Directions for Research and Development on Electronic Portfolios
Let’s first think about the key questions of this article as listed by the authors:
- What are the types and characteristics of electronic portfolios?
- What are the outcomes and processes that electronic portfolios support for their creators?
- What are the contexts in which electronic portfolios are most effective and worthwhile?
- Who are electronic portfolio users/viewers and how do we provide appropriate professional development to encourage correct adoption and widespread and sustained use?
- What do we know and need to know about technical and administrative issues?
- What is evidence of electronic portfolio success?
- How do we move forward with funding and infrastructure?
Next, I would like to focus on their responses to the questions most relevant to my area of study.
What are the types and characteristics of electronic portfolios?
To introduce their research, Abrami and Barrett define an electronic portfolio as “a digital container capable of storing visual and auditory content including text, images, video and sound.” This paper is focused on three broad purposes of electronic portfolios: process, showcase, and assessment.
The authors view process portfolios as “personal learning management tools” that are intended to encourage or promote “individual improvement, personal growth and development, and a commitment to life-long learning.”
One example of a process portfolio is found in the five stages identified by the QESN-RÉCIT (2004): (1) collection, (2) selection, (3) reflection, (4) evaluation and (5) celebration. Try this link for more information: http://www.qesnrecit.qc.ca/portfolio/port _eng.html.
Showcase portfolios are all about demonstration. In addition to describing learning outcomes, a showcase portfolio can illustrate them. Achievements are demonstrated through skills and accomplishments.
The focus of assessment portfolios is evaluation or judgment from an external source. They may include lifelong or prior learning, personal reflections, and trainings. Along with virtual demonstrations, assessment portfolios may also contain scoring rubrics, templates, and benchmarks.
In a broad sense, some may consider electronic portfolios as virtual identities or digital archives. The the concept of “portfolio for life,” electronic portfolios may include: health and medical records; financial and tax records; legal documents; work-related, career, and professional activities; the family scrapbook(s) and personal diaries or storybooks; social binders of friends and colleagues; records of hobbies and extracurricular activities.
What are the outcomes and processes supported by electronic portfolios?
Whether created by students, workers, teachers, or managers, portfolios provide documentation for learning and, therefore, the authors consider learning to be the most important use of electronic portfolios. In turn, they consider the most important research to be about the outcomes and processes supported by electronic portfolios.
The authors’ thoughts on further research: “Methodological complications and controversies challenge researchers in this area. First, there is the question about whether a quantitative or qualitative research paradigm is appropriate for answering questions about EP impact. Second, there is the question about the instructional sensitivity of traditional learning measures to EP effects, particularly, among those who argue for EPs as alternative and/or authentic tools for assessment. Finally, there is the question about the strength and pervasiveness of the EP treatment. EPs are not curricular content but tools for learning content.”
Who are electronic portfolio users and viewers?
While this paper focuses on educational purposes and names the viewer of electronic portfolios as teachers, faculty, principals, educational administrators, parents, and peers, it also mentions that users of may be “employers, managers, and others wishing to examine evidence concerning the competencies of a person to undertake a job or the competencies of a person once hired.”
Evidence of success?
The authors examine criteria that could be used to determine the success of electronic portfolios. The criteria include:
- scalability (the extent of wide use)
- satisfaction (sustainability and long-term maintenance)
- cost versus benefit, worthiness, efficiency, or return on investment
- learning gains and effectiveness (personal enrichment)
- the number of accurate prior learning assessments and successful job placements or advancements
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