Innovative Learning & Teaching

ePortfolios

Why are ePortfolios Important?

• They are a means to share content with faculty, teachers, award granting agencies, or future employers.
• They document history of personal growth and can be used as an assessment tool for instructors and for students.
• They allow for personal control of learning history, build connections, and encourage planning for future learning.
• They are organic objects that can grow with life experiences and expanded on to reflect professional development.

The above is adapted from George Siemens' article on ePortfolios. For the complete article and more information on benefits and uses go to elearnspace.

Insights

An electronic portfolio, also known as an ePortfolio or digital portfolio, is a cohesive, powerful, and well-designed collection of electronic documents that demonstrates your skills, education, professional development, and the benefits you offer a target reader (Wikipedia).

Around Ohio

• An ePortfolio Program; Students produce an ePortfolio, eResume and eTranscripts centered around the development of success skills. They reflect upon progress, self-assess, set goals, and store artifacts during the time in their program (Hocking College).
• News Release: ePortfolios Show Knowledge, Strength, and Growth (Bowling Green State University).

Around the Nation

• A comprehensive listing of portfolio programs across the nation developed in collaboration with the American Association for Higher Education and the University of Denver, Center for Teaching and Learning
• Teaching with ePortfolios: tips and planning considerations (CATALYST, The University of Washington) Clarifies types of ePortfolios, their uses, and how to set up a structure for their implementation.
• Alternative Assessment and Electronic Portfolios (Dr. Helen Barrett, University of Alaska, Anchorage).
• An article on how to use learning-centered course portfolios to improve teaching and learning. The article also illustrates how portfolios can empower instructors (University of Wisconsin-La Crosse).
• The Open Source Portfolio Initiative (OSPI) is a collaborative, open-source, software development project based on the University of Minnesota's Enterprise System's electronic portfolio software. Also find best practices and case studies here.

Around the World

• The Electronic Portfolio Consortium is an association that includes 58 countries and 350 higher education schools and IT commercial institutions, that are interested in the development of academic ePortfolio software systems.

Examples

• How to documents, tools, and examples for ePortfolios (The University of British Columbia).
• A broad list of ePortfolio examples from the Epsilen system (Bowling Green State University).
• A gallery of educator, career and student samples of ePortfolios (The University of Minnesota).
• ePortfolios that showcase exemplary academic work, experiential learning, and resumes (Elon University).
• Helen Barrett's comprehensive ePortfolio site: find how-to's for specific creative needs and other resources.

Free and Low Cost Tools

• Macintosh Solutions
  Apple Education, ePortfolios; Digital Expression for faculty and students.

• PC/Windows Solutions
  Microsoft's Innovative Teacher Program.