This page contains questions and answers for Making History students and staff working with MyPortfolio. We will keep it up-to-date as we encounter new questions - let us know (contact details at the bottom).
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Getting started
What are the most important things to know about MyPortfolio?
- It's accessed at https://myportfolio.ucl.ac.uk/.
- It's the only centrally-hosted environment at UCL that is specifically for students.
- It's much more than a portfolio.
- It's very good at embedding multimedia.
- You can make and join groups.
- Students have total control over who sees what - the trade-off is that there may be a couple of extra steps to post your materials.
- Everything you want to share or publish needs first to be put into a Page.
Is there a general 'Getting Started' guide?
Yes - at https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/Mahara/MyPortfolio+Resource+Centre+-+home
Remember - this guidance here is limited to your work with MyPortfolio. Use in conjunction with your module handbook and other guidance on Moodle.
How can I find out my MyPortfolio username and password to log in?
Everyone who has a UCL userID automatically has a MyPortfolio account - to access it all you need to do is go to http://myportfolio.ucl.ac.uk and login using your UCL userID and password.
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Please do this as soon as you can - before your MyPortfolio induction session (11th October 2013). Only after you have logged in at least once can we then allocate you to your group. |
How do I join my group on MyPortfolio?
If you log into MyPortfolio at least once (see above) and well before your MyPortfolio induction session, then we will be able to add you to your groups automatically.
If for some reason you log in and find you have not yet been added to your group, contact your group's Teaching Assistant.
General questions and answers
What is Mahara (the portfolio and groupwork environment we call MyPortfolio) and why do we have it?
MyPortfolio is based on the Mahara open source software. This system is used at many higher education institutions around the world (including Glasgow, Warwick, Goldsmiths, and Cornell), although it was originally launched in New Zealand, in fact Mahara is a Maori word meaning 'thought'.
At UCL we've called it MyPortfolio - but as you can see, it is also a good group work environment.
I've run out of file space! Can I request more?
MyPortfolio accounts have a default filespace allowance or quota of 500Mb for each individual and 500Mb for a Group (shared between members).
- If you upload or create within your own Portfolio, that uses your personal allocation.
- If you upload or create within a Group context, that uses your Group's allocation.
- If you upload or create within your own Portfolio, make that Page copyable, then go to a Group context and copy that Page, then that uses both your personal and Group allocation
We wish we could just say Yes, but file storage has to be budgeted and purchased in advance, so Learning & Teaching Applications (the team within the Information Services Division who look after the MyPortfolio installation) need to account for how it is used.
In exceptional circumstances we can increase this - but first we will ask you if you are able to reduce the size of your files. It's often the case that images and other media can be compressed.
We will also invite you to use external / third party storage offered by YouTube, SoundCloud, Flickr, and other services.
How is my work backed up?
UCL backs up the work stored on MyPortfolio. If you are linking to or embedding external content, you should have confidence that it will still be around when you need it. YouTube, Flickr, SoundCloud, Google and Vimeo services are in use at UCL - they are all stable robust hosts which don't withdraw their service without notice.
However, if you delete a file on MyPortfolio, it can't be retrieved. So when you start to delete a file you are prompted to consider exporting it first - we recommend taking advantage of this.
Files and other content
I can't seem to upload a file - it won't let me browse. What's gone wrong?
Have you checked the Upload File checkbox? This is MyPortfolio's way of directing attention to your copyright responsibilities.
Only 500Mb? Where will I host any big files I create?
Yes - you have a personal allocation of 500Mb and your group has 500Mb to share. We will monitor this and would appreciate your feedback.
For larger files and multimedia files which are best streamed (ie viewed or heard online, play instantly rather than downloading slowly) we are encouraging you to set up accounts with free external hosts - MyPortfolio is very good at embedding these.
We'd be interested to find out whether this works well for you.
If I host files outside UCL, is there an approved list of external content hosts?
UCL doesn't endorse any particular web service but as you can see from the UCL website, UCL exploits many viable third-party platforms. For the foreseeable future UCL has official accounts with:
- YouTube for video
- Soundcloud for audio
- Flickr for images
- Twitter for microblogging
- Dropbox for sharing big files
These have been chosen because they are well-used, stable and reliable. A couple of recommendations:
- keep original or backup copies of any media securely on your personal file space.
- copyright is a default right (within the terms of the host you choose) - but when you upload you may be prompted about giving up some aspects. Consider CreativeCommons as a way of making your content open access and widely available, but bear in mind that only by choosing the Attribution and No Derivative Works settings is the work most likely to remain intact and credited to you (if that is what you want).
