If eportfolios are so amazing, why don't we all have one?

This paper explores the slow pace of adoption of eportfolios by Irish Higher Education Institutes. (HEIs) Eportfolios have been used for assessment and personal development in the U.S. and the U.K. for a decade, however in... [ view full abstract ]

This paper explores the slow pace of adoption of eportfolios by Irish Higher Education Institutes. (HEIs) Eportfolios have been used for assessment and personal development in the U.S. and the U.K. for a decade, however in Ireland they are a relatively new concept.
Drawing on the Green and White eportfolio papers currently being developed by the EUROPORTFOLIO community, this paper will consider the question “if eportfolios are so amazing, why dont we all have one? “ in the Irish context.

Eportfolios have a multiple purposes such as assessment, feedback, personal development planning, develop and evidence skills, record progress and set goals. In order to successfully introduce eportfolios, a whole curriculum approach which programme focused is necessary. (Simatele, 2014) To date, there have been no instances of a programme based approach to eportfolio in Irish Higher Education. There are pockets of engagement with eportfolios as module assessment in DCU,TCD, IT Tralee, AIT, CIT, RCSI, DIT and IT Sligo, but none at programme level. (Eportfoliohub, 2016)

In Ireland, the current mission of higher education as stated by the Department of Education and Skills (Hunt report) is to widen participation, increase student numbers, improve retention and become much more flexible. Eportfolios have the potential to address many of these objectives. Eportfolios can engage and motivate learners, personalise learning, support first year learners, widen participation for flexible learners and capture the wider student experience such as volunteering, clubs & societies. (Grant, 2009) (JISC, 2008) (Beetham & Sharpe, 2014)(Hallam & Creagh, 2010) If eportfolios, can address these objectives, why aren't Irish HEIs using them? Is it because the technology is not mature enough? Is it because of the learning environment? Is it a resourcing issue? Is it buy-in?

What does the future landscape for eportfolios in Irish Higher education promise? According to NMC Horizon report-Higher Education in Ireland (2015) among the top 10 key trends accelerating technology adoption identified by the is the increase in eportfolios created by learners.


References:
Beetham, H., & Sharpe, R. (2014). Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age. London: Routledge.

Grant, S. (2009). Electronic Portfolios: Personal Development and Personal Values.
Oxford: Chandos.

Hallam, G., & Creagh, T. (2010). Eportfolio use by university students in Australia: a reiew of the Australian eportfolio project. Higher Education Research and Development,29(2),179-193.

JISC. (2008). Effective Practice with e-portfolios: Supporting 21st Century Learning.

Simatele, M. (2015). Enhancing the portability of employability skills using eportfolios. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 39(6), 862-874.

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., & Freeman, A. (2015). 2015 NMC Technology Outlook for Higher Education in Ireland: A Horizon Project Regional Report. Austin: The New Media Consortium

EUROPORTFOLIO (2016) Green and White Papers. http://europortfolio.org/resources/contributions/announcement/join-conversation-about-future-eportfolios

Department of Education and Skills. (2011). National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 Report of the Strategy Group. Dublin: Department of Education and Skills.