The pros and cons of e-portfolios in pre-service teacher training

eLearning Papers • www.elearningpapers.eu • 1 Nº 22 • December 2010 • ISSN 1887-1542

The Pros and Cons of E-portfolios

in Pre-service Teacher Training

Sirin Soyoz

British Council Turkey (Turkey)

Summary

There have been broad discussions on the use of ICT to achieve better student learning and

teaching in education. With the emergence of the digital tools and technologies, it becomes

crucial particularly for newly qualified teachers to be confident in using technology effectively

in education.

An e-portfolio initiative indicates that learners can store their work, record their

achievements, access personal course timetables, digital resources and cooperate with

other learners on their online space for learning. When used effectively, e-portfolios provide

a means to improve learners‟ digital skills and helps teachers know more about their

learners‟ knowledge and needs.

The intention of this paper is to explore the pros and cons of e-portfolios in pre-service

teacher training to support the process of personal development for student teachers in the

Higher Education. An e-portfolio system which is embedded into the curriculum would

support student teachers‟ development as EFL teachers, help them become efficient ICT

users and increase their employment opportunities. However, the ePortfolio implementation

process would have several pedagogical and technical drawbacks if key strategies were not

carefully implemented.

Keywords: ePortfolios, electronic portfolios, PDP, teacher training, ICT, higher education

New economy and innovation culture for learning

It is widely recognized that emerging technologies and practices associated with learning and

teaching have had a big impact on education. There have been broad discussions in the

education sector on the nature and diversity of e-learning plus the specific uses of ICT to

achieve better student learning and teaching models in schools. Therefore, it is appropriate to

shift our focus from e-learning to whole learning systems and uses of ICT, particularly

electronic portfolios, also known as e-portfolios in education. The intention of this paper is to

explore the pros and cons of e-portfolios in pre-service teacher training to support the process

of personal development and assessment for student teachers in Higher Education.

It could be argued that, newly qualified teachers have skills, enthusiasm and motivation for

their work but they need support, ideas and training before they come into the profession.


They have little experience in the classroom and need evidence to support their qualification

when they move into the workplace. An e-portfolio initiative which is embedded into the Higher

Education curriculum would support their development as EFL teachers, help them become

efficient ICT users and increase their employment opportunities. However, the ePortfolio

implementation process has several pedagogical and technical drawbacks along with the

advantages.

Becta, the organization responsible for co-ordinating strategic approaches to the use of

technology across the education system in the UK, reports in 'Emerging Technologies for

Learning' (2008)1 that, today's students use technology to be connected with more people, in

more ways and more often. Their learning styles are influenced by the visual richness of the

television and the internet; they are more interested in visual media and they prefer to learn by

doing rather than reading. The Internet is a major channel for socializing and Web 2.0 is no

longer a way to receive information but a space to collaborate, comment and create.

Therefore, use of technology can no longer be purely course-based but more varied ways of

expression using learning technologies should be investigated, such as e-portfolios.

An e-portfolio "is a collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by a user,

usually on the Web" Wikipedia2. Penn State University3 describes an e-portfolio as a dynamic

and developmental space of professional presence on the Web. According to JISC InfoNet4,

an e-portfolio is the digital collections of documents related to a learner's progress,

development and achievements. A learner creates an e-portfolio by using an e-portfolio tool or

system and supported by digital skills such as "collecting, selecting, reflecting, sharing,

collaborating, annotating and presenting" in the e-portfolio development process.

The JISC report, Learning Literacy in a Digital Age (2009)5 suggests that the nature of

knowledge, the texture of social life, and literacy practices are changing. According to the

JISC report, “the future demands skilled, digitally-aware learners with the capacity to

participate in learning throughout their life, using technologies of their own choosing" (2009).

HEFCE strategy for e-learning (2009)6 also focuses attention on the transformative potential

and benefits of learning technologies, recognizing the changing student needs and

connections between the higher education and the workplace. However, while new

technologies have a fundamental part over the next years, they can also become a barrier if

key strategies are not carefully implemented.

1 Becta (2008), 'Emerging Technologies for learning', Becta, March 2008.

2 Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia 'Electronic portfolio', Category: Educational technology. Available from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_portfolio (accessed 31 October 2009).

3 Penn State University 'e-Portfolios at Penn State: Creating an Electronic Portfolio'. Available from:

http://portfolio.psu.edu (accessed 31 October 2009).

