Pedagogical Dimensions of ePortfolio in Craft Education

An ePortfolio is an evolving electronic resource that acts to record and store the artefacts of learning. It reflects the progression of a student’s learning, or testifies the level reached. This paper analyses the longitudinal use of an electronic portfolio in craft studies for a period of six years (2012-18). The students (ages 9 to 14 years N=38/n=8) traced their craft process activities by photos, narratives, assessment assignments and recordings. The first study covered the functions and the benefits of the ePortfolio in craft education (iPad application, Book Creator) and general user experiences based on pupil interviews. The identified key functions were collection and management of information, communication, and verification of development. The experienced benefits were related to supporting the working process. The second study covered the textual and visual contents. The results indicated that the most emphasized areas were the process, the product, the free and formal reflection. The third study contained data of years long learning period and the final interviews (n=8). The interview focused on students’ experiences of the method and its’ development. The longitudinal textual content was conceptualized by applying Anderson and Krathwohl’s “Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing” (2001). The results indicated that the students’ knowledge type was transformed from versatile to a more limited, and cognitive process levels were transformed from concrete to a more abstract level. The interview data confirmed the findings. The implications drawn were linked with the ePortfolio’s pedagogical foundation and the users’ progression of using the ePortfolio method. Diverse functions and benefits helped provide the answer to the main research question of the ePortfolios’ pedagogical dimensions. The dimensions were five: a communication support, a synchronizer of activities, a knowledge creation tool, a tool to train ICT skills, and other more general skills and a tool for assessment. Key Words: ePortfolio, Craft Education, Documentation, Content analysis.An ePortfolio is an evolving electronic resource that acts to record and store the artefacts of learning. It reflects the progression of a student’s learning, or testifies the level reached. This paper analyses the longitudinal use of an electronic portfolio in craft studies for a period of six years (2012-18). The students (ages 9 to 14 years N=38/n=8) traced their craft process activities by photos, narratives, assessment assignments and recordings. The first study covered the functions and the benefits of the ePortfolio in craft education (iPad application, Book Creator) and general user experiences based on pupil interviews. The identified key functions were collection and management of information, communication, and verification of development. The experienced benefits were related to supporting the working process. The second study covered the textual and visual contents. The results indicated that the most emphasized areas were the process, the product, the free and formal reflection. The third study contained data of years long learning period and the final interviews (n=8). The interview focused on students’ experiences of the method and its’ development. The longitudinal textual content was conceptualized by applying Anderson and Krathwohl’s “Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing” (2001). The results indicated that the students’ knowledge type was transformed from versatile to a more limited, and cognitive process levels were transformed from concrete to a more abstract level. The interview data confirmed the findings. The implications drawn were linked with the ePortfolio’s pedagogical foundation and the users’ progression of using the ePortfolio method. Diverse functions and benefits helped provide the answer to the main research question of the ePortfolios’ pedagogical dimensions. The dimensions were five: a communication support, a synchronizer of activities, a knowledge creation tool, a tool to train ICT skills, and other more general skills and a tool for assessment.Peer reviewe