others to get to
know you through your
Integrative Knowledge
Portfolio
 Invite others to provide
constructive feedback on
your entire portfolio
correspond to the Welcome and
Resume section of the Integrative

61
Exercise IX: Creating a Clear and Cohesive Welcome Page Message
To create a successful Integrative Knowledge Portfolio, it is helpful to begin by thinking
about who will be looking at it - your potential audience. The audience for your portfolio
will typically include one or more of the following:
 School instructors and staff
 Classmates
 Friends and relatives
 Job recruiters (e.g. Google, JP Morgan Chase, etc.)
 Admissions committees for graduate, professional, and medical schools
 Yourself
Regardless of the audience you select, the questions below will help you think about how
you would like to present yourself through your portfolio overall, and in your Welcome
page in particular. If you find it difficult to answer the questions, ask family, friends,
classmates or work colleagues to answer them with you. For each question or prompt in
the column on the left below, write your responses in the column on the right.
What are three things that people
want to know about you? Name
things that you do well and/or
qualities or capacities that you
think others should know about
Ex. My friends say that I am really good at
organizing things, breaking down big projects
into smaller tasks and goals. I also get a great
deal of joy from working in my garden, watching
things grow. And, I really enjoy helping people
communicate better with one another.
What adjectives or phrases would
you like people to use to describe
you after looking through your
portfolio? If you need help, ask
your friends, family or classmates
to help you.
Ex. I love to learn new things, I try to do my best
in everything I do and have fun at the same
time. I also get along well with different kinds of
people.

62
Are there any particular
images, metaphors or quotes that
you would like people to use in
describing you (e.g. a bridge
builder, a connector, or a force of
nature)?
Ex. I'd like people to think of me as a rainbow,
someone who makes people smile and who
emphasizes the positive.
What are 3 – 5 facts (i.e. key
experiences or roles that you have
had) that you would like people to
know about after reading your
portfolio?
Ex. I am a mother, friend, daughter, hard worker,
nanny, and a lover of music!

63
Creating the Welcome section in Digication

64
Exercise X: Creating a Resume That Adds to Your Portfolio
Purpose and Directions: The Resume section is one of the more traditional aspects of a
portfolio; however, you will learn in this exercise how to re-conceptualize your resume as
a platform for highlighting your awareness of your tacit capacities (as retrieved from
Phase B & C Generative Knowledge Interviewing exercises). Although the design and
layout of your Welcome are up to you, use the questions and prompts below to refine the
content areas of your Resume.
Work Experience
1. Use this area to reframe your work experience to include community leadership, family
care, and other roles that have taught you “work”-related skills.
Some “work”-related experiences I should add to my resume are:
2. The phase “volunteer work” generally gives the impression of passive participation. To
avoid this, try to incorporate specific categories that more aptly approach your role and
responsibilities (such as the aforementioned categories “community leadership” and
“family care”). You may find that the Knowledge/Skills Areas sheet contains several
helpful word choices.
Instead of “Volunteer Work”, I will use ______________________ to refer to my
non-paid work experiences.
3. Your Knowledge Synthesis Pages and Philosophy Statement showcase the
knowledge, skills, values, and passions you have develop through various learning
experiences. To give the reader a clear understanding of these capacities, you should
explicitly include what areas of your abilities were developed or honed as a result of your
work. For example, instead of “Maintained paper-based and electronic files and other
office duties” you could say “Developed process efficiency skills by creating and
maintaining filing client documents; increased multi-tasking capacity by facilitating front-
line office responsibilities...”

65
The tacit capacities and knowledge I should include on my resume are:
Accomplishments & Recognition; Education
1. This area of your resume should highlight your accomplishments and recognition for
your work. You should not only include traditional work-related accomplishments and
recognitions, but those you gained through non-traditional work contexts (such as
through the Jaycees, student organization, church, etc.)
The Accomplishments and Recognition I should include on my resume are:
2. One of the most under-utilized areas of a resume is the “Education” area. You can
enhance this area by listing relevant coursework (if you are using your resume to apply
for a specific job), or experiences during your time at a particular school/institution. You
may find that it is not always about where you attended school but how much you meet
the qualifications for the position.
I can enhance the Education area of my resume to include:

66
Adding Your Resume to Your Portfolio in Digication

67
Personalizing Your Portfolio
Your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio should not only showcase your work, knowledge,
and interests – it should demonstrate who you are and what you would like others to
know about you. Designing your portfolio pages in Digication can help you achieve a
more personalized identity for your portfolio.
The following exercises and forms will show you how to:
 Create a coherent look across your portfolios pages
 Change the banner and directory icon for your portfolio
 Invite others to provide feedback on your entire portfolio

