Use of ePortfolio
to enhance student learning
Hokling CHEUNG
City University of Hong Kong
May 11, 2009 @ e-Learning Forum Asia 2009
http://www.cityu.edu.hk/edo/elearning_forum/2009/
Language portfolio
Learning portfolio
Generic ePortfolios
2005-06 TDG
2007-09 TDG
2009-10 TDG
- pilot  10 ELC courses
- language portfolios
- technologies
- ELC & other disciplines like BCH, BST, DCO,
EN, SA, SG and co-curricular activities
- learning portfolios
- reflection
- ePortfolios for All: A Roadmap for Success
- 3-pronged approach: students, staff & roadmap
- Generic ePortfolio structure
- Roadmap: transition, outcomes, ideal graduate &
career preparation
Note: There were other courses of different departments
and colleges integrating ePortfolios into student learning
and assessment activities who were not involved in our
projects.
Course-based Wikis and Blogs
Digital story
More emphasis and facilitation on feedback
Website
Advanced HTML
Emphasis on
technologies
Wiki functions in MyExpo
User centric application
Bb Basic Portfolio function
Direct use of templates
Emphasis on reflection
2005-2006
2007-2009
One-web-page (simple HTML)
Digital story
More emphasis on reflection
2009-2010
Bb Personal Portfolio functions,
Google Sites &
Roadmap
Generic ePortfolio structure
Formative and summative reflection
Coverage
Phase
1st (2006-2007)
2nd (2007-2009)
Departments
• English
Language Centre
• English Language Centre
• Biology and Chemistry
• Computer Studies
• Public and Social Administration
• English and Communication
• Division of Building Science and
Technology
• School of Graduate Studies
Staff
2 investigators
1+9 teachers
1 RA
9 investigators
9+40+7 teachers
4 EDO staff
Students
260
2333
(# portfolios)
Should we ask students
to first create an
employment portfolio?
The two-fold strategy
ePortfolios + Reflection
Feedback from students
Having the experience in developing ePortfolios and
learning to reflect, many students identified
important factors or strategies that can help them
learn better.
• Most students (65%) realise that preparation and
planning like goal setting, action planning, knowing the
course ILOs and assessment criteria, etc. are helpful for
achieving better performance.
(634 students responded in Semester A & B 2008-9)
• After the portfolio development experience,
students find their major achievements are in
raising the awareness in different aspects of
learning (50%), increasing their ability to handle
technical tasks (48%) and enriching their
knowledge with some new concepts and ideas
(40%).
• Students think that portfolio development helps
them to learn better as they have to keep
reflecting on the process/during the course of
learning (50%), have to organise their learning
when going through the editorial process for the
portfolio (43%) and to record their thoughts, work,
dialogues and interaction with others (38%).
The positive effect on learning is related mainly to the
practices of reflection and the process of portfolio
making.
• Both formative and summative reflection were agreed
to be important by about half of the students.
– 56% reflection is very important during the
process of learning.
– 46% reflective review and summary at the end of a
particular course or activity is important.
• 62% students think that the process of developing a
portfolio is useful for learning. 34% students think the
end product of the portfolio is useful for learning.
Generic & Nesting
Structure of ePortfolios
Types of Portfolios
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Learning portfolios
Employment/Career/Professional portfolios
Assessment portfolios
Showcase portfolios
Personal development portfolios
Teaching portfolios
Training portfolios
“These different “types” of ePortfolios reflect the fact that
ePortfolios are being produced and consumed (used) in
many different processes, or to manage different processes.”
Serge Ravet
http://www.eife-l.org/publications/eportfolio/documentation/positionpaper
Generic Structure of ePortfolios
PROFILE
Personal particulars, biography, values &
beliefs, interests and hobbies etc
SUMMARY
Purpose, audience, achievements and
development, reflection and future direction
SHOWCASE
Representative work & evidence
QUALIFICATION
Official recognition of achievement,
qualifications, contribution and participation
Generic Structure of ePortfolios
PROFILE
SUMMARY
Personality  Goal setting
Rhetorical purpose & strategic use
Achievements (outcomes, competencies,
attributes & standards)
Reflection (Critical thinking skills)
Future direction  life long learning
SHOWCASE
Room for students (self-directed learning,
belated mastery, creativity etc)
Editorial and technical skills
QUALIFICATION
Standards and quality/
Benchmarking/Accreditation
Participation in professional communities
Contribution to other communities
Nesting Structure of ePortfolios
A “big” portfolio holding “smaller portfolios”/artifacts
PROFILE
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
SHOWCASE
SHOWCASE
QUALIFICATION
QUALIFICATION
SUMMARY
MY WORK
PERFORMANCE
ACHIEVEMENT
GALLERY
QUALIFICATION
Metaphors for Reflection
Use the mirror to prompt
reflection about yourself.
