Portfolio System
The Portfolio System for full-time Undergraduates is at the heart of Manhattanville's distinctive approach to undergraduate education. The portfolio, which ultimately reflects a student's entire college career, is both a system of planning and assessment and a repository for the student's best work. Among the primary materials included in the portfolio are a Freshman year assessment essay; a study plan outlining all course work to be counted toward the degree; a program evaluation essay, which gives a rationale for the student's choice of courses, as well as a personal evaluation of the current state of progress; and specific examples of work in writing and research. Submission and approval of the portfolio is a requirement for graduation.
After an informal review of the assessment essay at the end of the Freshman year, the portfolio is formally reviewed twice during the student's academic career. The first formal review takes place during the second semester of the sophomore year. After the written portfolio is submitted, the student meets for an oral review with a faculty panel that includes a representative of the Board on Academic Standards. The panel reviews the student's program, making certain that it contains the appropriate courses to fulfill degree requirements, both in the major and second area of strength, as well as the College's distribution requirements. The review also has an advisory function, considering whether the student has set and formulated appropriately challenging academic goals, and, if necessary, asking students to revise these goals.
In the first semester of the senior year, students submit the portfolio for a final written review to a special six-member faculty committee called the Board on Academic Standards. The Board assesses the overall quality of the portfolio, reviews any changes to the study plan since the first review, notes progress toward satisfaction of graduation requirements, and evaluates the written work submitted to fulfill the portfolio writing and research competencies. At this point, the Board searches not only for fulfillment of formal academic requirements, but also for evidence of intellectual growth. It brings any inadequacies to the attention of students and their academic advisors, providing useful suggestions for revision regarding portfolio requirements and senior year course work.
At both reviews, the portfolio should contain:
a. The Study Plan and Program Evaluation, prepared by the student in consultation with the academic advisor and the chairperson of the major department.
b. The Major/Second Area Checklist, which certifies that the student has planned or completed the required work in these fields.
c. The Portfolio Worksheet for Distribution Requirements.
d. Examples of writing and research.
At the final review the student must also include:
a. A declaration of graduation.
b. A resume.
At the conclusion of the formal written review, the Board on Academic Standards may recommend exceptional portfolios for Portfolio Honors to be awarded at graduation.
For students entering the College in the Fall of 1995 or thereafter, all formal portfolio reviews will receive a notation of Pass or Fail on the student's official transcript. Students who submit a complete portfolio which is judged satisfactory by the Board on Academic Standards will receive a Pass. Students who submit a reasonably complete portfolio, but require a re-submission of one or two items, may receive a Grade Deferred, with material to be submitted by the beginning of the following semester. Students who do not submit a portfolio, or who submit an incomplete portfolio, will receive an F for the portfolio that semester. They will be required to submit it again the following semester and be graded appropriately. Students who fail to submit the portfolio on schedule are liable to dismissal from the College.