Eportfolios

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Why portfolio?

  • widely used in disciplines that use evidence based assessment (art/design, trades, education, nursing, etc)
  • showcases what the student knows or can do
  • is student-centred
  • encourages students to reflect on their learning experiences and develop critical thinking skills
  • develops students' communication skills
  • could be used when seeking employment
  • could become a life-long practice


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What is an e-portfolio?

Useful in electives and disciplines that require collated evidence of work, progress and achievement. (Especially useful for graduates who are entering a vocational course or trade, or who are already working), an e-portfolio:

  • is a collection of digital artifacts / samples of work
  • Is a showcase of work that can be used to illustrate application of skills and concepts
  • Is organised and has a specific purpose
  • Can include reflections on the learning process, and involve the development of evaluation and critical thinking
  • Provides a forum to display achievements, accomplishments and areas of interest / expertise
  • Empowers students who already have well-developed IT and design skills, and can motivate students who haven't yet acquired these skills
  • Can encourage peer tutoring and support
  • May be useful in applying for jobs, grants, and scholarships
  • Acts as a record of ongoing knowledge and skills building
  • Can comprise of text, images, audio/video, links, etc.
  • Usually online (could be archived and presented offline)
  • Can represent an individual (i.e. student, lecturer, employee) or group / organisation (i.e. team / educational institution)


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Features of e-portfolio

  • personal content publishing space (may enable archiving / subscriptions to content)
  • facilities for other people to comment, add or contribute to existing content
  • social networking tools that enable people to build communities, interest groups around shared topics
  • tagging and categorising features that help other people find relevant artifacts
  • access rights management tools enabling the author to control access to content


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E-portfolio vs. Learning Management System

E-portfolio LMS (i.e. Blackboard, Moodle, etc)
Focuses on individuals Is based on courses / groups of people
Individual joins networks / groups of people Students are invited / enrolled to courses by lecturers
Individual has to make items available to networks / groups of people. Items can also be public. Items are visible to all members of the course / group by default
An individual decides when and what items are posted Learning activities are controlled / prompted by lecturers
A student retains the "ownership" of the content, s/he can continue e-portfolio development after leaving an educational institution (depending on the arrangement) Educational institution "owns" the course and course content. Student access is restricted after the course is over. Students may have no tools to document / keep record of their contributions and participation in the learning activities


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Examples of e-portfolios



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What items / documents can be put into an e-portfolio?

This list is based on Robin Good's list of information that is commonly hosted on an e-portfolio system:

  • CV / resume related information
    • Personal information
    • Education history
    • Academic and professional achievements
    • Recommendation letters and references
  • Personal content
    • Personal commentary and reflections
    • Goals, plans
    • Timelines
    • Calendars
    • Documents
      • .pdf, MS Word documents, PP presentations
      • Digital photographs (annotated)
      • Video clips
      • Audio recordings - Podcasts
    • Research information - such as documentation and references supporting specific research
    • Annotated bibliographies
    • Books lists
    • Personal goals and objectives
    • Personal values and interests
    • Social network - links to other e-portfolios
  • Study work
    • Coursework – assignments, projects
    • Reflective journals
    • Comments by lecturers and peers
  • Links to external content
    • Reading lists (lists of RSS resources)
    • Persistent web searches
    • Newsradars (custom filtered highly thematic news feeds)


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Building e-portfolio

  • E-portfolio should aim to capture
    • the learning process
    • performance, progress made
    • choices, reasons, motivations
    • cultural and learning context
  • E-portfolio - a learning and assessment tool
    • e-portfolio offers a holistic overview of learner's skills and knowledge
    • new inputs must be put in relation to what a learner already knows (categorised and linked)
    • imbalances and gaps are easy to identify and rectify
    • e-portfolios develop learner's awareness about her achievement compared to peers
    • learner is put in charge of her learning
    • learner activily constructs her knowledge in continuous evolution

(Good 2006)


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Elgg User Manuals


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References

Good, R. (2006) Electronic Portfolios: What Are They?
http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2006/03/10/electronic_portfolios_what_are_they.htm (retrieved at 12/09/2007)

Lorenzo, G., Ittelson, J. (2005). An Overview of E-Portfolios. Educause Learning Initiative.
http://connect.educause.edu/library/abstract/AnOverviewofEPortfol/39335 (retrieved at 11/09/2007)

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