So you’ve just signed up for a Saylor ePortfolio. Now what? Most of our ePortfolio users register to track their progress through an area of study and to have access to the transcript of their completed courses. But, there’s so much more to our ePortfolio that can give you a rich user experience – even for a self-learner, like yourself! Here are our tips to maximize your ePortfolio and gain access to thousands of other Saylor.org students.

1. Make your profile public

Sure, having your information public on the Interwebs is a little scary. But, here’s the thing: this isn’t Facebook – a place to post pictures of yourself and give life updates – things that you may not want public to the world. Saylor.org is a place to enhance your knowledge base and open doors to educational experiences, and, hopefully, new employment opportunities. So, open up your profile so that the world can see how much you know. (Plus, it will allow other Saylor students to find you. How cool is that?)

To change your privacy settings, go to: Settings > Privacy. We suggest one of the following privacy settings: public or open to logged in ePortfolio users.

2. Add a fun picture of yourself and a description of who you are, where you’re studying, and what inspires you.

Ok, you’ve made your profile public. Now, have a little fun and tell the world about YOU. If other Saylor students find you, what do you want them to know? If you’re having writer’s block or are unsure of what to say, take a look at what other students have put. One of my favorite profiles is Sean Connor, the Archivist at the Saylor Foundation.

3. Reach out to other Saylor students.

Did you know that you can actively search for other Saylor students through the ePortfolio? Our Student Directory allows you to search for students by name or by Area of Study. Only students with a profile that has been made public or open to logged in ePortfolio users will show up in results, so if you’re open to interacting with other students, make sure your profile isn’t set to private! If you want to meet students that are taking the same courses as you, do a search for your area of study, click on “view portfolio” for any student of interest, and click “email user”. Set up a study group, ask questions, or simply share your own experience! Meeting a Saylor student is that easy!

4. Become active in the forums.

Have course questions, feedback, or insightful thoughts on what the experience of being a Saylor student was able to teach you? Share them in the forums! We’ve had some wonderful interactions in the forums so far, and we’d love to hear from YOU. Getting to the forums is easy – simply click on “Forums” in the upper right-hand corner of the ePortfolio or on “Discuss the ePortfolio with Saylor Staff and Students here” from the lower left-hand corner of your ePortfolio. Plus, as you reach out to other Saylor students, you can see their activity in the forums by clicking on “activity feed > forum” in their ePortfolio profile.

5. Complete self-graded written assignments and upload them!

Want to get feedback on your written assignments or show off your hard work to other Saylor students? Then complete self-graded written assignments and upload them to the Work Samples section of your ePortfolio, and then alert your friends and fellow Saylor students! Ask for feedback, use them as examples, or send them to potential employers along with your transcript as proof of your hard work!

What tips do you have for Saylor students to maximize their ePortfolio experience? Leave any suggestions in the comments section below!