Publishing a Site

There are several options for publishing an ePortfolio using the IC Web Profiler. The first option prevents a student's ePortfolio from being viewed by anyone but the student. Once the student is comfortable with what he or she has created, they can choose who will be able to access the site. Limited access allows only those on the Ithaca College campus to view the Web site, and can even be narrowed down to choosing one or all of the groups including Faculty, Students, and Administrative Staff. If a student chooses to allow Public access, anyone in the world will be able to view the ePortfolio.

Publicly Available
Part of the power of an ePortfolio is in its availability; it is easily accessed and viewed by potential employers, graduate schools, and other institutions. When an ePortfolio account is first created for students, they are only accessible to the student . This default setting is due to potential issues in regards to confidentiality and the legality of content contained in an ePortfolio. The initial availability settings are also meant to encourage students, faculty, and staff to work together in the development of an ePortfolio and to prevent any possible negative consequences for the student upon making his or her site available to the world. Once the ePortfolio is ready, it can be released to the world.

World-wide accessibility presents the possibility for very real problems. After an ePortfolio is released, it is available to the entire Web-viewing world; careful consideration must be given to its contents. While Ithaca College has never been in the business of restricting students' rights to express themselves, certain precautions must be taken by students posting sites to the Ithaca College Web server. Obviously, copyright law is a major issue for Web publishing and this is no less true for ePortfolios.

In addition to copyright issues, the personal content of an ePortfolio should be of the highest concern to students. Remember, everything on the Web should be considered public. After an ePortfolio is made available to the general public, anything that is posted there can potentially be accessed by any computer connected to the Internet. That site is associated with the student's name and therefore it is the student's responsibility. An ePortfolio is a representation of an individual's thoughts, growth, and ideas, and essentially a representation of his or her self to anyone who cares to view the site. For this reason, students should be careful in what they state on their site, or in their evidence.