2.5 Portfolio Templates Tool Help

Portfolio Templates Overview

A portfolio template defines the layout, style, and content of all portfolios that are based on it. If you are a site organizer, you can create templates that support the intended purpose(s) of portfolios on your site. You might create one template to support resumes or other forms of self-presentation. You might create another for displaying the results of teaching and learning as demonstrated in the contents of general education or co-curricular progress matrices. Or you might create a template that is tailored for assessment and accreditation portfolios, such as those that integrate learning across many data structures and sites to show learning in relation to institutional values or desired outcomes.

Site participants are not required to use templates for their portfolios. Within certain limits, they may also design their own portfolios.

Portfolio templates are best used when you, the site organizer, want to guide site participants in specific ways rather then allowing them to create portfolios according to their own ideas and specifications. The most effective way to work with portfolios and portfolio templates is use templates to guide and instruct participants in creating effective portfolios; then provide a variety of portfolio layouts and styles that allow participants more freedom in putting their own creativity into portfolios for similar or different purposes.

Each template is based on an .xsl file. This file specifies the layout for the portfolio, the pathways to the content for the portfolio, and, optionally, the pathway to a .css file that defines the portfolio style.

Optionally, a template can also include "outline options." These options allow participants to add content to their portfolios by keying or copying and pasting text directly into it. Outline options are often used when it is easier or more intuitive for participants to add content directly rather than creating each distinct item as a form in Resources. Outline options can be used to prompt for and collect information such as a site participant's name, a date, a title and subtitle for the portfolio, captions for images, and/or one or more reflections. They are also used when the participant needs to specify a particular level of a matrix to include in a portfolio.

Outline options are presented to the participant in aSAKAIscreen. You, the site organizer, define the fields on the screen (which is, essentially, a form) by adding an .xsd file for it to the template.

The Portfolio Layouts tool is usually located in the Design & Publish category of a portfolio site.

To access the tool, click the Launch button for Portfolio Templates. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page.

The screen contains a list of the portfolio templates on your site. If the list is longer than one page, use the buttons under the Portfolio Templates menu bar to display other pages in the list.

• To display the first page of the list, click First.
• To display the previous page of the list, click Previous.
• To display the next page of the list, click Next.
• To display the last page of the list, click Last.

Resources Tool

If you are a site organizer, the Portfolio Templates tool allows you to add templates that define the content, style, and layout of portfolios created by your site participants. Each template is based on an .xsl file and may include other files, such as .css, .xsd, and javascript files. You must upload these files to Resources to make them available to the Portfolio Templates tool.

After adding a template, you may use this tool to perform any of the following activities.

• Change, and delete it.
• Publish it so site participants can use it.
• Create a new template by copying the template you added and changing the copy.
• Use a template created in one site in another site by exporting it from the first site and importing it into the other.
• Change Portfolio Templates tool permissions for all users in any given role.

Preparing to Create a Template

Before creating a template, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the forms, layouts, and styles that your institution has created. Then carefully consider the following questions and take appropriate action.

• What are the objectives of the type(s) of portfolios that will be based on this template?
• What content must be included to achieve these objectives?
• In what order should content be presented?
• If your institution has existing portfolio layouts, which of those layouts is best suited to portfolios built on this template? Upload the appropriate .xsl file to Resources. If you do not have an appropriate layout file at your disposal, upload passthrough.xsl to Resources. This file is available at \webapps\osp-portal\WEB-INF\transform and in the Downloads/OSP section of rSmart's RSN.
• Do users need to enter additional information such as a portfolio title and subtitle and/or captions for images? Do they need to select a single level of a matrix to include in the portfolio? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, in what file are these options available? Upload the appropriate .xsd file to Resources and make note of its root node.
• Your institution has a default "style" that includes a standard set of fonts, colors, and so forth. If your institution has created other styles as well, which style is best suited for portfolios built on this template? Upload the appropriate .css file to Resources. Make note of the name for this file that is used in the layout (.xsl) file you have chosen.
• What other files do you need to use in this template? You may include image, sound, video, javascript, and other types of files. Upload the appropriate files to Resources and make note of the name for each file as given in the layout (.xsl) file you have chosen.

Creating a Template

Creating a template involves multiple steps:

1. Add the name for the template to Sakai.
2. Specify the layout for it.
3. Add the required forms.
4. Select supporting files.
5. If you have based the template on passthrough.xsl, create an .xsl transformation file and add it to the template.