With external content, what is the difference between embedding and linking?
With embedding, the media display within MyPortfolio and you are able to provide and display some commentary.
With linking, you're sending your viewer outside MyPortfolio and you lose control over how the media is displayed.
Some media hosts (like YouTube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud) actively encourage you to 'share' their media. Others don't though, and unless there's an obvious provision for sharing it's best to assume that you don't have copyright - in which case link to the media.
How can I embed an externally-hosted sound, image or video file?
Embedding a sound or video file along with its player, or a collection of images along with their navigation, is often best accomplished with the Embed.ly content block.
To do this
- Navigate to the Page where you want the sound file to display:
- Press Edit ...
- ... then Edit Content ...
- ... then External Content.
- Drag the Embed.ly block to where you want it to display.
- Complete the details for the block - this entails pasting in the web address of the content you want to embed.
- Finally check your work via the Display Page tab - or press the Done button.
As a rule, unless the host of the file is actively encouraging you to share (i.e. presents you with a 'Share' link) then it's best to link rather than embed.
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Problems? See the next question. |
My embedded content isn't displaying right on my Page - what can I do?
It may be a case of asking your browser to display content it is treating as insecure. In Firefox 24 for example YouTube embedded via Embed.ly doesn't display at the time of writing unless you click on the little shield icon in the address bar and tell Firefox to go ahead with it.
There may be an alternative approach that will work. For example instead of trying to use the embed code for a YouTube video you could try using the External media block.
How can I embed a Twitter feed?
Currently this doesn't work, so ELE have requested that the Twitter plugin be added to our installation of MyPortfolio. Meanwhile our working solution is to add a textblock with the Twitter logo and a link out to the Twitter feed.
How can I embed a gallery of images?
See our guidance PG02 - More Pages.
I can't seem to embed from my Google Drive - what's going wrong?
This should not be a problem after the upgrade on the 10th September 2013. If it is then you can embed the document using the Text Box.
How do I choose between the different kinds of External Content I can add to a Page? Some of them look like they do the same thing...
Some of the external content tools do similar things, and it is up to you which method you prefer. For example the External Media block can embed a YouTube video, but so can the Embed.ly block. This is because although there may be overlap in their functionality they also specialise in other areas, for example the Embed.ly block can be used with a wider range of content.
Where are my Pages? I can't find them!
You can find Portfolio Pages by clicking your Portfolio's Pages tab, and Group pages by going to the Group and clicking the Pages tab.
Not there? Sure you haven't created them within a different context e.g. another Group?
In that case, you've probably added them to a Collection - check the Collections tab.
Still can't find them?
This is very rare - it means that either you inadvertently didn't save your Page, or it has been inadvertently deleted.
If you are convinced there is a problem with MyPortfolio itself, contact the support team - details at the bottom.
I get lost navigating my group space - can I add a menu or table of contents?
You may have noticed that good web editors always include a standard menu - or at least a link to the Home page.
To do this in MyPortfolio:
- Create a Collection containing links to a few key top-level pages in your Group.
- Add this Collection as a block on each and every Page.
- For step-by-step guidance see our guide PG03 - Collections.
How can I upload to MyPortfolio from a phone, iPad or tablet?
For the shared iPad minis, one sure way is to connect to a computer via a cable. This treats the device as storage drive, and you can copy your stuff to your personal file space, and from there upload to MyPortfolio.
For your own Android devices here's a MaharaDroid app via Google Play. It's free. For your own Apple devices eg iPhone or iPad there's PortfolioUp! - also free. We decided that PortfolioUp! wasn't suitable for a shared device, since you need to enter a unique key. However, you can install PortfolioUp! to your own device.
Both apps require you to paste in a unique key from your MyPorfolio settings - it's this that connects your app to your account.
What's the best way to just display text with illustrations on a MyPortfolio page?
For the text, from the Edit Content menu, select General and then Textbox. Some things to note:
- You can include pictures here - but first you need to upload the picture to your / your group's Files area, and copy its link. Only then can you press the Insert Image button in the Textbox editor, and paste the link in. This seems - indeed is - convoluted, but it works OK. Equally, you can include the image(s) in a separate dedicated Image or Gallery block.
- You may find it more convenient to compose somewhere else and then paste the text in ...
- ... in which case use the Paste From Word button in the text editor - this will hopefully resolve any common formatting issues which dog this kind of inter-application copying and pasting.
- If you are drafting text in MyPortfolio, remember to save early and often, and to do a quick Select All and Copy before you do save. That way if you lose your internet connect, you don't also lose your hard work.
For more on this see our PG02 - More Pages guide.
