2008 GIFT GRAND PRIZE WINNER

I have developed a Web site where students upload their work and I am able to send it out in e-mail form to a network of advertising professionals. I have recruited 38 evaluators on local, regional and national levels so students can see how their work ranks at the different levels. Evaluators receive a link by e-mail where they can go to evaluate the piece. The evaluation form and the student�s uploaded image appear together and the submitted evaluation returns in email form to me, which I forward to the student.

Forging connections between students and working professionals is beneficial from both inside out and outside in perspectives. With this program, students receive concrete advice on how to improve their work, plus they are able to get a better idea of what the expectations will be when job seeking. Students who continually receive poor reviews from evaluators are also learning a valuable lesson. They may find that they need more work in a particular area or they might also realize that they should consider other career options. These valuable lessons are best learned while still in school, rather than after graduation. The program is also an excellent public relations tool for our department. I have received many positive comments from reviewers about the fact that our department is reaching out to the professional community for feedback. I have heard many times from reviewers that the portfolios they see are generally weak and they are happy we are trying to do something about it.

• Recruitment. Recruiting professional evaluators has been surprisingly easy. In two years, only one person who was asked declined participation, and all reviewers from last year agreed to participate again this year. This year, I added 12 evaluators to the network through referrals from other evaluators.
  

• Portfolio Class. The portfolio class is a once-a-week night class where we spend time working on pieces for portfolios. Part of the evaluation form asks outside reviewers if they think the piece is portfolio ready. I require students to have 12 pieces in their portfolio that have been approved by at least one outside source in order to receive an �A� in the class.

• After I approve a student�s piece, they can upload it to the site. I then go in, select that piece from the student�s folder, choose one of the evaluators and send him or her an email message with a link to the evaluation form. Below is a screen shot of the page I work from when developing rubrics.

• The evaluator receives an email titled �Student work for you to evaluate.� When the evaluator clicks on the link in the e-mail message, they see the advertising piece and an online evaluation form. Below is a screen shot of this form.

• After the evaluator fills out the evaluation form, he or she hits �submit� and the review comes back to me. Below is an example of a review.

This is the second year we have used this system. I have received only positive feedback from both students and evaluators. Students create better portfolio pieces as a result of the feedback. They are more confident of their work at interviews. I have learned from evaluator comments and I now require a higher quality of work from my students before I allow them to upload for sending out. I have forged valuable contacts with professionals that have resulted in early notification of job openings and internship opportunities for my students. The evaluators also benefit from our association. My �recruits� seem eager to have an opportunity to critique student work. Many have commented that it feels good to give something back to their profession. They are also getting a first look at potential future employees. This program also serves as a departmental assessment tool and average evaluation scores are tracked from year to year.