Step 1: Adding the Template Name

To give the template a name, access the Portfolios Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. In the Portfolio Templates menu bar near the top of the screen, click the Add button. Sakai displays the Add Portfolio Template, Step 1 of 4, screen.
3. Enter a name for this layout in the Name box. If desired, enter a helpful description in the Description box. Under Show within Portfolio Navigation, specify whether portfolios based on this template will display in the window from which they are accessed or in a new window.

4. To proceed, click Continue. Sakai displays the Build Template, Step 2 of 4, screen (see below). Or, to return to the Portfolio Templates home page without adding any of this information, click Cancel.

Step 2: Specifying the Layout

If you clicked Continue in step 4, above, Sakai displays the Build Template, Step 2 of 4, screen.

To specify the layout for this template, follow these steps:

1. To the right of the Basic Template Outline box, click the Select File link. Sakai displays the Select Item.
2. Select the .xsl file you need. (If you do not have a specific .xsl file for the portfolio template, select passthrough.xsl. To select the file, follow the instructions for selecting an item. After you click Finish, Sakai displays the Build Template, Step 2 of 4, screen again. The name of the file you selected is shown in the Basic Template Outline box.
3. Optionally, provide outline options by following these steps:
4. Click the Select File link to the right of the Outline Options box.
5. Select the appropriate .xsd file by following the instructions for selecting an item. After you click Finish, Sakai displays the Build Template, Step 2 of 4, screen again. The name of the file you selected is shown in the Outline Options box.
6. Use the pulldown list in the Outline Options File Element box to choose the desired root node from the file you have specified.
7. Choose one of the following options:

• To continue to build the template, click Continue. Sakai displays the List Content, Step 3 of 4, screen.
• To stop working on this template and save the work you have done so far, click Finish. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page. Your new template is listed on this screen. You may work on the template further at any time.
• To return to the Add Portfolio Template, step 1 of 4, screen, click Back.
• To exit without saving any of the information you have entered in this template creation session, click Cancel. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page.

Step 3: Adding the Required Forms and Other Items

If you chose to continue in step 7, above, Sakai displays the List Content, Step 3 of 4, screen.

This screen allows you to identify the forms, matrices, uploaded files, URLs, and other content for portfolios that use this template. To select this material, follow these steps:

1. In the Type box, use the pulldown list to select the type of item the site participant must add. A selection here is required. The list contains the names of all forms on the site, along with two other choices: Matrix and Uploaded File. If site participants must:

• complete and attach a specific form, select the name of that form here.
• attach a matrix, select Matrix.
• attach any other type of resource (simple text, URL, file, etc.) select Uploaded file.
  2. Referring to the table below, enter an appropriate name in the Name box. This entry is required.

3. Enter a descriptive name for the item in the Title box. This entry is required as well.
4. In the Description box, enter instructions to site participants on how to select an item, if desired. These instructions display to site participants when they use the template to create a portfolio.
5. Under "Allow Multiple Selection," choose one of these options:

• If the creators of these portfolios may include more than one instance of this information (as is the case for accomplishments, job experience, and other things that occur more than once), click Yes.
• Otherwise, click No.
  6. Click Add to List. Sakai displays information about this item in the bottom part of the screen.
  7. To add another item to the template, repeat steps 1-6.
  8. To reorder items so they are displayed to the portfolio creator in a different order, change the numbers in the Sequence boxes. (This change will not affect the sequence of the items in the final portfolio. The order of items in the portfolio is determined by the .xsl file you selected.)
  9. To edit an item you have added, click the Edit link below its name and make changes as needed. For more information, see instructions in steps 1-6.
  10. To delete an item you have added, click the Delete link below its name. Sakai deletes the item immediately. Caution: Be sure you want to delete an item before clicking Delete. Sakai does not display a delete verification window before deleting the item.
  11. After adding as many items as you wish, choose one of the following options:
  12.
• To continue to create the template, click Continue. Sakai displays the Select Supporting Files, Step 4 of 4, screen.
• To stop working on this template and save the work you have done so far, click Finish. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page. This template is listed on the screen. You may work on this template further at any time.
• To return to the Build Template, Step 2 of 4, screen, click Back.
• To exit without saving any of the information you have entered in this template creation session, click Cancel. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page.

Step 4: Selecting Supporting Files

If you chose to continue in step 11, above, Sakai displays the Select Supporting Files, Step 4 of 4, screen:

This screen allows you to identify any additional files that are to be used in this template. These files may include .css files (style sheets) and image, sound, video, javascript, and other files that define the look and feel, navigation, graphics, and other features of the portfolio template.

