Citation
Donnelly, R., & O’Keeffe, M. (2013). Exploration of eportfolios for adding value and deepening student learning in contemporary higher education. International Journal of ePortfolio, 3(1), 1-11.
Abstract
In recent years, higher education has undoubtedly faced a sea-change. The landscape of the sector has shifted with changes in the student body, increased pressure from government on costs and procedures, and an array of curricular transformations. While much has been written about the use of learning technologies generally and about ePortfolios in particular, there has been a lack of robust evidence about their added value for enhancing student learning opportunities. A case study of the integration of ePortfolios into a professional development master’s program in a Higher Education Institution in Ireland is presented, and added value in terms of the creative learning process is explored. Findings from this study indicate that development of the awareness and understanding of creativity within the student cohort is necessary to nurture creative and critical thinking abilities.
Annotation
In this article, the authors presented a “case study of a professional development master’s program in Applied eLearning” in a higher education institution in Ireland (p. 1); this involved first-year students who were “lecturers from higher education, private sector trainers, and independent training consultants wishing to develop professionally in the areas of elearning, teaching, and training practices” (p. 4). Data was gathered from researcher reflections, focus group discussion, semi-structured interviews, and student e-Portfolio reflections, to determine whether students perceived e-Portfolios as useful to their learning, whether adequate support was provided to encourage reflective practice and creativity, and how to best support students developing their e-Portfolios (p. 4). The study’s findings suggested that while overall, students found e-Portfolios a useful tool to facilitate “continuous growth and learning” (p. 8), it was important to support students while developing their portfolio, in particular, by helping them develop an awareness and understanding of what creativity is, in order to “nurture creative and critical thinking abilities” (p. 1).