E-portfolios provide benefits for learning but also present challenges. Research shows e-portfolios engage students by allowing them to actively collect, select and reflect on their work over time. However, institutions must address issues around purpose, assessment, technology and faculty/student buy-in. Future research is needed on what constitutes valid evidence of learning in e-portfolios and how portfolios can support deep learning and critical reflection.

1. E-Portfolios in Assessment:
Emerging Learning-Centred Pedagogy
Collect… Select… Reflect… Connect
Gail Morong
Donna DesBiens
TRU
ETUG
June 6, 2013

2. Presentation Outline
• Portfolio definitions
• Pedagogy
• Benefits and challenges
• Emerging Trends
• Research Lessons/Tips
• Future Research Directions
• Discussion

3. What’s a portfolio?
• A collection of items or artifacts that represent
an individual in some way
Many kinds, both traditional and digital:
• Showcase
• Teaching
• Educational

4. Showcase Portfolio

5. Teaching portfolio

6. What is an educational portfolio?
“ an educational portfolio contains work that a
learner has collected, reflected upon, selected, and
presented to show growth and change over time”
(Barrett, 2007)

7. What is an educational portfolio?
“Purposeful selection of artifacts together with
reflections that represent some aspect of the
owner‟s learning.”
(Chen, Stanford University,2009)

8. Traditional educational portfolios
• Paper based, 3 ring binder
• May include CD / DVD file
(Prior Learning Association Canada, 2008)

9. Traditional Portfolios at TRU

10. TRU Traditional PLAR Portfolio

11. e-Portfolio Research Beginning

12. What is an e-Portfolio?
“e-Portfolios are personalized, online collections
of your work, chosen by you to represent to
diverse audiences your knowledge, skills and
interests.”
(UBC Portfolio Community of Practice, accessed 2013)

13. E-Portfolios may include
• Presentations, papers, projects
• Multimedia images, videos
• Reflections on learning / work
• Selective collaboration and feedback
• Customization for different audiences

14. Many e-portfolio systems
TRU – Mahara & WordPress

15. Mahara e-portfolio features

16. Levels of educational e-portfolios
• Course (Individual or Group)
• Program
• Campus-wide

17. Individual e-Portfolio in WordPress

18. Digital Storytelling Project (iPad)
TRU Education and Skills Training Program
TRU Student Group e-portfolio

19. Program Level

20. Campus-level Portfolio
TRU Centre for Student Engagement & Learning Innovation
Recognizes intercultural and international experiences in any credit program

21. Contemporary Technology
Traditional E-Portfolio
Collect Archive
Select Link/Think
Reflect Tell a story
Project Collaborate
Celebrate Publish
(Barrett, 2007)

22. Educational uses of e-portfolios
• Job search
• Learning assessment
• Course evaluation
• Plan educational programs
• Track development within a program
• Document „KSA‟ and learning
• Monitor and evaluate performance
(Barrett, 2007; Lorenzo & Ittleson , ELI, 2005)

23. Major Uses of Student e-Portfolios
• Career preparation
• Showcase accomplishments
• Capture the learning process
• Document specific learning outcomes
• Learning representation, reflection and revision
(Barrett, 2007; Lorenzo & Ittleson, ELI, 2005)

24. Critical Parts of Learning Portfolios
Document, reflect, and collaborate:
• Individual learning artifacts
• Overall story of learning
(Barrett, 2007; Zubizaretta, 2004, cited in Barrett)

25. So…what are the benefits of using
e-portfolios for learning?

26. Potential Benefits
• Engage students in active learning
• Help students become critical thinkers
• Help develop writing and communication skills
• Help develop information and digital literacy
• Promote deep learning
• Integrate learning across multiple contexts
• Enable life-long learning
(Lorenzo & Ittleson , ELI, 2005; Tosh et al., 2005)

27. Learning Potential

28. Shared Challenges
• Multiple purposes & stakeholders
• Ownership issues
• Assessment issues – what, how, why?
• Multiple new technologies
• Workload – time and effort
• Training and support access
• Interoperability – silos vs. collaborative COP
• Storage capacity
(Goodine, 2010; EIfEL team blog, 2009; Barrett 2007)

29. Assessment Purposes Tension
2 main purposes:
• Assessment of learning
• Assessment for learning
(Barrett 2007)

30. Assessment of learning
• Document achievement of standards, e.g.
learning outcomes, competencies
• Assume meaning is constant across users,
contexts and purposes
• Measure prescribed learning
(Barrett, 2007)

31. Assessment for learning
• Invite digital stories of deep learning
• Provide structure for systematic critical
reflection on learning process over time
• Improve /negotiate learning
(Barrett, 2007)

32. Things to think about
• Can tension be resolved?
• What learning outcomes do you want to assess?
• What kind of assessment is appropriate?