To select this material, follow these steps:

1. In the Name (used in xpath) box, enter the name for this file that is used in the .xsl file you chose in "Step 2: Specifying the Layout". If the template is based on passthrough.xsl, enter any one-word name by which you want the final .xsl file to identify this file. An entry in this box is required.
2. To the right of the Choose File box, click the Select File link. (An entry in this box is required.) Sakai displays the Select Item screen.
3. Select the file you need. To do so, follow the instructions for selecting an item. After you click Finish, Sakai displays the Select Supporting Files, Step 4 of 4, screen again.
4. Click Add to List. Sakai displays the file name in the bottom part of the screen.
5. To add another supporting file to the template, repeat steps 1-4.
6. To edit a file you have added, click the Edit link below its name and make changes as needed. For more information, see instructions in steps 1-4.
7. To delete a file you have added, click the Delete link below its name. Sakai deletes the item immediately. Caution Be sure you want to delete a file before clicking Delete. Sakai does not display a delete verification window before deleting the file.
8. Choose one of the following options:

• To save your work, click Finish. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page. This template is listed on the screen. You may work on this template further at any time.
• To return to the List Content, Step 3 of 4, screen, click Back.
• To exit without saving any of the information you have entered in this template creation session, click Cancel. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page.

Step 5: Finishing up When Using passthrough.xsl

If you have based your template on passthrough.xsl, follow these final steps:

1. Use the Portfolios tool to create a portfolio based on this template.
2. Display the portfolio.
3. Display the XML file that the system will use to generate the final HTML file by right-clicking anywhere on the portfolio display and selecting View Page Source.
4. Use any XSLT creator program to create an .xsl transformation file.
5. Using the Portfolio Templates tool, replace passthrough.xsl with the .xsl file you have created.

Publishing a Template

If you are a system administrator, be advised that any template that you create and publish in the PortfolioAdmin site automatically becomes available to all sites on your SAKAI instance.

After you have created a template, you may use it to create your own portfolio. However, the template is not yet available for use by others. To make the template available for other site participants to use, you must publish it.

To do so, access the Portfolio Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Find the template you want to publish and click the Publish link below its name. Sakai publishes the template.

Changing a Template

You may revise the title and description for a layout. You may also attach different files. To revise a layout, access the Portfolio Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Click the Revise link below the name of the template you want to change. Sakai displays the Revise Portfolio Template, Step 1 of 4, screen.
3. Proceed from screen to screen, changing entries as needed. For more information and instructions, see "Creating a Template".

Copying a Template

To create a template that is similar to an existing template, you may want to copy the existing template and make changes to the copy. To copy a template, access the Portfolio Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Find the template you want to use and click the Copy link below its name. Sakai copies the template and displays its name in the list.

The name of the new template is the same as that of the original, with the word "copy" added at the end.

Exporting and Importing a Template

If you own more than one site, you may want to use the same template in two or more of them. To do so, first export the template to your desktop as a compressed file first and then import it to the other site(s) where you plan to use it.
Exporting a Template

To export a template as a compressed file, access the Portfolio Templates tool on the appropriate site and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Find the template you want to work with and click the Export link below its name. Sakai displays the Opening File window.
3. Follow the instructions

Importing a Template

To import a compressed template file from your desktop to a Sakai site, access the site to which you want to import it and follow these steps:

1. Add the file to Resources.
2. Access the Portfolio Templates tool. If the home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
3. Click the Import link on the Portfolio Templates menu bar near the top of the screen. Sakai displays the Import Template screen.
4. Click the Select file link. Sakai displays the Select Item.
5. Select the compressed file for the template by following the instructions for selecting an item. After you click Finish, Sakai displays the Import Template screen again. The name of the file you chose is shown in the Template File box.
6. To import the file, click Import Template. Sakai imports the file and displays the Portfolio Templates home page. The imported template is listed there. Or, to return to the home page without importing the file, click Cancel.

Deleting a Template

You may delete a template only if it is not being used in any portfolios (published or unpublished). If the template is in use, you must delete the portfolios based on it before you can delete the template, itself.

To delete a template, access the Portfolio Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Find the template you want to remove and click the Delete link below its name. Sakai displays a delete confirmation window.
3. To delete the template, click OK. Sakai deletes the template and displays the Portfolio Templates home page. Or, to return to the home page without deleting this template, click Cancel.

Changing Permissions

To change permissions for users in one or more roles, access the Portfolio Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates menu bar is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Click the Permissions button on the menu bar. Sakai displays the Permissions screen.
3. Referring to the table below, check boxes to select the appropriate permissions for all users in each role.

4. To save the permissions settings, click the save button Sakai saves the settings and displays the Portfolio Templates home page. Or, to return to the home page without saving your changes, click cancel.