Citation
Landis, C. M., Scott, S. B., & Kahn, S. (2015). Examining the role of reflection in eportfolios: a case study. International Journal of ePortfolio, 5(2), 107-121.
Abstract
Extended institutional experience with ePortfolios grounded and framed this qualitative case study guided by the research question: Why, how, and with what success is reflection, as a teaching/learning process, employed among ePortfolio projects at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)? Thirty-two representatives of 16 varied ePortfolio projects in degree programs, campus-wide high-impact practices, and single courses participated in 27 hourlong, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and provided supplemental documents for review. Qualitative data analysis software enabled collaborative data coding and analysis. Researchers
adopted procedures to support reliability, trustworthiness, and transferability of findings throughout the research process. The nine findings cut across stereotypical ePortfolio distinctions, revealing widely shared purposes, practices, successes, and frustrations with reflection in ePortfolios. Reflection was seldom the primary motivator for ePortfolio adoption, but its importance was quickly recognized and valued. Students’ limited abilities to reflect typically surprised their instructors, who then pursued a range of strategies to help students improve their reflection skills. Faculty and student understandings of reflection had multifaceted effects on ePortfolio practice and experience. Though not easy to achieve, effective reflection practice appeared to be multi-dimensional and rewarding for students and instructors alike.
Annotation
Reflection is viewed as a cornerstone of most e-Portfolio practice in higher education, as it supports learners in making connections among learning experiences and enables authentic assessment of learning (p. 107). In this article, the authors used a “qualitative case study to examine the role of reflection in electronic portfolio processes and outcomes” at a health sciences university in the United States (p. 109), where “a variety of ePortfolio projects serving a wide range of purposes” was being used, with most of those projects including a reflection component (p. 107). Data collection was in the form of faculty/instructor, staff/instructor, administrator/instructor, and administrator “interviews and collection of supporting artifacts” (p. 110). Through analysis and sharing of rich, descriptive interview responses, the authors demonstrated how “ePortfolios and reflection are allied practices” (p. 117), with reflection benefitting students and instructors alike.