Shifting from Product to Pedagogy: Investigating the use of e-Portfolios as Pedagogical Practice

Abstract

The use of e-portfolios, although relatively new to the domain of higher education teaching and learning, has become a commonplace approach to assessing learning outcomes. E-portfolios are frequently viewed as collections of artefacts, drawn together by way of students’ reflective practice on work that is completed throughout a course. Consequently, most e-portfolio research focuses on the conception of e-portfolios as products, or outcomes, of student learning in higher education. While some scholars have explored the process of reflection that leads to the compilation of artefacts to create a final product, and others have identified the e-portfolio as a specific artefact of reflection, there is little evidence describing how e-portfolios might be used as explicit, process-based learning tools. This discussion will focus on exploring the e-portfolio as a learning process rather than a learning artefact. Participants will engage in dialogue to generate suggestions for the application of e-portfolios as part of higher educational pedagogy. As a result of participating in this session, learners will be able to: (1) Describe the various uses of e-portfolios within higher education classrooms; (2) compare the use of the e-portfolio as a product with the use of the e-portfolio as a process; and (3) identify one practical strategy for using the e-portfolio as a process within their own classroom.