A case study of the teacher education faculty’s perception of the eFolio program at a private Central Texas university.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 184-187).The qualitative case study approach investigated the perceptions that Teacher Education Faculty (TEF) developed as a result of using the electronic portfolio, or eFolio, in the teacher education program at the institution that was studied. The research questions were: (1) What are the perceptions of TEF of the success of the eFolio program at the institution? (2) What are the perceptions of TEF of the technical support provided for the eFolio at the institution? (3) What are the perceptions of the TEF of using the eFolio as an assessment of the teacher education program to meet accreditation standards? (4) What are the perceptions of the TEF of using the eFolio to meet technology integration in teacher education requirements? (5) What are the perceptions of the TEF of using the eFolio for teacher candidate assessment? The mixed method study used both qualitative and quantitative data analysis procedures. The study used three sources of data: email correspondence records between Teacher Education Faculty (TEF) and eFolio Support, an online survey, and follow-up semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Results (1), of analysis of data revealed that 85% of TEF members perceived the eFolio to be worth the time. (2), evidence indicated 75% of the TEF perceived the technical support candidates received for the eFolio to be beneficial. (3), analysis of data show that 60% of TEF perceived the eFolio’s as a tool to be used in accreditation. (4), 65% of TEF in the study reported they did not perceive the eFolio as a way to integrate technology in the teacher education curriculum. (5), result of data analysis revealed that 65% of TEF reported the eFolio was a successful way to assess candidates. The study contributed to the emerging body of research concerning the use of the eFolio in teacher education programs. As the use technology continues to grow in teacher preparation programs, the eFolio will take the place of the traditional hard copy portfolio for candidate assessment, technology integration, and program accreditation.by Shannon Owen Trimble.Ed.D