An ePortfolio is a system in which you can record ‘evidence of lifelong learning’ – such as writings, records, artwork, videos that you produce that can be stored digitally.

With OP Mahara, you control which items and what information within your portfolio others see. These items and information are called artefacts in Mahara.

You can control the access by choosing which artifacts you add to a page. You can have as many pages as you like, each with a different number of artefacts, intended purpose and audience. Your audience, or the people you wish to give access to your page, can be added as individuals or as a member of a group. It can even be made publicly available.

You can add pages into a ‘collection’. A single page or a collection of pages can make up your portfolio.

Depending on your course, you could be asked to add many different things to your ePortfolio. This guide will help you create an amazing ePortfolio!

Use this quick guide to get yourself set up with a basic eportfolio in OP Mahara. This quick guide is for non-template eportfolio users. Use the step by step guides below to support you with the rest of your eportfolio creation, sharing and editing.

Use this quick guide to get yourself set up in OP Mahara if you are using a template portfolio, such as Midwifery or Nursing.

Use the step by step guides below to support you with the rest of your ePortfolio creation, sharing and editing.

Creating an account

To create a Mahara account you need to access it for the first time through Moodle. Your teacher will have added a link into your course.

Click on the puzzle icon and you will go directly to Mahara.

Logging into Mahara

Once you have created an account in Mahara by accessing it through Moodle for the first time, you will have two ways to get to your account:

• Clicking on the Mahara icon in your Moodle course.

• OR go to Mahara.op.ac.nz and Sign in.

Once signed in you will see your OP Mahara dashboard.

Tip

Click the OP logo at the top left-hand corner to navigate back to your dashboard at any time.

If you have any issues with using OP Mahara please talk to your teacher, contact the IT Support Service Desk or create a Service request.

Your notification settings are all set by default to email.

You can change them by clicking on the Account menu arrow at the top right-hand corner to activate the drop-down menu.

Click on Settings, then Notifications.

Your notification choices are:

• Email digest (one email per day for all notifications)

• Email (default)

• Inbox (Your message inbox in Mahara)

• None

Remember to click Save at the bottom of the page when you are finished.

You can upload files to be stored as artefacts in your OP Mahara.

Unless artefacts are placed in a page, they are not visible to anybody but you. You can use files that you uploaded or journal entries you wrote in as many pages as you wish. You only need one copy of your artefact.

To upload files

There are two ways to upload files:

• Use the Files upload section

• Upload as you place something on a page

Use the Files upload section

Access the files section from the main menu.

Browse your files to upload or drag and drop to upload.

See how much storage you have left in the Quota block on the right-hand side of the screen.

Create a folder to hold a collection of files (see arrow above). This is recommended to help you keep track of your files, and necessary if you want to upload artefacts from the Mahara app.

• Add to a folder by dragging a file into a folder in the Home section

• OR add to a folder by:

1. Navigating to a folder

2. Then uploading a file.

• To edit a file click on the pencil icon

• To delete a file click on the rubbish bin icon

Upload as you place something on a page

When you are adding content to a page you will have the choice to either:

1. Upload an artifact or

2. Choose from your files

Please see the section on editing your pages and collections for more information.

Your ePortfolio can be a single page, or a group of pages, called a ‘collection’.

Start your ePortfolio by creating some pages to add your content or artefacts to. Once you have some pages you can choose to add them to a collection.

Create a page

Add a page by clicking on Create or using the main menu drop down to access Pages and collections.

In the Pages and Collections section click on the Add button and choose Page.

Fill in the section in the Basics section (1) and press Save.

Find out more about these sections:

2.  Advanced section

3.  Skin section (adding a decorative boarder and banner)

Create a Collection

Click the Add button and choose Collection

Fill out the sections below:

1. Collection name

2. Collection description

3. Tags

4. Add a cover image

5. Add a portfolio collection cover page 

Then click Next:Edit collection pages

Add pages to your collection

Now you need to add some pages to your collection.

Choose the pages you want to add by ticking the box beside the page and clicking Add pages.

