Exploring Learners’ Practices and Perceptions on the Use of Mobile Portfolios as Methodological Tool to Assess Learning in Both Formal and Informal Contexts

AbstractIn the last years, with the advent of Mobile Learning, there has been a growing interest from educationalists and researchers to find eportfolio systems that are mobile-friendly, that is, accessible and reliable from mobile devices as Stewart (2011) claims. At the same time, there is an increasing number of articles on tools and applications suitable for mobile devices that help to update eportfolios or build evidence of learning. However, there is a lack of studies that address this issue from a methodological approach which links mobile learning and its pedagogical strengths, that is enabling spontaneous, personalised and situated learning, promoting collaboration and encouraging autonomous, lifelong learning (Dyson et al., 2008; Traxler, 2009) to the use of eportfolios. The objective of this paper is to present a research experience presently being carried out with postgraduate students from the Universitat de les Illes Balears (Spain) and Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Catalonia) regarding learners’practices and perceptions on the use of mobile portfolios as a methodological tool to assess learning in both formal and informal contexts