What is an ePortfolio?
An ePortfolio is an electronic portfolio of student-generated content shared as a Web site. The purpose of the portfolio is to create a space where students begin building a professional Web presence. A UNE student’s site may include content from one or more courses as well as a profile, explanation of professional experiences such as internships, and possibly collegiate sport or club experiences. As with many Web sites, UNE ePortfolios offer a number of features, but the basic structure includes posts and pages that house text, images, links to digital project work, and a design that is customizable for every student.
Because ePortfolio is versatile, students choose the theme (design) and customize by adding pictures, background designs, and layout of the site. WordPress offers a number of templates to standardize the font and style of the site. Users may also add special features for navigating site content or to highlight certain content. Some examples are links to other sites, a calendar, and word clouds from tagged posts.
For students, an ePortfolio can be developed to give a holistic picture of their learning, and because students design the site, they can update and curate it to demonstrate the skills they have and the content and experiences they value.
Why incorporate ePortfolio?
When students embrace ePortfolio, they are not only developing their digital skill set but also becoming more aware of their own learning. When well developed, an ePortfolio creates an avenue for long-term reflection on content knowledge and skills, and it provides a space for students to connect their experiences, both in and out of classrooms. The findings of the Connect to Learn (C2L) Project (a national community of 24 teams from higher-education institutions) suggest three major benefits of ePortfolio initiatives done well:
- Advance Student Success
- Support Reflection, Social Pedagogy and Deep Learning
- Catalyze Learning-Centered Institutional Change
Essentially, higher educational institutions that adopt an ePortfolio approach create more integrated communities of educators and learners. Students think more deeply about their course content and skills, are more engaged in their learning, and become better at self-assessment. Faculty and staff better understand the student experience, and cooperation across the institution increases.
- Click here to read reflections from UNE faculty who have been using ePortfolio in their courses.
- Watch a video testimonial from a 2022 graduate who had success using his ePortfolio to get a position.
- Visit Pearl, a database of the The International Journal of ePortfolio, to review double-blind peer-reviewed literature on ePortfolio. Launched in 2011, The International Journal of ePortfolio is an open-access jouranl now maintained by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), which endorses ePortfolio as a high-impact practice.
- See also Across the Disciplines special ePortfolio issue, published in December 2023. Across the Disciplines is a peer-reviewed open-access journal focused on academic writing, particularly writing across and within the disciplines.