Then click Next: Edit access or cancel to exit.

You can then choose who you wish to share this collection with.

Find out more about sharing your work in the Sharing your ePortfolio section. This is optional and you can click ‘cancel’ to be taken back your Pages and collections page.

Once you have created a page you can edit it to add content/artefacts to it.

In a page, access the side menu (far right-hand side) to:

1. Magnifying glass icon: See details of things on the page

2. Pencil icon: Enter the edit mode to add/dit parts of the page

3. Three dots: Access more options such as copy and delete the page.

To edit a page and add artefacts

Click the pencil icon to enter the edit mode.

Use the edit menu on the right-hand side of the screen to edit your page.

Adding a new block

Click the Drag to add a new block button and drop it onto the page.

A Placeholder: Configure block will pop up.

Add a name for your block and then choose a content type. Remember to click Show more to see more content types. 

Click Save when you have finished adding your content.

Content types

Follow the links to find out how to add individual content types:

Show more

Editing a block

Once you have created a block you can edit the contents by clicking on the pencil icon to enter edit mode in the menu at the right-hand side of the screen.

A cog icon will appear at the top of each block, click this to edit the contents. Click on the rubbish bin icon to delete the block.

Adding large files and videos to a page

There is a 200mb limit to what you can upload to Mahara, so if you would like to include a large file you can use your OP OneDrive to store your them and then share a link in OP Mahara. Watch the video below for instructions. 

Remember, you must create a shareable link in your OneDrive for access to be granted to the file. Copying the URL address will not work.

Create a shareable link in OneDrive

In your OneDrive in a browser, navigate to the file you wish to share and hover over the name until the arrow icon appears. Click this icon.

A Send link pop up window will appear.

Add editing rights

If you want the document to be editable (and comments made), click on People at Otago Polytechnic with the link can view.

A new pop up will appear. Tick Allow editing, then Apply.

Click on the copy link button.

The link will then copy to your clipboard. Navigate to your Mahara ePortfolio and paste this link into an external media block.

Moving blocks on a page

In the edit mode, use the four arrows icon in the top left hand corner of each block to drag and move them around the page.

To resize the blocks use the two arrow icon in the bottom right hand corner to click and drag to the right size.

Edit a collection

To edit a collection, click on the three dots at the bottom right of the collection block.

Choose Manage from the menu.

Add pages by ticking the box beside the page you wish to add and clicking Add pages.

Remove a page from a collection by clicking the x beside the page in the section ‘pages already in collection’.

Adding a skin to your pages

Skins are decoration and personalisation for your portfolio pages. You can create skins yourself, edit them, and use other people’s skins on your portfolio pages and your profile page.

Skins can only be applied to personal portfolio pages. They don’t change the way any other part of Mahara is displayed. The OP theme dictates how things are displayed in OP Mahara, unless you makes changes to your personal pages.

Create a skin

Go to Main menu → Create → Skins.

Follow the instructions in the Mahara Manual to

• Create a skin

• Apply a skin to your page

Portfolio completion – sign offs

A sign off function may have been added to the top right of each page of your portfolio. When you have completed all sections on a page you can ‘sign off’ your work by ticking this function.

This will let your teachers know that you have finished the page so that they know to give you feedback. They can then verify the page by ticking the verified button, so you will know at a glance that they have seen it and it is all complete.

You can share your work in OP Mahara with a person, a group, or even make it public. No one can see your work unless you choose to share it. 

Your teacher may ask you to share your ePortfolio with them so that they can look at your work and give feedback on your progress, assess it, or verify it. Follow the steps below to find out how to do that.

There are two ways to share an ePortfolio, by sharing a collection or by sharing a page.

Share a collection

To share a collection, got to the section Pages and collections (Main menu → Create → Pages and collections).

Find the collection you wish to share and click on the padlock icon in the bottom left of the collection tile, and choose manage access.

Once you are on the Edit access page, choose person in the ‘Share with’ dropdown menu.

A search box will appear next to it, and you can search by name to find who you would like to share with. Note that this list is only for OP Mahara users.

