The impact of digitalization has been far-reaching in almost every sphere, and the education sector is one such area that is greatly influenced by the newest digital innovations. Speaking of these relatively new methods of digital education, the electronic portfolio (or e-Portfolio) is a method that has been widely acknowledged as a potent tool for teachers as well as the students.
An electronic portfolio is a digital compilation put together by a student, which involves their course-specific task and materials, like essays, illustrations, photographs, artwork or informative videos. The electronic portfolios can also be useful to record other areas of a student's experiences, for instance, volunteering services, co-curricular activities, employment history and so on. In simple terms, electronic portfolios record and highlight the learning experiences of a student’s life. But, a great e-Portfolio is much more than just a compilation of activities.
A great e-Portfolio can at once be treated as a product (a compilation of activities and experiences) and also a process that reflects on these activities. Similar to a Learning Management System (LMS), e-Portfolios are available online and help with the learning process of the students. There are two major differences between Learning Management Systems and e-Portfolios, which are ownership and control. While pursuing a university course, the Learning Management System is chiefly managed by the professors, and they decide who gets access, what tools should be turned on or off etc. But, the e-Portfolio is controlled by the students themselves. The students can determine who can see the e-Portfolio, which experiences or activities should be included, how it should be presented and so on. Ideally, the access to LMS for a student is limited until the time the course ends. On the contrary, e-Portfolios remain in control of students even after they graduate from the university.
The theory behind Electronic Portfolios
Electronic portfolios are a way to create learning opportunities as well as record the learning process. Creating learning opportunities and documenting the learning process are essential, but the possibility of promoting opportunities for learning may get neglected. E-Portfolios promote learning because they offer a scope and virtual platform for students to critically evaluate their academic accomplishments. It also reviews the kind of work they have done, and also establish links between different courses, tasks, and other activities, like volunteering opportunities, work experience, and extracurricular pursuits and more. E-Portfolios are an excellent tool for learning because they enhance the knowledge base of the students, make the otherwise inconspicuous factors of the learning process apparent, and place the onus to the students, which fosters their motivation.
Enhancing the knowledge base
e-Portfolios are part of a learning theory which is popularly known as social constructivism. This theory emphasizes, in part, that when students form a specific system of knowledge for themselves, they can absorb and adapt to the learning. Social constructivism also elucidates on another factor that influences effective learning. It means we enhance our knowledge through our interactions with other people. Through the use of e-Portfolios, the process of observation begins as a solo activity, but turns into a social engagement through a feedback system, as the student’s peers, mentors, professors and even family members react to and offer their opinion on those observations. Creating and sharing an electronic portfolio with others can be compared with narrating a story- the story of a student’s journey through the process of learning.
Cultivating a student-centric learning approach
Since the e-Portfolios are a student-centric tool for learning, in which the student is at liberty to opt for what experiences and activities are included, and is free to observe and evaluate on the process of learning – they promote motivation and engagement. Various studies on student engagement with learning indicate that when students notice that they have options in how they wish to learn, they are more focused and motivated to gather information to form an understanding of a particular subject. E-Portfolios provide this scope for the learners and can aid or promote an elaborate understanding so students can establish links between the learning, which is gathered from different contexts, like academic, community and workplace. Indeed, it is this idea that learning flourishes even beyond the classroom that makes electronic portfolios a feasible option to consider for the students of today.
Types of Electronic Portfolios
Some academicians perceive e-Portfolios as essentially a tool for developing fresh or more precise understanding while others consider them as a method of assessment (of students and, by extension, of university programs). There are two broad categories for e-Portfolios, one is institution-centric, and another is student-centric. Institution-centric portfolios are influenced by the evaluation of learning. Student-centric portfolios, on the other hand, are influenced by assessment for learning, which is related to the academic documents that serve the traditional role of analyzing the learning process of a student, and also, presenting an opportunity for students to learn as they carry out the assessment.
Even under the student-centric approach to electronic portfolios, the method can be further classified into different kinds of e-Portfolios depending on the objective of the e-Portfolio for the student.
