So what is an ePortfolio?

An academic ePortfolio is a digital collection created by a student of their course-related work, such as research, multimedia, photographs, videos, and posters; 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.

A good ePortfolio is both a product (a digital collection of assets) and a process (of reflecting on those assets and what they represent). Like a Learning Management System (LMS), ePortfolios exist online and support student learning. They differ from LMS (eclass) in two key ways: ownership and control. In a university course, the LMS is “owned” and managed by the instructor who decides who has access, what tools are turned on or off, and so on. With an ePortfolio, the student is in charge: the student decides who can view the ePortfolio, what assets get added, how it is designed, and so on.

The learning theory behind ePortfolios

According to Basken (2008), ePortfolios “are a way to generate learning as well as document learning” (Basken, 2008). Generating learning and documenting learning are important, but the process of generating learning sometimes gets overlooked. ePortfolios generate learning because they provide an opportunity and virtual space for students to critically assess their academic work, to reflect on that work, and make connections among different courses, assignments, and other activities, such as work experience, extracurricular pursuits, volunteering opportunities, and more. ePortfolios are effective learning tools because they support students’ own knowledge construction, make otherwise invisible aspects of the learning process visible, and place agency in the hands of students, which fosters learners’ motivation.

Construct knowledge

ePortfolios fall within a learning theory known as social constructivism, which proposes that learning happens most effectively when students construct systems of knowledge for themselves, rather than simply having information presented. Social constructivism also proposes that another determinant of effective learning is that it happens in a social context: we construct our knowledge through dialogue and interactions with others. With ePortfolios, the process of reflection originates as a solo activity, but becomes social through a feedback loop, as the student’s instructor, peers, mentors, and even family members respond to and provide commentary on those reflections. Making and then sharing an ePortfolio with others is somewhat like telling a story: the story of one’s learning journey.

Make learning visible

Bass and Eynon (2009) describe the process of critical reflection involved in the creation of effective ePortfolios as one that makes “invisible learning” visible. By invisible learning, they mean two things.

1. Bass and Eynon refer to the intermediate steps that occur whenever a student, or any person, is attempting to learn something or do something. It’s easy to focus exclusively on the final product (such as an essay), and to overlook the stages of learning and doing that preceded that product. By reflecting on these invisible stages, students can learn more deeply, more about how they learn, and how to do better the next time.
2. Invisible learning is learning that goes “beyond the cognitive to include the affective, the personal, and issues of identity” (Bass & Eynon, 2009). In other words, the process of learning something doesn’t involve just the rational mind. Rather, feelings, personality, and sense of self are all involved – sometimes facilitating that learning process, and sometimes hindering it. By reflecting on those affective, personal, and self-identity factors, students can develop meta-cognitive skills that can enhance their learning.

Foster student agency

Finally, because ePortfolios are a student-centered activity – one in which the student is free to choose what assests are included, and is free to reflect on the process of their learning – they foster engagement and motivation (Tosh, Penny Light, Fleming, & Haywood, 2005). Research shows that when students perceive that they have choices in how to learn they are more engaged and motivated to move beyond simple information acquisition to try to gain an understanding of the subject (Entwistle & Karagiannopoulou 2014; Kuh et al., 2005). ePortfolios offer this opportunity for learner control and can support or promote deep learning as students are able to make connections between the learning that occurs in different contexts. It is this recognition that learning occurs beyond the classroom that makes ePortfolios attractive to many educators.

About the Tool

You are required to build a portfolio of work throughout the duration of your program to document the learning progression of professional skills and knowledge.

Examples

Ginny Wong

Sarah Al-Saoud 

References

• Basken, P. (2008, April). Electronic portfolios may answer calls for more accountability. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
• Entwistle, N. & Karagiannopoulou, E. (2014). Advances and innovations in university assessment and feedback. Kreber, C., Anderson, C., Entwistle, N. & McArthur, J. (eds.). Edinburgh University Press, pp. 75-98.
• Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., & Whitt, E. J. (2005). Assessing conditions to enhance educational effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Tosh, D., Penny Light, T., Fleming, K., & Haywood, J. (2005). Engagement with electronic portfolios: Challenges from the student perspective. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 31(3).

Other resources

• LaGuardia Community College’s ePortfolio initiative
• Cambridge, D., B. Cambridge and K. Yancey (2009). Electronic Portfolios 2.0: Emergent Research on Implementation and Impact. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
• Cambridge, D. (2010). ePortfolios for Lifelong Learning and Assessment. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Chen, H.L. & Penny Light, T. (2010). Electronic Portfolios and Student Success: Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Learning. Washington: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
• Eynon, B. (2009, January).  “It helped me see a new me:” ePortfolio, learning, and change at LaGuardia Community College.  Academic Commons.
• Peet, M., Lonn, S., Gurin, P., Boyer, K. P., Matney, M., Marra, T., Simone Himbeault, T., & Daley, A. (2011). Fostering integrative knowledge through eportfolios. International Journal of ePortfolio, 1(1), 11-31.
• Penny Light, T., Chen, H.L., & Ittelson, J.C. (2011). Documenting Learning with ePortfolios: A Guide for College Instructors. Jossey-Bass.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: ePortfolios Explained: Theory and Practice. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.