Abstract
The benefits of using e-Portfolio tools to enhance the student learning experience have been widely reported. These benefits include opportunities for reflection, flexibility, connectivity and integrated learning. In recognition of these potential benefits to students, the University of Worcester adopted an institution-wide e-Portfolio system which is available to all staff and students at the university.In order to maximise the potential of this system, a study was carried out to elicit staff and student views as to what the benefits of using an e-Portfolio were. It is all too easy to focus on the negative aspects when struggling to implement a new initiative, particularly involving technology. With this in mind a conscious effort was made in the evaluation to value and learn from the positive experience of users.Feedback was sought from early adopters of the system in an Appreciative Inquiry framework in order to ascertain the benefits of using such a system, to both staff and students, and to inform future practice and recommendations. Findings of the inquiry indicated that there are three significant factors which can influence effective practice with e-Portfolios: tutor engagement, support and embeddedness. Whilst both staff and student users found the use of e-Portfolio beneficial for the teaching and learning process, the issues that were raised by each group were subtly different.This paper will discuss how staff and students perceive the benefits of using an e-Portfolio and the factors that can influence engagement. It will also consider the implications of using an Appreciative Inquiry approach in institutional research.
Highlights
Background and rationaleE-Portfolios have become increasingly popular in higher education over the last decade (JISC, 2008) as they offer a means of supporting students in a lifelong and life-wide capacity for recording formal, non-formal and informal learning (Chen, 2009)
As the university had committed to using PebblePad for an initial three year period, there was a desire to avoid the traditional deficit model of evaluation often associated with academic research (Cousin, 2009) and new technologies in particular
The thematic analysis identified three major factors which influenced the success of ePortfolio learning: tutor engagement; support; and embeddedness. These factors have some similarity to the findings of Tosh et al (2005) who looked at student perspectives on e-Portfolio usage at four different universities and found that buy-in, motivation, assessment and technology were key factors from the student perspective
Summary
E-Portfolios have become increasingly popular in higher education over the last decade (JISC, 2008) as they offer a means of supporting students in a lifelong and life-wide capacity for recording formal, non-formal and informal learning (Chen, 2009). They provide a flexible, personalised, student-centred electronic environment where learners can record, reflect on, and present their own learning stories to a variety of audiences. This study addresses this process approach to e-Portfolio development by looking at the ways in which staff and students engaged with the tool, how this experience affected their learning, and what the factors are that influence successful ePortfolio learning
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