ePortfolio

Description:

An electronic portfolio, or ePortfolio, is a compilation of student work from a course or a series of courses, course practicums, internships, and/or volunteer experiences. Students may include a number of different artifacts to exemplify their talents and academic and professional growth, such as electronic presentations, audio and video projects, and research papers. Another component of an ePortfolio is student reflection in which students comment on both the learning process and the final product. Students can create ePortfolios with websites such as Google Sites or WordPress or within the university’s learning management system (LMS).

Possible Instructional Uses:

  • Instruct students to add coursework to an ePortfolio and reflect on the learning process and assignment creation to aid in student reflection and course review
  • Instruct students to compile an ePortfolio to showcase career skills in order to share with future job prospects
  • For ePortfolios made within D2L:
    • Have students share their artifacts with each other and instruct them to comment on each other’s work
    • Instruct students to evaluate an artifact in a classmate’s ePortfolio with a rubric
    • Instruct students to share a presentation of artifacts in their ePortfolio

WCU Supported Tools:

Additional Tools:

Tips for using ePortfolios:

  • If students are utilizing a LMS to create their ePortfolio, recommend that they move their ePortfolio to another platform before graduating so they have access to their work in the future (Wuetherick & Dickinson, 2015).
  • Continuously integrate the creation and maintenance of an ePortfolio throughout the semester, so that students don’t see an ePortfolio as additional assignment (Chatham-Carpenter, Seawel, & Raschig, 2010).
  • For those new to technology related to ePortfolios, take the time to learn the technology before implementing it into your course. By doing so, you’ll be able to address student concerns and issues with confidence (Josephsen, 2012).

References:

Chatham-Carpenter, A., Seawel, L., & Raschig, J. (2010). Avoiding the pitfalls: current practices and recommendations for ePortfolios in Higher Education. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 38(4), 437-456.

Josephsen, J. (2012). Electronic portfolios for distance learning: a case from a nursing clinical course. International Journal of ePortfolio, 2(1), 15-27.

Wuetherick, B., & Dickinson, J. (2015). Why ePortfolios? Student perceptions of ePortfolio use in continuing education learning environments. International Journal of ePortfolio, 5(1), 39-53.