Once you have chosen a role for the person, click save. 

The person with whom you have shared your pages or collections with will receive a notification.

Share from a page

To share a page with someone, find the padlock icon on the page you want to share and click through to Manage access.

Next, follow the same instructions above in the section ‘Share from a collection’

Important note

If the page is part of a collection, you will be giving them access to the whole collection as well as the page.

Manage your sharing

You can manage your access in the Shared by me section of Mahara. Get there by using the big Share button on your dashboard or the main dropdown menu.

On the Shared by me page you can edit the access to your collections or individual pages.

Click on the padlock icon to edit the access of each item.

Shared with you

Others may choose to share their content with you also. You will receive a notification when this happens. You can see the things others have shared with you in the Shared with you section.

Secret URLs

You can also create a Secret URL to share with anyone. This URL will provide anyone with direct access to your work. Because it doesn’t require a OP Mahara login, anyone with the link can use it.

Click on the world icon to create this link.

Commenting

You can choose if you would like others to be able to comment on your work by editing the comment options.

Once you have shared your work with others, they will be able to leave comments on a page, collection, or some types of individual artefacts. The same applies if someone shares their work with you.

You can see the comments left so far at the bottom of each portfolio page or the artefact page that contains the artefact’s metadata.

Private or public comments

Comments can be public, so others can see it, or private, and only visible to you as the owner of the work. Find out more about public and private comments.

View and add comments

Find out more about viewing and adding comments:

• View and add artefact comments 

• View and add comments on collections 

To assess your ePortfolio your teacher may ask you to submit it through Moodle for marking.

Warning! Anything left in draft form will NOT be visible to your teacher once it has been submitted. Before submitting, check that everything is complete and visible as your ePortfolio may be locked after it is submitted.

To submit your ePortfolio, navigate to the right Moodle course, and find the correct assignment submission activity.

Click Add submission

A list of your Mahara pages and collections will be listed. You can also search your Mahara pages and collections.

Once selected, click save changes.

Locking a submission

Your teacher may choose to lock your submission once it has been submitted. This means you won’t be able to make any changes to it. You teacher may unlock it after it has been graded or keep it locked for longer. Please talk to them about their marking decisions.

Make a copy of your work

You can make a copy of any locked page or collection and keep adding items from there. 

Resubmitting your ePortfolio

After you have submitted your Mahara ePortfolio in Moodle, you may receive some feedback from your teachers that you are missing components of your eportfolio in Mahara and need to resubmit.

You will receive an email that looks like this:

Navigate to the assignment in Moodle by clicking the link in the email. If you scroll down, you will be able to see the grade and the feedback given to you by your teacher.

Your ePortfolio will now be unlocked and you can make any changes or updates needed in Mahara.

If your ePortfolio in Mahara is coloured a slight yellow, it means that it is still locked and may need more time to be released.

Ready to resubmit

Once you are ready to resubmit, return to the Moodle assignment.

You will see two options for resubmission. Either will allow you to select the right ePortfolio and resubmit.

Once resubmitted your ePortfolio will again be locked in Mahara until your final mark is released by your teachers.

If you would like to retain a copy of your ePortoflios, you can export a copy to keep.

Once exported you will receive a ZIP archive in your downloads folder that includes your content in both HTML and Leap2A formats. You can view your portfolio in a browser via the index.html file or import the content in another portfolio platform that supports the Leap2A format.

Important note

You will be able to view your content, but not edit it directly in either format (HTML and Leap2A). You will be able to copy and paste the content from the HTML version.

Export your portfolio

From the top right main menu, click on Manage, then Export.

In the Export your portfolio page, choose the option which you wish to export:

1. All my data – This downloads one zip folder of all your content (if you have a lot of content this process can be slow)
2. Just some of my pages – Allows you to choose and export individual pages (recommended)
3. Just some of my collections – Allows you to choose and export individual collections (recommended) 

4. Choose to include comments or not.

Click Generate export

Download your files

From the top right main menu, click on Create, then Files.

Clicking on any of your files will automatically start a download of them to your downloads folder on your computer.