It allows students to collect and present materials throughout their studies, spanning all the courses in their program. The ePortfolio can be used for a wide range of activities including reflective journaling, deep learning, self analysis, assessment and collaborative teamwork.

Q. How do I log into ePortfolio?

There are two ways to log into ePortfolio:

You can go through a Wattle course, if the ePortfolio block has been added.
You can log in at https://eportfolio.anu.edu.au, using your UniID and password

Q. What part of my ePortfolio is private and what part is public?

By default everything in your ePortfolio is private to you, except your Profile page which is visible to all ANU staff and students.

You can choose to share your ePortfolio pages and collections (groups of pages) with individuals or groups within ANU. Keep in mind if you share your ePortfolio pages or collections, you must comply with the relevant ANU policies. Refer to the ANU Academic honesty & plagiarism web page for details.

Q. What is the Mahara Dashboard?

The Dashboard is your Mahara “Home” page and only you can see this page.

The key features include:

Create – links to the Portfolio section where you create pages on which to present content, e.g. text, files, video, links.
Share – enables you to share specific portfolio pages or collections with others at ANU.
Engage – use to find and connect with other ANU members or groups. If groups are required for your courses or program, these will be set up by the ePortfolio System Administrator.

Q. What is the Content section for?

Content is the space in your ePortfolio where you can add or create different types of content, which you can then present to others via your Portfolio Pages. All information and files you provide here are initially only visible to you. Only when you put artefacts into your portfolio pages or share them in a group will they be visible to others.

Exceptions are your name and your profile picture as your name and profile picture are visible on your profile page by default.

Q. What is the Portfolio section?

Portfolio is where you assemble and present the Content in the form of Pages or Collections of Pages (like an ebook). You can then share these pages with others or simply keep them for yourself.

By default you have two pages: Dashboard page (private to you) and Profile page (public to all ANU users).

Q. What is my Profile Page? What is my Profile? How are they different?

Your Profile Page is visible to other users by default and cannot be hidden. The default layout contains About me, My portfolios, My groups, My friends and Wall. You can update it and display only the information you want to others.

Your Profile under Content is derived from your ANU profile and contains your personal information. It is private to you except for your name and profile picture which are on your Profile page.

Q. What is a Page?

A Page displays a number of the Content you want to present or share, such as selected files, journal posts, text, video or audio files, etc.

Q. I know how to create a new page. Can I copy an existing page?

Yes, you may want to copy an existing page for multiple reasons, such as to use the same page in a new collection.

To copy a page, go to Portfolio > Page, click on Copy a page. You can choose the page or collection you want to make a copy of.

Q. What is a Collection?

A collection is a set of pages grouped together. You can create as many collections as you like but a page cannot appear in more than one collection.

Q. Once I submit my Mahara assignment, am I able to make any changes to it?

When you submit your Mahara assignment in Wattle, the submitted pages or collections may be locked, depending on how your lecturer set it up.

If it’s locked, it will have the yellow shading and displays when the page/collection was submitted to Wattle. You may copy the locked page if you want to make further edits.

Q. What is a Journal?

A journal in your ePortfolio is similar in concept to a hardcopy journal, with the added flexibility of being able to tag or search. You may add the selected journal or journal entries to your portfolio pages.

Q. Can others see my pages or collections when I’m preparing for my submission?

By default everything in your ePortfolio is private to you, except your Profile page which is visible to all ANU staff and students. It means no one can see your portfolio pages or collections while you are creating them. The page or collection only becomes visible to your lecturer or class after you share it with them.

Q. How are tags useful in ePortfolio?

Tags are used to label and link related artefacts in your ePortfolio. Tags could reflect the type of artefact, e.g. assignments or research notes, or be used to label items relating to a particular course topic, competency, graduate attribute, subject area and so on. When you tag items consistently, it will make it easier for you to locate them later on.

Q. How long can I keep my ePortfolio?

Like other IT systems, you can access your ePortfolio while you have a valid ANU affiliation (student or staff).

If you are a student, it is recommended that you export your ePortofolio content before you graduate.

Q. How can I export my ePortfolio?

You can export your ePortfolio to keep your Mahara-created content offline. However, it does not export your site settings or any of the content you uploaded or created in groups.

To export, go to Portfolio > Export. You can export all of your ePortfolio or parts of it in two different formats:

HTML: A zip file containing a website with your portfolio data is created. You cannot import this into Mahara or another portfolio system again, but it is readable in a standard web browser and you do not need a Mahara in order to view it.
Leap2A: A zip file containing a folder in the Leap2A standard format is created. You can import this into another Leap2A-compliant system. You can also import it into your own account again in Portfolio → Import.

Page Owner: Centre for Learning & Teaching