Instructions for Creating and Submitting your Loyola Experience Culminating Portfolio + Engaged Learning Reflection

Because this is a template, you can modify the pictures, icons, etc. as you wish within the "text and image section." You should also delete this "Instructions" page after finishing your portfolio. To do so, you will click the "delete area" button in the left corner of the box under "Select Page/Area to Edit."

See below for instructions on submitting a Loyola Experience Culmating Portfolio and/or your Engaged Learning Reflection for your Engagement Key.

What is the Loyola Experience?

Your Loyola Experience is not just one experience, but really a collection of your experiences over several years – classes, student organizations, community engagement, internships, study abroad, leadership opportunities, etc. During your time at Loyola, you’ve honed in on your skills, knowledge, and strengths to enact change and set the world on fire! The Loyola Experience is a collection of integrated academic, spiritual, and social experiences which are intended to build your knowledge, skills, and values, and complement your unique talents, gifts, and desires. 

Loyola Experience Culmating Portfolio for Diploma Frame or Commemorative Key Frame

The Loyola Experience Culminating Portfolio is an opportunity to demonstrate your learning and experiences in a digital learning portfolio. In doing so, you are eligible to earn either a commemorative frame that displays all four of your Loyola Experience keys OR a coveted Loyola Experience diploma frame! The top 3 portfolios will receive the diploma frame and the next top 7 portfolios will receive the commemorative key frame. For more information on the Loyola Experience Culminating Portfolio, visit our webpage. 

Creating Your Loyola Experience Culminating Portfolio

To create your Loyola Experience Culminating Portfolio, respond to each of the four Loyola Experience themes of Community, Commitment, Engagement, and Creating Your Future. Use the corresponding pages already built for you in this template and add the appropriate reflections under the "reflection" tab. Don't forget to personalize your page with your own graphics, photos, and artifacts!

Each reflection should be about 500 words. 

The reflection prompts are tutorials to assist you in the design and creation of your ePortfolio. 

For further assistance, please email us at eportfolio@luc.edu. 

Community:

• How do you define community in the context of your Loyola Experience?
• How (if at all) has your community at Loyola evolved over the past years? Who and how are the people in your Loyola community supporting your academic, spiritual, and professional development?
• How have you engaged in the community of Chicago and the surrounding neighborhoods (e.g. Rogers Park and Edgewater) to learn more about yourself, others, and your worldview?

Upload an artifact that represents “community” to you. You can include a photo, reflection for a class, TedTalk, etc. The artifact should be explained and compliment your reflection.

Commitment:

Select at least one or more of the following 5 categories of commitment (or create your own category!) that best represents how you have expressed commitment during your time at Loyola. Then, answer the reflection questions following.

1. Commitment to academics: Examples include being a part of a research team, academic program, such as Interdisciplinary Honors, declaring a major, etc.
2. Commitment to service: Examples include service-learning courses, service immersion experiences, or other volunteer opportunities, etc.
3. Commitment to social justice: Examples include being a part of the Social Justice Internship Program, being a part of a movement, such as Black Lives Matter, or taking classes focused on social justice, etc.
4. Commitment to leadership: Examples include being a part of a student organization, club, or athletic team, etc.
5. Commitment to faith: Examples include being a part of a religious organization, joining a faith-sharing group, or participating in retreats, etc. 

• Define commitment and what it means to you in the context of your Loyola Experience.
• Which category of commitment (academics, service, social justice, leadership, or faith) did you select? In what ways you have expressed this commitment at Loyola? (E.g. expressed commitment through “Commitment to Social Justice” by being a part the Social Justice Intern Program, organizers for the Students for Justice movement, etc.)
• How has this commitment impacted your experience at Loyola?

Upload an artifact that represents “commitment” to you. You can include a photo, presentation, reflection for a class, TedTalk, certificate, etc. The artifact should be explained and compliment your reflection.

Engagement:

 Loyola University's Mission Statement

"We are Chicago's Jesuit Catholic university- a diverse community seeking God in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith."​

• How did you connect your in-class and out-of-class Engaged Learning experiences?
• How did your Engaged Learning experience help you connect to the University’s mission?
• How did the Engaged Learning experience in this course affect your personal, intellectual, civic, and/or professional development?

Upload an artifact that represents your “engaged learning” experience. You can include a photo, presentation, reflection for a class, TedTalk, certificate, etc. The artifact should be explained and compliment your reflection.

Creating Your Future:

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”― Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC

• Responding to the quote above, where does your learning, experiences, and passions connect with the needs of the world- allowing you to utilize what you are learning at Loyola to be an engaged, global citizen?
• What is the future you seek to create and who are the people (your network) that are helping you in your reflection process?
• What is your action plan to live out the challenge of St. Ignatius of Loyola to “go set the world on fire?”

Upload an artifact that represents “Creating the Future” to you. You can include a photo, resume, presentation, reflection for a class, TedTalk, certificate, etc. The artifact should be explained and compliment your reflection.

Need further assistance?

A Culminating Portfolio Workshop with dinner provided will be held on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 from 4:30-5:30 pm in Sullivan 290 for interested Junior and Senior students on how to create a culminating portfolio. Attendance is not mandatory but strongly encouraged. Please RSVP here.

Not able to make the workshop but want to learn more? Come meet one-on-one with one of our amazing Learning Portfolio Peer Mentors during the week of March 20 and 27, 2017! Stop by our office in the Center for Experiential Learning located in the Sullivan Center Suite 295 (2^nd floor). 

You can also email us at eportfolio@luc.edu.