*XIII.

E Portfolio
So what is an ePortfolio?

An academic ePortfolio is a digital collection created by a student of their

course-related work, like essays, posters, photographs, videos,
and artwork; academic ePortfolios can also capture other aspects of a student’s
life, such as volunteer experiences, employment history, extracurricular
activities, and more.

In other words, ePortfolios document and make visible student learning. But a
good ePortfolio should be more than just a collection of products. An
ePortfolio lets students organize, document, and display their most significant
learning experiences in one digital space.
 *Portfolios are considered as a learning and assessment tool
Student Learning: E-portfolio has been used to facilitate, document, and
archive student learning. It is a learning tool for students to clarify their
educational goals, integrate and solidify learning through reflection, and
showcase achivement to potential employers. By having students reflect on
what they learned, how they learned it, and how much they learned, they start
to take control of their own learning.
Assessment and accreditation: E-Portfolio can also function as a tool for
faculty to monitor and evaluate program effectiveness.To collectively
examine student achievement for program improvement, portfolio can be a
useful way to organize, sample, and assess what students gained out of the
program. Portfolios enable faculty to not only observe what students know
and can do, but also learn how students learn through student reflections.
 *There are three main types of e-portfolios, although they may be
referred to using different terms:
developmental (e.g., working)
assessment
showcase
A developmental e-portfolio can show the advancement of skill over a
period of time. The main purpose is to provide an opportunity for
communication between student and instructor. An assessment portfolio will
demonstrate skill and competence in a particular domain or area. A showcase
portfolio highlights stellar (star) work in a specific area, it is typically shown
to potential employers to gain employment. When it is used for job
application it is sometimes called career portfolio. Most e-portfolios are a
mix of the three main types to create a hybrid portfolio.
 *Electronic portfolios have been used in:
Schools
Higher education
Continuing professional development
Job applications/professional advertisements
Assessment
Accreditation
Recognition of prior learning (RPL)
In education
E-portfolio is commonly used to support evaluation process in all forms of
education. It is considered to be a very useful tool by many
professional organisations, working groups, projects and it is the leading
topic of many conferences and workshops.
 *These initiatives drive the development of e-portfolio and enhance its
using with new technologies in education. By their activities – studies and
methodical support – initiatives directly influence governments and
especially education practice. The very important result is improving
frequency of using e-portfolio during learning process and verification of
effectiveness of the new technologies.
Many universities and schools are currently working to make sure that
students are gaining practice and experience with electronic portfolios so that
they are able to use them to the best of their ability.
Why and when to use e-portfolios?
E-portfolios can be used for a number of different purposes, enhancing
the overall learning experience and encouraging students to take
ownership of their learning.
 - They can be used for assessment and to encourage reflective learning. For
example, a pre-service teacher can develop videos about their teaching style
and a critical reflection of their approaches used.
- E-portfolios illustrate growth and progression. They can be used across a
programme and over the duration of a period of study to demonstrate how the
learner has developed.
- They encourage learner motivation as they illustrate a student’s personal
accomplishments and the positive aspects of learning.
- They encourage and reward both informal (learning taken outside the
classroom) and formal learning.
- E-portfolios can be used as a collaborative space to allow groups to share
and compose multimedia content.
 *Assessment and reporting
An e-portfolio can reflect a student's learning process and progress. Using a
digital portfolio to track learning journeys supports formative assessment to
improve future learning outcomes, is personalised with the student's own
voice, and is a useful tool to inform student-led, parent, and teacher
discussions.
e-Portfolios allow the student, their peers, teacher, and parents to share the
learning process as each participant can contribute in real-time to enhance
current learning while also promoting further learning. A digital portfolio
supports:
partnerships in learning
learning conversations
self-regulation
feedback
engagement
assessment as learning.
Building digital fluency
The creation and management of an e-portfolio provides students with
opportunities to build digital fluency, using technologies to create, select,
organise, edit, and evaluate their work.
Technology enables the use of a range of media – video, audio, and images –
as well as text to show both the learning process and final products.
Students can take increasing responsibility for their own learning by
recording and reflecting on their learning in an e-portfolio.
Students can carry their e-portfolio throughout their learning journey and use
it to record, assess, evaluate, and reflect at any time.
 *e-Portfolios are student-centred.
Some educators see ePortfolios primarily as a tool for generating new or
deeper learning while others view them as an assessment tool. There’s a
major tension right now between student-centered and institution-centered
ePortfolios”. Institution-centered ePortfolios, are driven by “assessment of
learning.” In contrast, student-centered ePortfolios are driven by “assessment
for learning,” referring to the academic assignments that fulfill the traditional
role of assessing learning.
Students can take increasing responsibility for their own learning by
recording and reflecting on their learning in an e-portfolio. They are free to
choose what specific work examples are included and to reflect on their
learning.
 *Best practices for instructors
Explain the benefits of ePortfolios to students
ePortfolios can:
- Help learners develop new or deeper learning, which results in higher
grades
- Help learners develop a better sense of themselves as students and
individuals
- Be shared with friends and family members
- Showcase learners’ achievements
-Establish clear expectations
- Explain to your students what you expect them to do in their ePortfolios.
 *Provide examples created by students
As you build your own directory of student examples, direct students to
ePortfolio gallery for inspiration and clarity on scope and purpose.
Share information
Create an ePortfolio for yourself based on your teaching practice or research
project and share it with your students. You’ll better understand the
challenges and benefits of maintaining an ePortfolio, and it will also convince
students that it is a useful endeavor.