Literature Review
ePortfolios Implemented in Secondary Educational Learning
Chad Sanchez
Lamar University
Introduction
Society is always looking for new ways to help students learn in the educational setting. With a plethora of different tools, research and developments, the literature has shown that new ideas can succeed in the classroom. But, what hasn’t been implemented in schools is allowing students to produce their own unique ePortfolio, although it has been researched for several years. While they have been used on the college level, ePortfolio’s have barely surfaced in high school, and are practically non-existent at the middle school level. This literature review will focus on the success of ePortfolios in the field of education and why they should be implemented at secondary grade levels, while also evaluating the findings of giving students authentic learning experiences, and a tool that they can use beyond their years in school.
Defining the ePortfolio
Research points to a variety of definitions, but ultimately the ePortfolio may be defined as a purposeful collection of student work that tells the story of a student’s effort, progress and /or achievement in one or more areas (Arter &Spandel, 1992; MAcIsaac &Jackson, 1994 as cited in Wade, Abrami & Sclater, 2005). While according to Richardson and Ward (2005) the term portfolio is described as an archive or collection of reflective writing and evidence, which documents learning and which a learner may draw upon to present her/his learning and achievements (As cited by Roberts, Aalderink, Cook, Harvey, & Wade 2005). While the eportfolio has many different definitions, the idea remains the same in that it is something the student can use to display their learning, keeping samples of work together. Later, it can be used for reflection on previous work to help build upon new learnings, and help the student prepare for future learning. In this scenario, the ePortfolio is an online/digital learning platform where students can submit their work and present for future employers what they have done, what they are capable of doing, and most importantly what they have learned (Harapnuik 2015). It is also described as a domain where the student reveals their learning journey and shows through reflection, speculation and documentation of all the meaningful connections they have made (Harapnuik 2015).
ePortfolio success
As referenced earlier, ePortfolios are being implemented on the college level, with success. While the college’s use them for the basic model stated above, they are also find alternative uses for them for the faculty as well. Faculty and staff can find many benefits when they are able to assess the content in the portfolio, reflect upon it in the current context, and use the data and reflection to plan for improvement (Miller & Morgaine 2009). Also stated is that the faculty and students both benefit from the portfolios to learn about achievement over time, make connections, show growth in learning, and develop their own identities (Miller & Morgaine 2009). These student portfolios help teachers provide evidence of competencies required, and while slowly making the way to general education to reveal skills in communications, math, and leadership, they are allowing students to become more critical thinkers and aiding in development of writing and multimedia communication skills (Lorenzo and Ittleson, 2005). Keith Lustig discusses his original research and his implementation of assessment portfolio’s back in 1996, and although this form wasn’t digital, the idea of keeping student work together and putting the students in charge of their own learning had its benefits. Both the teacher and student saw benefits in moving to this assessment portfolio (Lustig, 1996). He also has student testimonials where they discuss how they found this process much more beneficial, and they thoroughly enjoyed it, claiming they liked the grading, and how they wished more teachers would do it (Lustig, 1996). While most portfolios were paper based, the use for them were on decline due to the dominance of high stakes standardized testing, even though the integration of technology has boomed (Barrett, 2010). Jennifer Rowley’s publication discusses all the research of how eportfolios have been used at universities specifically in several music programs, and how they have become basically a must in each of these programs (Rowley, 2015). She talks about how through the types of computer-based technology, students have strong relevance to the learning and teaching of music and owing to their ability to store and present sound and filmed events, to represent the multiple identities of performance educators through these multimedia forms (Rowley, Dunbar-Hall, Brooks, Cotton, & Lill, 2015). A lab study by Brad Wuetherick and John Dickinson reveal some positive aspects of eportfolios. While the study showed that most students had no previous experience using ePortfolios, there was significant resistance among instructors for the pilot (Wuetherick & Dickinson, 2015). There was also concern about student usage and computer literacy in using the eportfolios so the study was developed to explore interest and success of the eportfolios so that there could eventually be a program to roll out an ePortfolio tool within their programs (Wuetherick & Dickinson, 2015). The student portfolio received positive reviews and students are utilizing them consistently with two themes for why they are a success; students liked the convenience of sharing work in an electronic format, and sharing work with clients, creating galleries, and granting general access to the public (Wuetherick & Dickinson, 2015).
