Engagement with electronic portfolios: challenges from the student perspective

Abstract: Much of the evidence and research available on the use of e-portfolios focuses on faculty and institutional perspectives and/or consists mainly of anecdotes about how useful the e-portfolio has been to learners. While it is generally agreed that e-portfolios have great potential to engage students and promote deep learning, the research that has been conducted to date focuses very little on student perceptions of value of the e-portfolio for their learning. If students do not accept the e-portfolio as a holistic means with which to document their learning in different contexts and more importantly, agree or wish to use the e-portfolio as an integral part of their educational experience, then the potential impact the e-portfolio will have on learning will not be realised. This paper highlights four themes arising out of research that is underway within an international framework of collaboration between the University of Edinburgh, the University of British Columbia and the University of Waterloo. Résumé: La plupart des preuves et des recherches disponibles sur l’utilisation de portfolios électroniques mettent l’accent sur les points de vue des universités et des institutions ou consistent principalement en des anecdotes sur l’utilité du portfolio électronique pour les apprenants. Bie