Canvas Portfolio Tool: Faculty & Student "Know Right Now"

• This new tool was released in Canvas on 11/15/2025.

• Sunset of older tool: The current ePortfolio solution (native or third-party) will likely be retired by 6/30/2026. Faculty using portfolio features should plan migration/transition now.

• Differences in usage:

  • As faculty you’ll have access to “Evaluation Portfolio” workflows. This means you can now: create portfolio tasks, align evidence to competencies/outcomes, monitor student progress, and integrate with SpeedGrader/assignments.

  • Be sure to update any links that refer to the new Portfolio Assignment.

• Course design implications:

  • If you require student portfolios (capstone, practicum, internship, competency-based work), this change is an opportunity to redesign or streamline.

  • You may want to introduce the tool early in the semester so students become comfortable.

  • Consider how to scaffold student work: reflect, tag learning outcomes/competencies, link submissions, etc.

• Training and support: You’ll likely need to update your materials (syllabus, assignment instructions) to reference the new portfolio tool.

  • Drop into an LTS Virtual Help Session to learn more.

• Privacy / sharing: Faculty should know how to guide students on public vs private portfolios, how to share work externally (if allowed), and institutional policy regarding student data when using portfolio tools.

• Migration considerations: If there are any courses using older portfolio tools, plan for migration of content, or archiving, and communicate expectations to students accordingly.

Boise State University has policies regarding student data for portfolio tools, including FERPA-protected information and general IT resource use guidelines.

Students and employees must be aware of these policies, which prohibit unauthorized use of sensitive information and establish a limited expectation of privacy when using university IT resources. 

Key policies and guidelines:

• General data use: Before processing or storing data, ensure the security level of the application is appropriate and have approval from your supervisor or the Data Owner.

• Prohibited information: Do not include sensitive, non-public information such as Bronco card photos, student ID numbers, grades, or health information in applications where it is not appropriately protected.

• Limited privacy: Understand that there is a limited expectation of privacy when using university IT resources, as they are subject to examination for law and policy compliance.

• Security: While the university uses reasonable efforts to secure personal information, users must still take precautions, like protecting their passwords and locking their screens.

• FERPA: University employees with access to student records must complete required training to ensure compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

• IT resource use: All use of university IT resources must comply with state and federal laws, university policies, and be used only for authorized purposes. 

What this means for you:

• Be mindful of what you share: Do not include sensitive student information, even in portfolio tools, unless it is specifically permitted and secured.

• Know who has access: Be aware that university officials may need to access information on university systems to investigate misuse or other violations.

• Ask if you're unsure: If you have questions about data classification, security, or appropriate use of a portfolio tool, contact the Office of IT Governance, Risk & Compliance or your supervisor. 

• New tool coming: Tool became available on 11/15/2025.

• Why this matters for them:

  • A student can independently create a Showcase Portfolio — a place to collect artifacts (assignments, reflections, media, links) across courses, show growth over time, and share externally (if the institution allows).

  • Students may be required to use Evaluation Portfolios for certain courses or programs (structured, competency-aligned). They’ll need to follow instructions around evidence, reflections, tagging, linking to assignments. Instructors will provide information regarding this type of portfolio.

• What they should do now:

  • Familiarize themselves with the new Portfolio tool once available: locate it in the global navigation, try creating a “sandbox” showcase portfolio.

  • Consider what artifacts they may want to include: assignments, projects, reflections, resume items, media files. Encourage them to begin collecting.

  • Understand privacy/sharing settings: Will their portfolio be publicly accessible? Are they required to share with faculty only? They should check folder/facing settings early.

  • If they are near graduation or job/graduate-school seeking, they might treat the portfolio as part of their personal professional presence (so encourage them to keep formatting, content, polishing in mind).

Support resources: Boise State Help Desk

Yes — there are different views, roles, and workflows. Some distinctions:

• Faculty will have instructor-mode tools: setting up portfolio tasks/assignments, aligning evidence with outcomes/competencies, tracking student progress, giving feedback or grading through portfolios (especially in Evaluation Portfolios).

• Students will have learner-mode tools: building portfolios (Showcase or Evaluation), selecting artifacts, reflecting, tagging, sharing, possibly submitting their portfolio as part of course requirements.

• The interface will vary somewhat because the permissions and actions differ:

  • faculty may see dashboards of student portfolios, ability to manage many student portfolios;

  • students focus on their own portfolio and sharing settings.

• Because the tool is integrated with Canvas assignments and SpeedGrader (for Evaluation Portfolios) it means faculty workflow is different than simply “give an assignment and grade” — they may set up a portfolio-assignment or configure evidence requirements, etc. Students will follow those configured templates/workflows.

Here are some frequent questions / issues that often arise, and you may want to proactively address them:

• Will older portfolio content migrate automatically?
  No. The migration from older ePortfolio tools (native or third-party) to the new Canvas Portfolio tool is not automatic and may require user action or export/import.

• What happens after graduation / leaving the institution?
  Students should download/export their portfolios for personal use if they plan to keep them after graduation. This will guarantee a copy of the work is preserved and accessible to the graduate.

• Can portfolios be shared externally (public link, LinkedIn)?
  Yes — for Showcase Portfolios especially, sharing via public link or export (PDF/HTML) is supported.

• Will the portfolio be compatible with assignments across multiple courses?
  Yes — portfolios can pull in artifacts from one or more courses, combine evidence across time.

• What are the two types (Showcase vs Evaluation) and how do I pick?

  • Showcase = optional, student-driven, professional development or personal story.

  • Evaluation = structured, instructor-driven, aligned to outcomes/competencies, used for grading or assessment.

• Support resources: Boise State Help Desk

• What happens if we don’t adopt immediately?
  Faculty who continue using older portfolio tools should know about the sunset timeline and plan-ahead to avoid last-minute issues. Students should know not to rely solely on older tools if their program will move to the new one.