From super complex to super simple: distilling the planning and practice of eportfolio

The use of eportfolios in higher education has grown significantly over the last ten years. Eportfolios are seen as a dynamic medium for recording and showcasing student learning and achievements. In 2016, George Kuh and the... [ view full abstract ]

The use of eportfolios in higher education has grown significantly over the last ten years. Eportfolios are seen as a dynamic medium for recording and showcasing student learning and achievements. In 2016, George Kuh and the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) designated ePortfolio as the 11th High-Impact Practice. Educational research suggests that high impact practices elevate student performance across multiple engagement activities and desired outcomes. (Kuh, 2008).

So to support student success the answer seems simple -  integrate eportfolio into the higher education curriculum. Unfortunately, the practice of planning for successful eportfolio implementation and the subsequent adoption of an eportfolio culture is actually more complex.

Through demonstrations, animations and mobile based participant activities, this collaborative workshop will seek to simplify the process of eportfolio integration by offering an effective strategy to eportfolio adoption in higher level institutions. The session will offer a guided journey through the recent Dublin City University Mahara eportfolio project and map it to the Catalyst Framework (Eynon and Gambino, 2016). This framework highlights five sectors of ePortfolio practice which are key to a successful eportfolio adoption– Pedagogy, Assessment, Professional Development, Technology and Scaling Up.

This simple framework accompanied by real life examples from the Irish higher education context will demystify the complexities of eportfolio selection, integration and adoption to provide a simple roadmap to advance student learning and success across all Irish higher education institutes.

References

Kuh, G. D. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Eynon, B., & Gambino, L. M. (2016). High impact eportfolio practice: A catalyst for student, faculty, and institutional learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus