E-portfolios in education...and beyond . . . .

I have been teaching long enough that I remember paper portfolios...and notebooks...I remember submitting notebook portfolios of my work and asking students to do the same by crafting writing portfolios. While cumbersome, the notebook  portfolio was pretty easy - just add  tabs, make copies of items for inclusion, add a reflective piece or two, and craft a table of contents.  This was portable, but time-consuming in creating while consuming a good many trees.  If, as an instructor, you were given the joy of reviewing a class' portfolios, you need a cart to lug them all back to your office, and they were too bulky to tote home.

Then the digital age arrived.

The notebooks, for the most part, have vanished....

And technology reigns. . . .

E-portfolios in action

An e-portfolio, also known as a digital portfolio, contains electronic evidence assembled and managed by a user,  or users, usually on the web. This electronic evidence may include inputted text, electronic files, images, blog entries, videos, and links. E-portfolios demonstrate the user's abilities and, when posted online, these portfolios can be maintained dynamically over time.  Along with serving as a repository for files, e-portfolios can offer a place for reflection.

And, depending upon how and where the digital portfolio is housed, users can access and maintain them long after having finished a degree program or changing jobs.

To "e" or not to "e"

Which is best: a non electronic portfolio or an e-portfolio? The response depends on the audience as well as the user.

The traditional binder-type portfolio allows the user to carry it physically to interviews where a reviewer either may not have computer access to review the work or may prefer to review a physical document where one can move easily from document to document. Depending upon the age of the reviewer, a binder-type
portfolio may be preferred....although if reviewing several binder portfolios, the physical size of the stack can be daunting.

From the viewpoint of the user, the binder portfolio is easy to organize, and adding and removing materials can be very easy....unless the user remembers to add an item at the last minute and does not have time to print. The binder portfolio can also be heavy and cumbersome to lug around, easily falling prey to bad weather. The notebook binder also does not provide a method to view interactive pieces, such as videos, voicethreads, podcast, presentation, and websites.

A transitional version of the portfolio, a CD or USB can house all documents along with an interactive table of contents.  Much easier than a binder version to carry and to share, this hybrid type of portfolio combines the physicality of a notebook with the ease of its digital cousin. Running a table of contents page to access all files, however, can be tricky to create, and a non-digital reviewer may not understand how to read the  drive. As with the notebook version, a user may only have created a set number of USBs/CDs, and these items may still be susceptible to heat, magnets, and weather. They are also limited in memory.

The digital portfolio is much more versatile and easier to carry and share. Quicker to personalize, the e-portfolio is also easy to update - all one needs is a laptop or a smart phone and internet access. Editing this portfolio is instantaneous and does not include removing the old version, printing the new, and refiling.

Where to house the e-portfolio is tricky.  

Colleges and universities often use a assessment software and require students  post their digital portfolios within that software.  In some instances students have to pay a small fee each semester to house this file, and the fee would continue after graduation - as long as they posted the profile. Students could also post their digital portfolios free within their institution's Learning Management System but would then how to relocate it prior to graduation.

The following video highlights the use of e-portfolios in higher education:

Types of e-portfolios

Regis University suggests there are three types of e-portfolios: developmental, assessment and showcase.

Developmental portfolios often demonstrate the development of student skills over a period of time, containing elements of both self-assessment and reflection/feedback. The primary purpose of the developmental portfolio is that of promoting communication between students and faculty. 

Assessment portfolios focus on competence and skill in well-defined areas, primarily for evaluating performance. In this instance, the primary purpose is to evaluate student competency as defined by program standards and outcomes.

A third type of e-portfolio is the showcase  which is used to demonstrate exemplary work and student skills. This portfolio is often created at the end of a program to highlight the quality of student work and show to prospective employers.

According to Helen Barrett, "a portfolio without standards, goals and/or reflection is just a fancy resume, not an electronic portfolio."  Self-reflection is an important component in an e-portfolio.  It is the very act of reflecting on the artifacts added to their e-portfolio that helps users gain a rich learning experience.

Process and Product

Dr. Barrett's (2010) graphic demonstrates the two faces of e-portfolios, depicting  the necessity of a balance between the process (a series of activities) and the product (the end result of the e-portfolio process):

What to include?  This depends on the purpose of your portfolio. A K-12 teacher's portfolio might want to address NCATE and ISTE standards. A HIED faculty member's e-portfolio might want to be aligned either with the appropriate association standards or competencies.  An aspiring community college leader might want to organize a portfolio around the AACC competencies for CC leaders.


Free Platforms for e-portfolios

Fortunately, users have a plethora of free online portfolio systems to use, with selection dependent upon needs, media, and just personal preference.  I am going to explore the following possibilities with an eye toward the adult who needs a portfolio to demonstrate skills and proficiencies.

Weebly provides free web-hosting  for up to 5 pages.  A judicious use of links and planning makes this website work as an e-portfolio, and it also has its own blog feature. One issue with this site concerns expansion - what if you decide you want more than 5 webpages? Another concerns privacy - just how much of your life (and your projects) do you want available for the world to view? What about being able to play videos you have created? These items are all addressed with the upgrade to a paid version. Weebly is still a good place to begin. The following video provides an overview of how to create a standards-based e-portfolio in Weebly.

Wikispaces also provides options for e-portfolios. Although the example below demonstrates how to create a standards-based student digital portfolio, creating a non-standards based version would be similar.  Wikispaces is free and able to handle video and audio files.

Another platform for building an e-portfolio is Google Sites. Filled with tutorials on how to create websites for clubs, families, businesses, projects, or wikis, Google Sites is probably one of the more user-friendly site for building an e-portfolio. The following  video was created to assist online students in the health information management program at Tacoma Community College (Tacoma, Washington) design a professional ePortfolio to assist them in networking and landing that first job:

Unsure of exactly where to start in constructing your e-portfolio? Here is a great example:

References

Barrett, H. (2010). Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios. Educação, Formação & Tecnologias, 3(1), 6-14. [Online], Available online: http://eft.educom.pt

Regis University  Electronic Portfolio Project. (no date). http://academic.regis.edu/LAAP/eportfolio/basics_types.htm