Look for connections
and relationships.
Go deeper and analyze
the details of an event,
task, or experience.
Identify relevant and
best evidence to
support claims
What choices lie ahead?
Think about how you
could have done
something better.
Cheung, Dean, Pickard & Chan 2009
Metaphors for Reflection
How do you feel till now
at the last lesson of
SG8001? Try to use at
least three different
adjectives to describe
your feelings.
What is/are the most
What capacity
do you
remarkable
thing(s)
you
have will
now
as apply
a
How
you
came
across
in teacher?
thiswhat
you
have learnt from this
course?
course?
What aspects of yourself
will need to improve or
enhance?
What is the concrete
action plan for that?
What have you achieved
in this course?
How would you describe
your achievement?
How would
describe
do youyou
know
you
your
have achievement
achieved at in
terms
the course
which of
level?
outcomes?
Is there any evidence
How
relevant
and
to support
your
claims
related
it is between
of achievement?
Is
there
anything
you
what
have
learnt
What you
can
they be?
think you could have
from this course to your
done better? What is
duties,
studies or else?
it?
Reflection – mental activities
Reflection – content domains
ePortfolio pedagogies
Learning management skills
IT skills
Employability skills
Generic skills
Editorial skills
Presentation skills
The two-fold strategy
ePortfolios + Reflection
• Ownership of learning
• Learning community and collaboration
• Goal setting and internalization of
outcomes
• Facilitate self-assessment
• Development of critical thinking, technical,
communication, and presentation skills
• Some quotes from students talking about benefits gained
from creating an ePortfolio.
"I remember not just the goals that I want to achieve in this
course but also my intention to become a marine
Biologist."
"Review of all my coursework. From others' comments
and feedback, I can learn more. Train my web-page design
skill. Putting my smile to everyone makes my confident. My
classmate, friends, instructors or even strangers can have a
platform to know me.“
"I understand more of my self and learning experience. I can
summarize the learning material and my past experience. I
know how to create the e-online-CV(Resume). I know I
need to learn how to organize my own materials. (Resume
and certificates).“
"I learned to figure out problems on my own, problems like
how to use the Dreamweaver. It gives me more confidence.
I treated my works, assignments and reflections seriously,
which makes them more valuable. The process of creating
an eportfolio developed my patience. I got to know more
about myself, not only the learning ability but also the
personality"
"I can summarize all my works and the quality of my works
can be improved next time. I can also reflect myself and
look what I've done in this year."
"This increase my "index" of my creative. I found it
interesting to write down and comment what I learnt. It
really help me to remember it and even more."
"In the creation of an ePortfolio, I have learnt to create a
simple movie in the computer that I have never done it
before. The confidence in using the computer to make a
Performance Appraisals
Learning portfolio for a programme study
Learning portfolios for courses
Language portfolios
My life
University study
Work portfolio
Employment portfolio
Graduation
Promotion
event organisation workshops
community services projects recognition
study trip
courses
exchange
further study publication
final year project
competition
study trip
internship awards professional membership
part-time jobs
group projects Student unions community services
Performance Appraisals
Learning portfolio for a programme study
Learning portfolios for courses
Language portfolios
My life
University study
Work portfolio
Employment portfolio
Graduation
Promotion
Benefits of Discipline Specific ePortfolio Templates
Transitions
Life long learner
ePortfolios as Roadmaps
Discipline Specific ePortfolio Templates
Ownership of
Learning and
Development
CityU Ideal
Graduate
Career Preparation
OBTL
ePortfolio technologies
Structured or free form?
Database
home grown systems
Bb/LMS
pre-defined structure & forms
Google Sites
 Search
 Data!
 Ownership issues
 User friendliness
 Scalability
Free form
Wikis
Blogs
Dreamweaver
HTML/websites
electronic video/doc/ppt/
digital story telling
 Personalisation
 IT skill requirement
 Time & effort
 Connectivity
 Interoperability & compatibility
Would that be the case that an ideal ePortfolio tool
is actually a user-centric e-Learning system?
eP tool = {user-centric}n eL platform
ePortfolios Showcase
• Students’ work
–
–
–
–
–
2005
2006 or Darry’s portfolio
2007
2008
2009
• Sample portfolios
– Vera’s Graduate Portfolio
– Gut’s Portfolio (GoogleSite)
– Gut’s Portfolio (Bb)
• Portfolio templates
– CTL (discipline specific ePortfolio template)
– Employment portfolio
– Sandy Wong’s Language Portfolio