I have not posted for four months…I’ve been really busy traveling, working and writing.  This week, I completed a major milestone on my PhD journey: the portfolio review.  I have compiled a collection of documentation of my progress and writing samples for review by my faculty adviser and an assigned second faculty reader.  Here’s what goes into the portfolio review:

• A short reflection paper (7 pages) on my doctoral journey thus far
• An annotated bibliography of all my writing during the program for all courses, outside paper presentations, seminar participation and outside training certifications
• A complete set of all faculty comments received as part of my course assessments
• A dissertation concept paper first draft (more on this in a later post)
• A revised learning plan, indicating my choices for the few remaining courses
• Selected writing samples – I chose four samples; two from the beginning of my studies and two of my most recent papers

The complete package is 154 pages.  I formatted it to print and copy 2-sided, with margins to support a bound copy.  I printed off a separate title page in color, using a nice template from Avery.  Staples made three copies with bindings for me in about 15 minutes.  I learned a few things with using Staples: you can send in the order electronically and save a few cents per page.  However, making color copies costs 49 cents per page, so make sure you limit color.

I’m really pleased with the result.  I can now hold in my hands a representation of two years’ worth of work.  I can see the progress and the growth assembled in one place.  My phone conference with my faculty reviewers is this week.  After that, I need to write a paper that summarizes the conversation and my learning from the review.