4 JISC InfoNet 'e-Portfolios: An overview'. Available from:

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/eportfolios.aspx (accessed 31 October 2009).

5 JICS (2009), 'Learning Literacies in a Digital Age', JISC, September 2009.

6 HEFCE (2009), 'Policy Development Statement of Policy: Enhancing Learning and Teaching Through The Use of

Technology', HEFCE, March 2009.


Evidence suggests that beyond basic digital skills, complex ranges of digital capabilities are

needed to ensure that learners are engaged with the current Web 2.0 technologies. The JISC

report, 'Responding to Learners'7 lists these skills as "communicating in different media,

collaboration, self-organization, self-presentation, managing identities”. Young people are

especially good at using the computers yet they tend to use the most basic search tools

without assessing information across disciplines (HEFCE: Enhancing learning and teaching,

2009)8. The JISC e-learning programme studied the perceptions and participation of learners

in the digital age and found that "Age is not the main determining factor in technology

confidence and capability: a supportive context is far more significant. Therefore, e-portfolios

can be a challenge as an educational change if introduced without a central educational

concept and supervision.

There are institutional concerns regarding the use of e-portfolios in education, such as the

difficulties of persuading staff of the potential benefits of e-portfolio and deciding on an

ePortfolio system which best suits the educational goals. It is widely agreed that e-portfolios

are better formed if they are fully integrated into the curriculum; however, the time factor for

staff involved in the program of study, changing the mind-set of faculty to manage e-portfolio

development process and finding the most appropriate system with desirable features are the

striking issues that arose as a result of case studies in the e-portfolio implementations.

The link between personal development planning (PDP) and e-portfolios have also gained

attention in efforts to support student learning. QAA (The Quality Insurance Agency for Higher

Education) defines Personal Development Planning (PDP)9 as „A structured and supported

process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or

achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development‟. It is

therefore strongly advocating a whole-curriculum approach where most of the program

activities are linked to the PDP process. At that point, research suggests the need for Heads

of Departments and other line managers to understand the concepts of PDP, e-portfolio and

reflection, with a key question: "Does the Institution practice what it preaches with respect to

valuing the concept of a portfolio as a tool to support reflection on practice? (Stefani, L:

2005).10

E-portfolios are also mentioned as slowing down learning and requiring a lot of time for

learners to reproduce ideas as a result of reflections in their learning journals. The

controversial question of "Should student learning journals be assessed?" is discussed in

academic contexts. Phyllis Crème (2005) describes learning journals as pieces of "writing that

is done progressively and regularly by students during a course, as record of their learning.

Learning journals tell a story about the student writer's engagement with the course material

7 JISC (2009), 'Learner experiences of e-Learning: Responding to learners', available from

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/learnerexperience (accessed 31 October 2009).

8 HEFCE (2009), 'Policy Development Statement of Policy: Enhancing Learning and Teaching Through The Use of

Technology', HEFCE, March 2009.

9 QAA, 'Guidelines for HE Progress Files: Personal Development Planning, available from

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/progressfiles/guidelines/progfile2001.asp#pdp (accessed 31 October

2009).

10

Stefani, L. (2005) „PDP/CPD and e-portfolios: rising to the challenge of modelling good practice‟, Association for

Learning Technology.


and process" (Crème, P: 2005)11. From this point of view, whether student learning journals

should count towards formal assessment and graded by tutors within the framework of e-

portfolios is a controversial question because of the fact that students are assumed to write

them with the sense that they would not be judged in the same way as an essay or an

academic report. On the other hand, Moon (2001)12 contends that "just asking students to

write a learning journal may bring benefits, but they will be haphazard. A purpose and an idea

of the kind of outcome of reflection are required (Moon, J: 2001). According to Phyllis Crème

(2005), "one solution is to submit a learning journal as course requirement but not to assess it

separately (Crème, P: 2005)13. Another is to use a learning journal as a basis for an assessed

piece of reflective writing. Crème‟s model for assessment means that "another process and

product is being assessed than the learning journal itself". In other words, the course values

the process of reflective activity as a means for something else rather than for itself.

Apart from the challenges of implementing e-portfolios within the curriculum, e-portfolios offer

significant benefits to learners. According to Trent Batson, "We seem to be beginning a new

wave of technology development in education. There is a push to free student work from

paper and to make it organized, searchable, and transportable. This opens enormous

possibilities for re-thinking whole curricula and allows for the evaluation of faculty, assessment

of programs, certification of student work, and how accreditation works. (Batson, T: 2002).