33. Supporting Multiple Needs
3 interconnected systems:
• Archive of student work
• Authoring environment for creative learning
• Institutional assessment management system
(Barrett, 2007)

34. Challenges for Students
• Buy-in
• Motivation
• Assessment
• Technology
(Tosh et al., 2005)

35. Buy-in / Motivation Concerns
• Weak induction and instructions
• Didn‟t understand reasons for collecting info
• Need to know „What‟s in it for me?‟

36. Assessment Concerns
• Sensitive to grading of personal reflections
• Didn‟t understand what was wanted
• Tension between trying to give what was wanted
and meaningful learning
• Grade weight / workload imbalance

37. Technology Concerns
• Time required to learn system
• Difficult to customize
• Public vs. private access – when public, concern
for appearance trumped content and learning

38. Challenges for Faculty
• What is purpose?
• How to assess
• Tech overload
• Time shortage
• Training & support

39. Pause for thought
• How many of you have made an e-portfolio or
used them in student assessment?
• What are some of your experiences?
• What technology did you use?

40. AAEEBL e-Portfolio Survey 2012
Ass‟n for Authentic Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning
• 243 responses from 13 countries representing 97 institutions
Who responded?
• US (80%)
• UK (20)
• Canada (9)
• Australia (8)

41. Emerging Trends
• Program vs. course-based
• Collaborative assessment
• More learner/learning-centred beliefs
- Student responsibility for learning
- Student choices in what, how & how to represent
- Cross-disciplinary evaluation teams
- Assess multiple examples of student work
(Brown, Chen & Gordon, IJeP, 2012)

42. Lessons from Research
First step: Define your purpose

43. Lessons from Research
Engage learning
• Explain and demo how students can benefit
• Show examples – good, messy, your own
• Align with course & program
• Give feedback, support and time to reflect
• Connect classroom, community & work learning

44. Lessons from Research
Guide assessment
• Scaffold skills in how to reflect
• Clear assessment criteria
• Self-assessment to develop reflection and self-
management skills
• Peer review to develop thinking,
communication, and collaboration skills

45. CHALLENGE:
How do I mark that?

47. Lessons from Research
Faculty
• Build an evidence-based learning culture
• Validate learning evidence
• Collaborate on what works and why

48. Lessons from Research
Tech
• Focus on learning vs. „look & feel‟
• Use flexible, user-friendly systems
• Enable multimedia file use
• Ensure selective permissions/multiple views
• Separate authoring and official record systems
• Need active technology coordinator & equipment
(Johnson, 2012; Barrett, 2007; Tosh et al., 2005)

49. Future research
• What is valid evidence that e-portfolios support
successful learning & assessment?
• What is evidence of deep learning in e-portfolios?
• How does learning-centred practice impact
student critical reflection and agency?
• Explore systems that differentiate student-owned
e-portfolios from official records

50. E-Portfolio Research

51. Faculty buy-in/uptake in your
institution?
TRU-OL:
• Mahara and WordPress are supported
• Pockets in Communications, Education, English
and Nursing
• PLIRC research

52. More Discussion Questions
• How do different portfolio systems support and
influence learning?
• What do we know about how students from
different cultural backgrounds response to e-
portfolios?
• How long should e-portfolios be kept on server?
• How well do current practices meet challenges?

53. Contact Information
Gail Morong:
▫ gmorong@tru.ca
Donna DesBiens:
▫ ddesbiens@tru.ca

54. Key References
• Barrett, H.C. 2007. Researching electronic portfolios and learner engagement: The REFLECT
Initiative. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy (JAAL) 50:6 March 2007. doi:
10.1598/JAAL.50.8.2
• Brown, G., Chen, H. & Gordon, A. 2012. The Annual AAEEBL Survey at Two: Looking Back and
Looking Ahead. International Journal of ePortfolio, Vol 2 Number 2, 129-138. Accessed at:
http://www.theijep.com
• Chen, H. 2009. ePortfolios: emerging definitions. Accessed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKd5pDuGDJA
• EIfEL team blog. 2009. Learning Futures: 10 ePortfolio challenges. Accessed at:
http://www.learningfutures.eu/2009/09/10-eportfolio-challenges.html
• Goodine, M. 2010. Eportfolios: In Search of a Silver Bullet. Accessed at:
https://portfolios.kwantlen.ca/view/view.php?id=515

55. Key References
• Johnson, H.L. 2012. Making Learning Visible with ePortfolios: Coupling the Right Pedagogy with
the Right Technology. International Journal of ePortfolio, Vol 2, Number 2, 139-148.
• Lorenzo, G. & Ittleson, J. 2005. (D. Oblinger, Ed.). An Overview of E-Portfolios, EDUCAUSE
Learning Initiative (ELI). Accessed at:. http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/overview-e-
portfolios
• Tosh, D., Light, T., Fleming, K. & Haywood, J. 2005. Engagement with Electronic Portfolios:
Challenges from the Student Perspective. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, V31(3)
Fall, 2005.
• UBC website. E-Portfolios @UBC – Archive of Projects. Accessed at:
http://blogs.ubc.ca/projectportfolio/