68
Exercise XI: Creating Coherence across Portfolio Pages
In this reading exercise, you will learn how to bring your content and visual
elements together to create a coherent story about yourself using your portfolio
pages. It is important to be succinct – remember additional explanations and
evidence (documents, power point presentation, images, etc…) can be
attached to portfolio pages and should not add a great amount of unnecessary
space to your portfolio pages.
You should also consider what pictures, figures or diagrams add meaning to your
portfolio pages. Although most students are used to adding digital images to sites like
Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, it is important to consider the meaning and importance
of those visual elements in terms of representing yourself and your work professionally.
This is why it is extremely important for you to get feedback on both the design and
content of your portfolio pages as often as possible.
Directions: Use the guidelines listed below in preparation for presenting your portfolio
publicly and/or publishing your portfolio.
General Principles of Good Design
Good design helps convey a hierarchy of meaning on a single page or through a series of
pages within a portfolio; it helps the reader know which content and/or visual elements
they should pay attention to, and the meaning they should obtain from the material. There
are many resources that can be used to help students think about the design of their
portfolio (see Lynch & Horton, 1999). Some principles of good design (Adopted from
Lynch & Horton, 1999; Hong & Sullivan, 2009) include:
1. Use Design Elements to make your main points clearly visible -- The consistent
use of design elements (i.e. titles and headers) can
help the reader understand the major points,
rhythm or central theme of your portfolio pages.
Identify what you want people to know, and then
make it obvious. Consistent spacing can also make
the portfolio pages easy to read.
2. Use graphics and images to convey meaning – The careful placement of graphic
and visual elements can highlight the main points while bringing interest and
coherence to your portfolio pages. Images can be literal or abstract and should be
applied with attention to the following:
For instance, you might want to
use a “call-out” box (such as
this text box) to highlight key
information, a major point, a
meaningful insight or quote.

69
 adding meaning and value to the content or main point of the page; and
 bringing a consistent design to each page and across the overall portfolio (this
is usually done by using a similar layout of images and text on each page).
3. Make it brief and easily readable - A single portfolio page should not be more than
1- 2 pages of single-spaced text. The main point of the page should be easily seen at
the beginning of the page. Avoid excessive videos, images or other elements that
take away from the simplicity and succinctness of your portfolio pages.
4. Use white space generously - The term “white space” refers to empty space on a
page (or negative space); it is used to give balance, proportion and contrast to a
page; it does not need to be white. The generous use of white space tends to make
things seem more elegant and easier to read; it can also convey to the reader that
you have an ability to prioritize and succinctly present information.
In addition to the aforementioned principles, it is helpful to pay attention to the following:
 Position — the location of text or visuals on the page conveys a great deal of
meaning. Generally speaking, the top left corner is where people look first and then
the upper middle of the page. The positioning of visual elements should stay as
consistent as possible from one page to another (especially with Knowledge
Synthesis pages); this allow readers to pay attention to the portfolio content and not
have to acclimate to the different positioning of text and visuals as they read (see the
screenshot of Trenten Rocha’s portfolio above for an example of this).

70
 Color & Contrast — the restrained use of different colors is a good way to distinguish
different content areas and/or major points. As you can see from Trenten Rocha’s
portfolio page, the use of varying shades of blue compliment the overall layout and
accents each section and header. On the contrary, too much contrasting colors
(especially text) on a single page can distract the reader from the content on the
page. Identify 2-4 colors for your portfolio and use them consistently throughout for
reading ease.
 Padding — this term refers to the white space between elements and text on a page.
You should always have considerable and consistent space between Images, text,
and any other object on a page. Putting space objects makes the content much more
readable and pleasant to those viewing your pages.
REFERENCES: Hong, H. and Sullivan, F. (2009). Towards an idea-centered, principle-based design
approach to support learning as knowledge creation. Educational Technology
Research & Development, 57(5).
Lynch, P.J., & Horton, S. (1999). Web style guide: Basic design
principles for creating web sites. New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press.

71
Changing the Banner and Directory Icon for Your Portfolio

72
Feedback Criteria for Your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio
Overall Clarity, Structure, and Grammar Positive elements Things to be Improved
The portfolio conveys a “story” in a logical and orderly manner so
that readers can understand the author’s overall purpose and
goals and distinguishing characteristics
Grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure are clear and
congruent
Formatting is appropriate and consistent (e.g. bullets all begin with
same use of verbs)
The connection between pages is clear
The tone of the writing is professional and authentic
Integration of Textual and Visual Elements Positive To be Improved
The visual design of the portfolio is easy to read and consistent
The visual and textual elements complement one another; they
enhance the meaning
The Quality of Different Sections Positive To be Improved
Each Knowledge Synthesis Page provides enough context to
stand alone, they do not need other pages
The Welcome Page encourages the reader to explore the rest of
the portfolio
The Philosophy Statement describes the underlying values of the
student; it is congruent with the Knowledge Synthesis and Goals
Pages
The Goals Page conveys the authors intent & fits with other pages

73
Publishing the Portfolio

74
Giving Access to Unpublished Content

75
Showcasing Your Integrative Knowledge Portfolio
FEEDBACK FORM
Name of Portfolio Presenter:
Welcome Page
Content:
 Excellent
 Good
 Fair/Needs Improvement
Comments:
Visuals:
 Excellent
 Good
Comments:
Work Showcase Pages
Content:
 Excellent
 Good
Comments:
Visuals:
 Excellent
 Good
Comments:
Philosophy Statement Page
Content:
 Excellent
 Good
Comments:
Visuals:
 Excellent
 Good
Comments:
Goals Page
Content:
 Excellent
 Good
Comments:
Visuals:
 Excellent
 Good
Comments:
Overall Thoughts:
What did you like most? What did you like least?
Additional thoughts or comments?

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