Best practices for teachers
When e-Portfolios possess broader institutional acceptance, students will be inspired to use their e-Portfolio for every course they pursue, and evaluate on and develop links between all of their courses and academic endeavours. That is the reason; digital portfolios are most beneficial when they are followed as an institution- or program based initiative. To ensure the success of this tool, it’s significant for teachers to follow some of the best practices.
Talk about the benefits of e-Portfolios to students
Electronic portfolios can help students to form a fresh or more elaborate understanding, which leads to achieving higher grades. It can also assist the students to gain a better sense of self as students and as individuals, and emphasize on their achievements when they apply for jobs.
Develop clear expectations
Convey to your students what you expect them to present through your e-Portfolios. Students may find it troublesome to understand the necessity for them to review their engagements and accomplishments and also the necessity for them to establish links between different experiences and academic endeavours.
Promote student learning
Ask the students to select just one academic project (for instance, an essay) and have them review the difficulties they had to encounter as they prepare the paper. Or, have the students pick two assignments separate courses, and encourage them to evaluate how each of those assignments helps them to understand the other assignment better.
Walk the talk
Develop an ePortfolio for yourself and show it to the students. This way you’ll be able to impart a firsthand knowledge regarding the challenges and benefits of keeping an e-Portfolio, and it will also inspire the students to consider it as a useful process.
Treat e-Portfolios an assessment
Creating and maintaining an e-Portfolio takes up a humongous amount of time and energy from students, and they are likely to detest it if their time and energy don't translate into their final grade. If e-Portfolios are treated rather as an optional academic assignment that is emphasized on but as a requirement, most students will not be interested in investing their time into it.
Turn it into a social platform
Teachers can encourage students to view and comment on other students' electronic portfolios as the form of assessment. For instance, you could have a link to each student’s blog in the online space. Or, you could start a discussion forum in that space where students can put forward their inputs and inspiring comments on one another’s e-Portfolios. This way the digital portfolios become a vital part of the online community of students.
Benefits of Electronic Portfolios for students:
1. Individual ownership, and lifelong control. It's simple to perceive the Electronic Portfolio as vital to an individual's eagerness for learning in the formal academic setup. However, the objective is to document both educational experiences and life skills. Students who have opened up to the concept of e-Portfolio are more likely to be successful in pursuing self-directed learning process in their lifetime.
2. A method for observation. Various digital portfolio software has made the concept of observation a feature in their products by letting users examine their work, identify their feelings, and determine their drawbacks and skills. Also, reviewers have the option to post comments.
3. Adaptable Organization and Management. A digital portfolio system should enable the users to organize and arrange their collection of activities, observations, and other elements of the portfolio in ways that represent the organizational preferences of the students. An appropriate electronic portfolio system should consist of flexible input, management, retrieval and presentation.
4. Communication, interaction, and connections. The digital portfolios can act not only as a comprehensive record of various learning activities and observations, but also as an interactive medium for peers, professors, and others to communicate and connect with each other. Additionally, such interactions can be documented as part of the e-Portfolio record.
5. Sharing and Portability. Students must have seamless access to their online portfolios, even after they have graduated from their respective educational institutions. This requirement could be achieved by transferring the e-Portfolios from one service to another. In that process, students will be able to share their e-Portfolio with a potential employer, professor, or an associate, etc.
So maintaining an e-Portfolio is can have a holistic impact on the overall learning process of the students.
If you have been experiencing difficulty managing various academic assignments at once, then look for the assistance of Essaygator.com.
Being a student, especially when you pursue a complex academic discipline, it gets quite tough to spare a considerable amount of time for each of the assignments. To top it off, if you lack the proper understanding about the topic that you're working on, then that leads to poor academic performance. But, to avert a crisis like this, you can avail the services of Essaygator.com and stay ahead of your academic pursuits.
The experts at our website are extremely considerate of the plight of students, and that's what allows them to offer their best-in-class solutions. The essay writers are selected after a stringent process of assessment, and by their academic accomplishments, so you can be sure that the fate of your academic papers is in the right hands. These writers infuse their creativity, vast knowledge and expertise into creating a most remarkable piece of assignment for you. Also, when you opt for our services, you can choose to converse directly with the writers and inform them if you have any modifications to suggest and have any concerns to address. So this way, Essaygator.com always offers their meticulous support to all your academic requirements.