ePortfolio Programs: A Mainstay of Higher Education
March 29, 2009
There is a clear shift in emphasis by academics away from teaching to learning. What are growing in importance these days are student outcomes. Perhaps no single tool is more useful in emphasizing learning outcome and promoting their development, than ePortfolios.
Either in movies or in life, we have seen the beautiful models hurrying to meet with a prospective employer with large, thin black leather portfolio in which they transport their most flattering photographs. They use the contents of their portfolios to convey a sense of the value they represent to potential employers. ePortfolios are simply an electronic version of a model or photographer’s portfolio used to document the competencies, skills, and knowledge developed by a person – focused on a specific career objective or path.
According to research conducted by the Campus Computing Project www.campuscomputing.net/survey, the number of U.S. colleges and universities using ePortfolios has more than tripled over the past five years. Soon, students will accept ePortfolio systems as an integral element of their college experience and an important mechanism to translating at college experience into a rewarding career.
Most ePortfolio programs encourage students to start the design and development of their ePortfolios at the outset of the academic programs to begin the process of establishing academic goals, to make the best choices with respect to specialized majors and elective courses, and to create a context in which to judge their progress through their educational journey. ePortfolios promote student engagement with their learning, facilitate appropriate student choices, and help students keep their professional goals in clear view while taking courses.
Universities derive benefit from ePortfolio programs because they provide a means of documenting, organizing, and assessing evidence of student learning and outcomes. ePortfolios are not just a fad, but rapidly becoming a mainstay of higher education.
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