What a fabulous session we had at our most recent Technology Demonstrators Community of Practice Event, focusing on e-portfolios in education, the benefits of reflection and the challenges of implementation.

The highlight of the session was a fantastic presentation from Dr Debra Hoven, our guest from Athabasca University. Debra shared a range of useful ideas, tips and strategies including:

• ePortfolios as a High Impact Practice (HIP).
• The impact ePortfolios can have on student learning and success, including developing collaborative and communication skills and making connections across various assignments and courses.
• The importance of reflective practice and supporting students to develop these skills.
• Using rubrics to support student learning and assessment processes.
• The value of educators creating their own ePortfolios and ‘walking the talk.’
• Strategies for implementing ePortfolios across subjects/courses.
• Guidance on breaking down portfolio skills into manageable steps.
• The importance of feedback and collaboration with other instructors.

Debra shared a couple of great resources resources:

• American Association of Colleges and Universities – Trending Topic: High-Impact Practices
• Wiki Educator – Hegarty Reflective Framework and Template

She also shared the following academic papers:

Hoven, D., Walsh, P., Al Tawil, R., & Zuba Prokopetz, R. (2021). Exploring professional needs and strategies for instructors/faculty facilitating eportfolios online. Irish Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning 6 (1): 154-176. https://journal.ilta.ie/index.php/telji/issue/view/12

Hoven, D. (2020). Lifelong and life-wide learning: The transformative role of e-portfolios in online graduate education. In Susan M. Brigham, Robert McGray & Kaela Jubas (Eds.) Adult education and lifelong learning in Canada: Critical legacy. Thompson Educational Publishing, pp. 210-220.  Click here to download.

Hoven, D. (2020). ePortfolios: The role of reflection in graduate online learning and pedagogy. Paper published in ICDE/WCOL 2019 Proceedings Volume 1, Dublin City University, p. 431-442. https://zenodo.org/record/3804014#.Xsw_98Z7lMN