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Problems? See below. |
I've pasted text but it looks dreadful!
Sometimes text copied from elsewhere (particularly Microsoft Word) looks bad when pasted into Web applications - MyPortfolio is not exceptional in this respect. Fortunately this is relatively easy to solve.
Rather than trying to reformat your text (which often makes things worse) do the following:
- Use Cut to remove the offending text from MyPortfolio and copy it to your Clipboard. One way is to Select All (Ctrl+A or Cmd+ A) and then Cut (Ctrl+X or Cmd+X).
- Next - even if you're not pasting from Microsoft software - press the Paste From Word icon on the Text Editor's toolbar; an empty textbox displays.
- Paste your text into the box (one way is Ctrl+V or Cmd+V).
- Finally press the Insert button.
Hopefully your text now displays as intended.
If not, cut it again and paste it to somewhere that strips out formatting, such as Notepad (comes with Microsoft Windows) or TextEdit (comes with Mac OS), then copy from there and paste into MyPortfolio.
The text editor is too small - can I make it bigger?
If you are using the Textbox to add text to your page then you can make the editor bigger by clicking the blue box in the top right hand corner of its text editor.
This will toggle to full screen. Please note though that in order to save you'll need click this box again to exit full screen mode.
Making connections and giving focus
How can I avoid putting too much in a single Page?
To be completed, including;
- Retractable blocks
- Break into Pages and group those into Collections.
How can I cross-reference between Pages?
To come.
What is the best layout to choose?
To come.
How can I post feedback or comments on a Page?
The Place feedback link which is usually present at the bottom of each Page allows viewers to leave comments under that Page. You can use this to give feedback on work without actually editing it. Here's how it works. 
Unless the Page's creator has set the Page not to accept Feedback (see its Sharing settings) then anybody who can see the Page can place Feedback. To do this, click the Place feedback link, type or attach comments, and then click the Place feedback button to post it under the Page.
What can you include in feedback? You can type text, insert links and also attach a file.
Who can see the feedback? The principle is that Page owners also own the Feedback on their Page. Correspondingly the Feedback owners ultimately relinquish control over whether the comment is public or not (though they can always delete the comment). So, whether the Feedback is public depends to some extent on whether the person leaving Feedback you have decided not to check the Make public box - but be aware that the Page owner can override this by choosing to make it public or to delete it.
If I uncheck the Public box, who can see Feedback I leave? Only you and the Page's owner. So, if the Page is owned by an individual, just that individual (this includes Pages in the Pages shared to this group by others category). If it's a Group page, then any Group member can see the Feedback.
How can I tell if Feedback is moderated? If the Page owner has enabled moderation for Feedback, commenters are alerted to this under the Make public checkbox.
Working in Groups
Why have we all been given an Administrator role in our Group?
We though it would be better for each of you to have equal responsibility and control, rather than one group member having more. We think that equal status will improve relationships in your group.
We also wanted you to have full control of your Group space, particularly over its front page as the first impression and entry point for your assessors. Only Administrators have that.
At assessment time, a member of staff will remove your Administrator role so that s/he can prevent further editing, the deadline can be observed, and marking can start.
Could one of your fellow group members create havoc? Yes, but that's no more likely than in person. At least on MyPortfolio it's obvious and your Teaching Assistant will be there to assist.
Are there any ground rules in Groups about how to agree on edits, who can edit whose stuff, etc?
We think that these are best negotiated within these groups, rather than planned by us in advance. Set these up at the beginning in your Group, and be prepared to revisit and revise them as necessary, for harmonious cooperation.
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What should my group's Home Page (front page) look like?
To help your tutors and assessors your Group's Home Page should clearly signpost the components of your project space - especially the core assessed parts.
Please edit the Home Page to include the following blocks.
- Navigation block - create this by organising your Pages into one or more Collections, and including the Collection(s) within Navigation block(s).
- Group Members block
- Text block including a brief introduction.
- (Optional - an Image
Other than that, there's no single answer - except 'organised'.
We will provide some illustrations of components you may wish to include.
Can I simultaneously edit a Page with somebody else?
No - so make plans with your group about who will edit which Pages, and when.
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How do I share a Page with my Group?
We need to make sure that the Pages in your Group can be added to Collections - that makes it easy for you to include navigation menus.
We also think you may want to keep a copy of any Page you initiate, before you share it with your Group to jointly edit.
So, a good balance between individual control and group control, we recommend that you:
- Within your own individual Portfolio, create your Page.
- Share the Page to the Group with copying enabled; it then appears within the Group as a Shared Page, attributed to you.
