Upload portfolio evidence with the portfolio app

In this article:

Methods to upload evidence 

To collect evidence, students or instructors can use the Portfolio app for iOS® or Android™. The Portfolio app is available for download from any global Google Play™ store or Apple App Store®. Below are the steps to get started with using the Portfolio App:

1. Download Brightspace Portfolio app

2. Print passcards for your classroom and students

To use Brightspace Portfolio, you must have a classroom passcode, as well as a passcode for every student in the class. Students can access and print the passcards by clicking on a course page. Students can only access their own passcode (student passcode) and the classroom passcode. See below for more information on passcards. 

Figure: Print Class Passcards in the Portfolio tool

1. Log in to myCourses 

2. From the navbar, click Portfolio.

3. Click Print Class Passcards.

4. Click Print.
   

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Passcards

Passcards are unique identifiers used by the Brightspace Portfolio app on a shared classroom or shared family device. There are two types of passcards:

• The classroom passcard identifies the course, for example, EDEC 262.

• A student passcard identifies a student within the classroom, for example, Clara Michaels, EDEC 262.

• QR codes in student passcards contain login information (including first name, last name, and user authorization token). When you use QR codes in screenshots or images, the QR codes should be blurred out to protect user privacy.

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Access portfolio app using passcards 

After Brightspace Portfolio is set up for a shared classroom device, instructors and students do the following:

1. You will be using a shared classroom device to unlock the door to your online classroom. To unlock your classroom on the device, you scan the QR code on their classroom passcard.

2. Using the shared classroom device, each student scans the QR code on their student passcard, allowing them to collect evidence to add to their personal portfolios.

3. After collecting evidence, instructors and students use the Portfolio tool in myCourses to manage the evidence they added to their portfolios. For example, instructors can approve evidence, and students can add categories to tag evidence.

Security precautions built in to the passcard system

Some students, instructor, or parents may have the following security concerns around using a passcard:

• Can someone access a student’s identity using the passcard?

• Could the student’s information be vulnerable if the passcard is lost or stolen?

• Could someone put inappropriate images or information into a student’s portfolio?

• Can someone use the passcard to access a student’s portfolio without their permission?

To ease their concerns, you can share the following information with students or parents:

• A student’s passcard doesn't provide access to the student’s portfolio; it only identifies the student in the Brightspace Portfolio app on the classroom shared device. The Brightspace Portfolio app pushes content one way; no information is pulled from myCourses to the shared device or the Brightspace Portfolio app.

• The instructor is always in control of the content in a student’s portfolio. Only the instructor can access the Approve Evidence page in the Portfolio tool of myCourses. If the instructor doesn't approve the evidence, it doesn't appear in the student’s portfolio.

• Sharing evidence with parents in myCourses for Parents is not automatic. Instructors must deliberately choose to share a student’s evidence with parents, and parents must have a myCourses for Parents account to receive notifications about evidence in their child’s portfolio.

Read more: 

•  Possible troubleshooting issues when using the passcards (TL KB article)

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Collect evidence using the Brightspace Portfolio app

Students can use the Brightspace Portfolio app on a classroom device or smartphone to collect images of their best work and record an audio reflection about their work. Then, students and instructors can view the evidence from within the Portfolio tool in myCourses.

About Brightspace Portfolio modes: choosing the best option

After your shared classroom device is set up with the Brightspace Portfolio app, there are three modes of collecting evidence:

• Class Device: Best option for in-class activities. Class card needs to be scanned, followed by student passcard and evidence can be submitted to the course.

• My Device: Best option for students to access all their courses and manage or add evidence. 

• Family Device: Mainly used to support young students, their parents and their teachers while they are learning from home.

Class Device: 

• In-Class Mode provides a workflow suited to more advanced students, with opportunity to include reflections using audio or text.

• In-Class With Funster provides a workflow with a fun creature to help guide early students through the process. In Funster mode, you can decide whether you want students to record reflections on their work.

1. On Brightspace Portfolio app, Tap “Class Device”

2. Tap on In-Class Mode or In-Class Mode with Funster

3. Scan the QR code for the class passcard. Instructor can provide QR code to the student by clicking on “print class passcard” on Portfolio tab. Alternatively students can find the QR code the same way by logging on to myCourses using a browser.

My Device: 

Instructors can log into their accounts using the My Device mode and capture work on behalf of students enrolled in any of their courses. Students can also use this mode to connect to the institution myCourses via UR or QR code and access all their courses to submit evidence.

1. On Brightspace Portfolio app, Tap “My Device”.

2. Tap on In-Class Mode or In-Class Mode with Funster.

3. Enter myCourses URL or Scan Code to scan QR code provided by the instructor.

4. Using the camera or video function in the app, collect photo or video evidence.

5. Tap the thumbnail of the image or video.

6. From the Collected Evidence page, tap the new evidence tile to provide details. Optionally, you can tap the ellipses ( ... ) icon in the evidence tile to upload, edit, or delete the evidence.

7. From the Evidence Details page, do any of the following:

   • In the Add a title ... field, provide a title for the evidence.

   • Tap the Microphone icon to provide an audio reflection of the evidence. Tap the icon again to play the recording. Long-press to record again.

   • In the Write down some thoughts ... field, provide a text reflection of the evidence.

   • Pick categories to help you easily find this evidence later. For more information, see Assign categories to tag evidence.

8. To upload the evidence, tap the Upload icon.

9. Tap the class folder where the students are enrolled.

10. Tap the student portfolios that you want to upload the evidence to and tap done.

11. After the evidence is uploaded to the portfolios, you are returned to the Collected Evidence page. Optionally, you can do one of the following:

    • To collect more evidence to add to student portfolios, tap the Camera icon.

    • To view collected evidence in your portfolio, tap My Portfolio.

Family Device: 

• At home mode: Students would scan their passcard to access all the courses associated with their course easily. This is more accessible instead of sending individual class card to all parents.

• At home with Funster: The Funster mode was originally designed to be very easy to use for a young student, while requiring minimal assistance from a teacher in a classroom setting. It assumes a teacher controls a shared classroom device, such as a tablet and scans the classroom card before students can use the device to capture photos and reflections. It’s a great tool for a classroom and this feature continues to exist.

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