← Engineering Student Portfolio
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How to write an entry
A folder of files is storage. Reflection makes it a portfolio. An entry takes about twenty minutes, and the best time to write it is the same day.
The questions
Every entry answers the same questions
They take you beyond describing what you did, towards why it matters and what you will carry forward. You will not know every answer in first year, and that is the point: each gap is a good question to ask your lecturer.
- 1. What was it, and what was my role?Title, date, place or module. What I did myself.
- 2. Why does it matter in practice?Where it is used on real projects.
- 3. How was it done, and what other methods exist?The method used, and the alternatives.
- 4. What are its limitations?When the result should not be trusted.
- 5. What errors are common, and which did I make?And how to avoid them next time.
- 6. What is my key takeaway?The one thing I will remember.
- 7. Evidence and competencePhotos, results, feedback. Tag it A to E.
- Next stepOne question to ask, or one thing to try.
A simple example
A first lab test, written up
Here is how a first-year civil engineering student might write up a soils lab. Keep yours just as short. The same headings work for a circuits lab, a materials test or a site visit.
- Name of test
- Atterberg limits: the liquid limit and the plastic limit of a clay.
- Method used
- Fall cone for the liquid limit, and rolling threads by hand for the plastic limit. Another method for the liquid limit is the Casagrande cup. Question for my lecturer: why does our lab use the fall cone?
- Why this test?
- It shows how a clay changes as it gets wetter or drier: from crumbly, to soft and mouldable, to almost liquid.
- Standard to follow
- BS EN ISO 17892-12 in the UK; ASTM D4318 is used in the United States. My module guide names the one our lab follows.
- Its benefit
- It is quick and cheap, and helps engineers classify a soil early.
- In the real world
- It helps engineers judge whether a clay will shrink and swell, which matters for house foundations, especially near trees. Question for my lecturer: can you share a real project where this mattered?
- Why should I care?
- Clays that shrink and swell can crack buildings. A simple test like this is one of the first ways engineers spot the risk.
- Common mistakes
- Not mixing the soil well, letting samples dry out before weighing them, and adding too much water at once. I added too much water once, and two of my readings came out almost the same.
- My takeaway
- Simple tests can warn engineers about big problems.
- Evidence
- Results sheet, two photos and my lab report with feedback. Tags: A and B.
Notice the questions in italics. Writing an entry shows you what you do not know yet, and turns it into a good question to ask.
The habit
Little and often beats a panic in final year.
Write one entry
About twenty minutes, while it is fresh.
Review your areas
Which areas are thin? Set one goal for next term.
Pick your best work
Use your strongest entries to update your CV.
Keep it honest
Respect what is not yours
Standards are copyrighted
Keep the reference and a summary in your own words, not a copy of the document.
Respect confidentiality
Ask before keeping photos or company documents from site visits and placements.
Get consent for photos of people
Ask before keeping any photo in which a person can be identified.
Record only your own part
In group work, describe what you did yourself and credit others.
Try it
Write your first entry this week
Get the free entry template and use it after your next lab or lecture.
Get the free template