- To enable the Page to be included in a Collection, you then - within the Group - copy that Page; the copy then becomes a Group Page which can then be included in a Collection.
The Shared Page continues to display as your contribution. That way you get to keep track of your own original work. At the same time, the copy can evolve as it is edited by the whole Group. If you can't meet in person to negotiate edits, then enabling Feedback (comments underneath Pages) is another way.
Why can't I see the Page I made in my own Portfolio?
First check - can you see your Page from within your Group's context but not your own Portfolio?
If so then the answer is that you created it in a Group context, in which case it exists only as a Group Page until you enable it to be copied (in its settings).
Then you can copy it for your own Portfolio. To make a copy of a Page created elsewhere, make a note of its title, then go to your own Portfolio, click Copy A Page, and search for that Page's title.
Weekly logs - where should they go?
Each group produces a shared weekly log - see your handbook for details. For this we're going to use a Forum. One member of your group should set up a Forum called something like +Weekly log for (your group name)+. Into this Forum any group member can post once a week on behalf of their group.
For guidance on how to set up a Forum, please refer to guide GG03 - Forums for step-by-step instructions and annotated screenshots.
I've somehow become separated from my Group in MyPortfolio - how can I get back?
Any of your fellow Group members can restore your membership. They also need to change your role to Administrator, which they can do via the Group's Members page.
If you find this problem is occurring frequently and you're sure that you aren't inadvertently clicking the Remove From Group button next to your name, then let the Teaching Assistant for your Group know.
I want to save my Group Project to my own Portfolio so I can export it. How can I do that?
You probably want to be able to see and show your contribution in its place. But since MyPortfolio assumes that Group spaces are the product of many different people's work, it doesn't allow it to be downloaded. This is because it is conscious of intellectual property rights - in other words, that groupwork doesn't necessarily confer copyright to all group members. After all, some Group members may feel their contribution reflects badly on them and may not want it shared, or may want it unpicked from others'.
Here are some alternatives:
- UCL can keep a copy of the groupwork which, if all Group members agree, can be accessed via a secret web address.
- Members can make their individual Page contributions copyable. That way, each can reproduce the groupwork in their own Portfolio - that then becomes exportable into either HTML (website) format, or into a common portfolio format which can be uploaded elsewhere.
!!! Secret URLs
I want to display my Group Forum on the Group's About Page but I can't see how. How?
MyPortfolio allows individuals to display Forum posts on their Profile Page (for their own use) - but in the context of a Group About Page you need to do something different. Remember the old mantra: everything you share on MyPortfolio needs to be within a Page.
So, to do this, within the Group context a member creates a Page and adds a Forum block displaying the Forum.
Is there a place I can test things out before I share them with a Group?
Yes - your own Portfolio space. That way you keep full control over who sees.
Can I get email alerts about changes to my Group's space?
Yes you can.
Log in, and from the MyPortfolio Front Page, check your Settings. These are your General Account Options. Ensure Disable Email is unchecked, and that the Allow Anyone To Send Me Messages button is checked (unless you prefer to restrict messaging - in which case remember to let your Group know how to keep in touch).
Next, adjacent to the Settings tab, click the Notifications tab. Here for the different kinds of notifications you can stipulate whether you want them to be sent to you individually (Email), or as a day's notifications gathered in order into a single email (Email Digest) or for them to appear in your MyPortfolio Inbox without being sent out by email.
Aaargh! I'm getting too many email alerts about changes - make them stop!
Within your Settings' Notifications tab, you can configure your alerts to reduce the amount of email. For more about how to do this, see 'Can I get email alerts about changes to my Group's space?'
How do I make my group's work available to my assessor?
This will happen on the deadline without you having to do anything.
You will find that your role changes from Administrator to Member, and you will not be able to make any further changes to your Group space.
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How do I lock a group - stop it from being editable - at the deadline?
Somebody from ELE changes the Settings of the Group page so it is no longer editable by anyone with a Member role after the deadline.
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- At the deadline, log into MyPortfolio and navigate to your Group’s front page.
- Click the Members tab; the list of members displays.
- One at a time, click each student’s respective Change role link.
- Use the dropdown menu to change their role from Admin to Member.
- Click the Submit button; the list of Members displays again, this time with the student’s role as Member.
- Repeat as necessary until all students are listed as Members on the Members page.
- While you're there, check that your co-marker is present, and has Administrator access.
I'm a marker - how can I find groups whose work I need to mark?
- In a web browser go to https://myportfolio.ucl.ac.uk
- Log in with your ISD user ID (the one you use for Moodle); the Dashboard displays.
