Viewing Student ELPs
A student ELP using the New School mandatory template has a main page with a rolling collection of posts. Just a scroll down a student’s “All Projects” entry page presents a portrait of the student.
a. Home Page
The ELP is a blog that collects student entries or “posts”. These posts are displayed on a main home page. Below is a homepage from Yidi Chen, Parsons student and Amanda Miller, Lang Student. Note how a quick scan down the display thumbnails introduces the student’s interests and study.
b. Posts
Posts are entries of content and contain writing and media. Students add posts to the ELP when they are assigned in class or independently. Below are two process posts from First Year students. The first is from a Lang Student reflecting on her writer’s process, the second is from a Parsons student and outlines a procedure for construction.
c. Menus and Tagging
An organized ELP allows clear and quick access to content. The ELP template comes pre-loaded with a menu of categories so that each site is already customized for the student. Faculty can remind students to categorize and tag. Best practices in posting ask that each post is categorized with a specific course. Tags are used to mark concepts contained in the post.
Below is a menu from Sydney Loew’s Parsons Fashion ELP. Note that we can enter her “About” page to learn more about her background, her “Courses” to see her studies at Parsons and her “Artist Selected Portfolio Pieces” to see the work that she wants to highlight.
The ELP will automatically list recent posts in a menu on the homepage. This menu reflects course content and student work. It also builds a chronology of studies over a course, semester and year. Note the recent post menu below from a Lang student.
Tagging posts is a way that students can denote the main idea of a post in a simple word or phrase. These tags are visible on the front page of the ELP. Over time the building up of tags becomes a way to collect and curate meaning. Note the tags below from a Lang student.
