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Privacy and security

Here are a few safety and security tips to consider when developing your ePortfolio.

Consider Limiting Access to Your ePortfolio

• Most ePortfolio platforms allow you to limit access to who can view, edit and publish content
• An ePortfolio set to public access will allow anyone with Internet to view your content– this means it may be misused or seen by potential employers
• Use privacy settings to help limit access
  • you can do this by granting access to certain individuals, allowing access to only those at UVic [if you are using a UVic platform such as the Online Academic Community or BrightSpace], or simply have pages password protected and distribute the password to those who you want to allow access

Information to Avoid Sharing

Address of residence
Including your address puts you at risk of assumptions about who you are based on where you live and also can put your personal safety at risk.   If someone needs to know where you are, you can list the city, province and country, or they can contact you to get more information if they need it.

 University Student Number

If an instructor or staff member needs your V-Number, they can contact you directly or match your name up with your V-Number in the UVic registration system.

Personal Photos & Photos of Others
If you plan to share photos of others (even friends, family or those you work with), you will need to gain written permission to share their photos. You should also be especially mindful if you are posting photos of people from marginalized populations or those who would assume their right to privacy (such as those who are patients at a medical clinic, participating in programs for people who are homeless or living in poverty, etc).  Also be sure to be mindful about sharing personal photos that might not be reflective of your professional values and also you run the risk of your photo being misused without your permission. 

Using Strong Passphrases

Choose a passphrase that is between 8 and 30 characters long:

• Don’t repeat numbers or sequential keyboard characters in your passphrase (such as 1234, 111, qwerty)
• If possible, include at least two of the following: lowercase, uppercase, digits or special characters (such as %, #, _)
  • Don’t include any personal information in your passphrase (such as first or last name, date of birth, etc.
• Use a passphrase manager, such as KeePass to remember unique passphrases.
• Don’t reuse passphrases across different services or store passphrases in plain sight on your device.

Creating accessible content

When you are designing your ePortfolio, it is important to consider that there are a variety of users who may be interested in reviewing the content.  ePortfolios should be designed to be read by a variety of different people who have differing abilities and knowledge, so being mindful of doing inclusive design is important.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the internationally accepted standard for producing web accessible content. It is referenced in legislation around the world and BC will be introducing legislation soon that requires compliance in the education field. UVic has plans to also offer resources on this soon (and we will update a link to this information when it is available).

One of the most useful entry points for people who are creating content to share online is W3C Resources for Content Writers.

The University of Waterloo also offers a list of web accessibility basics that could also be a helpful resource.

UVic also offers resources and training for students in need of adaptive technologies: UVic training and resources for Adaptive Technologies.

Sample ePortfolios

If you are a UVic student with an ePortfolio that is interested in sharing it as an example for other students to learn from, please contact the Community-Engaged Learning office.