- To the right is a list of links to Groups you’re associated with; to enter a Group space click on its title here.
- Once inside, hopefully students have designed their front page so that you can easily find your way around the space.
- You can also navigate with the horizontal row of links below the Group name.
Students have access to their Group space during the marking period, but will not be able to edit it. This means that if you leave feedback on any given page, then depending on their settings, they will be able to see it.
What permissions or role do markers have in MyPortfolio?
You'll have a Group Administrator role, which enables you to see the Reports. If you don't have this role, contact ELE.
How can I see who is in the Group?
Use the horizontal row of tabs under the Group name to navigate to Members - there you will find a list of contributors, along with other History staff and possibly ELE staff.
Where can I find the Weekly Logs?
These will be posted within a Forum that each Group sets up within their MyPortfolio space.
TAs can subscribe to these by email, and they are available via the horizontal menu of tabs which appears under the Group name.
How can I find my way round the Group space?
The fundamental thing to remember that everything you assess on MyPortfolio will be within one or more Pages (so you don't need to assess Files - these are just the raw materials).
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- The Back button, top right of the screen. Caveat - be careful not to click the Edit button by mistake and if you do that, then click Cancel to return.
- The Groups link on the Mahara menu.
- The Group's name, wherever it appears as a link.
Is there a way to 'skim read' audiovisual material by increasing the playback speed?
If the media is on YouTube, then you can play at x1.5 or x2 as follows:
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If you find ways to change the playback speed in other media, let us know.
What can students see while I'm marking?
Students continue to be able to view their group's MyPortfolio space, but cannot edit it.
This means that if you comment on Pages (using the Place feedback link), students will be able to see this, for example.
How can I give feedback or comments on a Page?
See the corresponding section for students above. This gives an explanation of the different Place feedback settings.
Blocked or invisible content? Some content seems to be missing - is it me?
Blanks space where you're expecting to see something? One likely reason is your web browser's security settings; the other is that the block is retracted. Read on for troubleshooting instructions.
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Retractable blocks - where used, if these have been set to retract by default, then that's another reason content might be hidden. If you see a title with an adjacent arrowhead icon, click the icon and the block will be revealed (unless it's already revealed - in which case it will retract).
How can I find out which student has contributed to which bit of work?
- MyPortfolio Group Reports can be access via the Reports link in the Group menu (horizontal menu under the Group name). This is pretty rudimentary but gives some indication of who contributed what.
- Pages may have comments ('Feedback') from group members underneath, which will give some indication of how different members have influenced the work.
- Student Weekly logs (accounts of who did what and when). These have the advantage of encompassing offline work too.
- While the work is ongoing, TAs can ask.
How can I judge how well a group is working together?
- Asking.
- Comments ('Feedback', in MyPortfolio language) on Pages.
- If you can see cross-referencing between pages created by different students, this may be an indication that students are paying attention to each other and integrating each others' work.
- Weekly logs may reveal if students are dividing the labour equitably.
- Reports - more on these in a separate section.
What is the difference between 'Group pages' and 'Pages shared to the group'?
'Group pages' have been created within a group context and are owned and editable by all members.
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Students were given guidance to copy all Pages as Group Pages - but it wasn't an explicit requirement.
What do the Reports tell me?
It's important to note that unlike a wiki, MyPortfolio doesn't keep a history of edits (the UCL wiki was considered for this group project but MyPortfolio had other more compelling benefits). So while MyPortfolio offers some reports, it does not distinguish contributions to Group pages.
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- Pages shared with this group: List of all the pages that people have shared with this group.
- Shared by: Displays the author of the page.
- Members involved: Shows the group members who have commented on the pages publicly.
- Non-members involved: Schows the users who have commented on the pages publicly but are not members of the group.
- Next to each person who commented on a page is the count for the number of comments they have left on that page.
- The total count for the comments by members and non-members is displayed.
- Pages owned by this group: List of all the pages that were created within the group.
Find out more
I'm totally lost with MyPortfolio - where can I find help?
- If what you're looking for isn't here in these Questions & Answers, let ELE know.
- Talk to ELE - the support team can be reached via 020 3549 5678 (internal: 65678) or email ele@ucl.ac.uk.
- Ask a fellow student in your group, and if no luck, ask your tutor.
- You can contact your Faculty's E-Learning Facilitator, Mira Vogel on 020 3549 5197 (internal: 65197) - but she may take longer to get back in touch than the support team above.
- Guides at the UCL MyPortfolio Resource Centre
- Mahara (the software we call MyPortfolio) has its own guides and support forums.
- Search YouTube - somebody may have recorded a screencast of what you are looking for.
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