An e-portfolio initiative indicates that learners can store their work, record their achievements,

access personal course timetables, digital resources and cooperate with other learners on

their online space for learning. The aim is not only to produce an end product but to develop

electronic portfolios that learners can build on throughout their life. Portfolios are not isolated;

they can be a part of the system involving students, teachers, parents, experts and across

institutions. When used effectively, e-portfolios provide a means to know more about learners‟

skills, knowledge and needs. Therefore, it is worth noting the fact that the potential of e-

portfolios is very high and is appreciated by many learners and teachers.

In teacher training and development, e-portfolios might be used as a showcase of teachers‟

work, skills, competencies and creativity. Having an online space might help teachers plan

their development, use ICT tools effectively, and have a positive impact on their learners.

Teachers might include digital representations of their skills and competencies, online records

of achievements, action research presentations, personal development plans, reflective

journals, certificates of attendance at seminars, example lesson plans, feedback from

supervisors, advisors and peers, materials that they have created, observation reports,

reviews of development plans and lesson activities, samples of student works, plans for

training sessions delivered and self-assessment grids in their e-portfolios.

11

Crème, P. (2005) „Should student learning journals be assessed?‟, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher

Education, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 287–96. Available

from: http://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602930500063850 (accessed 31 October

2009).

12

Moon, J. (2001) „PDP working paper 4: reflection in higher education learning‟ (online), The Higher Education

Academy. Available from:

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id72_Reflection_in_Higher_Edu

cation_Learning.rtf (accessed 31 October 2009).

13

Crème, P. (2005) „Should student learning journals be assessed?‟, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher

Education, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 287–96. Available

from: http://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602930500063850 (accessed 31 October

2009).

http://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602930500063850

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id72_Reflection_in_Higher_Education_Learning.rtf




Finally, it can be suggested that e-portfolios are going to be the biggest thing of the education

system in the forthcoming years and new technologies are going to play a fundamental role in

meeting this challenge. In particular, considering e-portfolios in initial teacher training

increases the variety of training opportunities in the higher education. However, supporting

new technology adoption might become a barrier if education strategies are not designed to

harness technology to the needs of the learners and teaching staff because a digital divide still

exists in many communities in different levels. For this reason, e-learning practitioners have a

critical role to play in e-portfolio development initiatives in order to turn the disadvantages into

advantages in the long term.

References

Batson, T. (2002, December). The Electronic Portfolio Boom: What's it All About? Syllabus. Available

from: http://campustechnology.com/articles/2002/11/the-electronic-portfolio-boom-whats-it-all-

about.aspx (accessed 31 October 2009).

Becta (2008), 'Emerging Technologies for learning', Becta, March 2008.

Crème, P. (2005) „Should student learning journals be assessed?‟, Assessment and Evaluation in

Higher Education, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 287–96. Available

from: http://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602930500063850

(accessed 31 October 2009).

HEFCE (2009), 'Policy Development Statement of Policy: Enhancing Learning and Teaching Through

The Use of Technology', HEFCE, March 2009.

JISC InfoNet 'e-Portfolios: An overview'. Available from:

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/eportfolios.aspx (accessed 31 October 2009).

JISC (2009), 'Learner experiences of e-Learning: Responding to learners', available from

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/learnerexperience (accessed 31 October 2009).

JICS (2009), 'Learning Literacies in a Digital Age', JISC, September 2009.

Moon, J. (2001) „PDP working paper 4: reflection in higher education learning‟ (online), The Higher

Education Academy. Available from:

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id72_Reflection_in_

Higher_Education_Learning.rtf (accessed 31 October 2009).

Penn State University 'e-Portfolios at Penn State: Creating an Electronic Portfolio'. Available from:

http://portfolio.psu.edu (accessed 31 October 2009).

QAA, 'Guidelines for HE Progress Files: Personal Development Planning, available from

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/progressfiles/guidelines/progfile2001.asp#pdp (accessed

31 October 2009).

Stefani, L. (2005) „PDP/CPD and e-portfolios: rising to the challenge of modelling good practice‟,

Association for Learning Technology.

Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia 'Electronic portfolio', Category: Educational technology. Available

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_portfolio (accessed 31 October 2009).





Author

Sirin Soyoz

English Language Projects Assistant, British Council Turkey (Turkey)

[email protected]

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