Student ePortfolios Pros and Cons
While the eportfolio has been proven to have many benefits, users can be resistant to its use, but essentially, once students and teachers practiced more with the ePortfolio platform, they changed their feeling to a more positive one. In a research study by Kyle Schloz, Crystal Tse, and Katherine Lithgow from the University of Waterloo, they had many findings on their research into eportfolios. In their study, they found that in the first-year Women’s Studies, users were initially leary of the ePortfolio and struggled to understand how the task was relevant or for their course (Schloz, Tse, &Lithgow, 2017). The same can be said for the first-year accounting group, but their findings were that the students were more confused because they had not been introduced to the ePortfolio activity prior to the first meeting. Later in the findings, they state that students did find it helpful and useful for tracking development of skills over time, and in the final focus group, more than 50% of codes pertaining to the ePortfolio were positive. It is also noted that with the use of ePortfolios, students in the study by Weutherick and Dickinson believe that the portfolio review process was an important component of their continued learning. Students were more inclined to believe that an ePortfolio would be beneficial as or more beneficial than a traditional portfolio because the ease of sharing work in a digital format (Weutherick & Dickinson, 2015). While there has been success with ePortfolios on the higher levels, there is still some concern for the comfort level of younger and older students with various technologies that are key to the effective implementation of ePortfolios (Weutherick & Dickinson, 2015). But this issues cannot be the main factor that keeps ePortfolios from being implemented in secondary educational setting. An eportfolio can be used in many ways such as document knowledge, skills, abilities and learning, track development within a program, help find a job, and monitor and evaluate performance (Lorenzo and Ittleson, 2005). In another study by Emily Kennelly, Debra Osborn, Robert Reardon and Becka Shetty, their findings were mostly positive with the use of ePortfolios in their program. Students found success when using ePortfolios to prepare for a mock interview, having to utilize a variety of tools to present such as creating at least two profile sections to introduce the ePortoflio, upload a copy of their resume and at least two references. The students then gave themselves a self-rating or their skills following the mock interview experience, with the reviews being mostly positive (Kennely, Osborn, Reardon, & Sheety, 2016). In the K-12 educational setting, Dr. Helen C. Barrett is pro student ePortfolios. According to research she’s done, she states “research shows that students at all levels see assessment as something that is done to them on their classwork by someone else” (Barrett, 2003). Students have little knowledge of what’s involved in evaluating their work, but ePortfolios can provide structure for developing students and understanding criteria for good efforts, seeing the criteria as their own, and applying it to their work and the work of others (Barrett, 2003).
Beyond HS and College
One powerful purpose for ePortfolios is managing workers’ career development, and offers flexible working arrangements to suit people and their personal and professional requirements during the 21st century (Shaikh, 2009 as cited in Barrett, 2010). In a study by Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, and Cummings to see if students continued use of the ePortfolio beyond the program of study, they found that 18% of students continued to use the ePortfolio after the program (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018). In their second study, they found that DLL students rated choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning as almost equally important with the highest level of importance giving to authentic learning (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018). Lastly, Barrett’s research talks about how students learn 21st century tools such as hyper-linking/embedding, storytelling, collaborating, and publishing and how we need to help students develop lifelong skills that will last after graduation (Barrett, 2010). “If students are using “world ware” they they are developing productive skills that can be applied in the “real world” outside formal education.”
Authentic Learning
Darren Cambridge reflects on his first experience with ePortfolios at the University of Texas at Austin back in 1996 where he states he was able to validate academic concepts and ideas he encountered and made connections to his distinct passions, interests, and ways of seeing as well as concepts from other courses (Cambridge, 2010). He was able to see his learning and development as a part of his learning process, becoming a part of a professional community (Cambridge, 2010). He eventually found a passion for ePortfolios and incorporated them into his syllabi when he began teaching at Texas. At first he states while the software won awards, it proved difficult to adapt it to other ways in which people might want to compose and use electronic portfolios (Cambridge, 2010).
According to Barrett, ePortfolios provide a powerful environment where students can collect and organize artifacts that result from engaging in challenging, real-life tasks, and reflect (Barrett, 2010). Part of the reflective process is to have students tell stories about their experiences which according to her research, helps students embed these experiences to long term memory (Barrett, 2010).
Figure 1: Supporting reflection in ePortfolios with iOS mobile devices
http://electronicportfolios.org/reflection/process/index.html
Creating K-12 Electronic Portfolios Using Open Source and Web 2.0 tools
2010, 2012, Helen C. Barrett, PhD
Learners find their voice and passions through choice and personalization and a portfolio is a student’s story of his or her own learning (Barrett, 2010). Barrett also believes that ePortfolios should be used to document master of skills and content, showcase achievements, share expertise and support personal and professional development (Barrett, 2010). Maintaining an ePortfolio can provide an ongoing Personal Learning Environment (PLE) where individuals can develop and manage their own personal SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) while collaborating within their own Professional Learning Network (PLN) (Barrett, 2010). By creating a significant learning environment and giving learners choice ownership and voice through authentic learning opportunities we are able to cultivate the learners growth and development (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018). In the Digital Learning and Leading program at Lamar University, the students owned and created ePortfolios through an authentic learning opportunity and embraced it but having the learners fully immersed in a very nature of authentic learning that can transform their lives (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018). The learners continually reflect in their course discussion, their posts, and when they eventually accept this freedom to choose they learn to let go of their initial resistance and begin to break down procedural barriers they’ve built up over the years in a traditional system (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018). Through this process, learners actually learn how to learn and what it means to take ownership for their growth and responsibility (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018).
Conclusion
Based on all of the research and information, while ePortfolios can have some issues such as not being prepared to handle the sudden shift, or students not being at a proper level to start implementing ePortfolios, most of the research backs up the fact that students can be ready at any age. Some school have piloted ePortfolios or even dabbled in portfolio assessment, and if we are wanting to prepare our students for their future, then it is imperative that we start teaching them at a young age how to get accustomed to using technology in a proper way. Giving students something that they can use and grow upon at an early age can be a tool that they will use once they graduate from high school and/or college, and it will prepare a number of students for tech integrated jobs/careers. ePortfolios are a good tool for all learners to work with and definitely a step in the right direction towards educational innovation.
References
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Let Them Learn 