The ownership of the ePortfolio process is crucial to the learner for several reasons. Firstly, it encourages students to take responsibility for their learning and showcase that learning with others, making learning visible to any audience (Lazenby, 2022). The ePortfolio process allows students to critically assess their academic work, reflect on it, and make connections among different courses, assignments, and other activities, such as work experience, extracurricular pursuits, volunteering opportunities, and more (University of Waterloo, 2023).
This process supports students’ own knowledge construction, makes otherwise invisible aspects of the learning process visible, and places agency in the hands of students, which fosters learners’ motivation (University of Waterloo, 2023). Furthermore, students building and owning the ePortfolio means that they are in control, and they are more likely to engage in the learning process actively. Research shows that students are more engaged when they have choices in learning (Georgia Tech, 2021).
In contrast to a Learning Management System (LMS), which is “owned” and managed by the instructor, an ePortfolio is owned by the student, who decides who can view the ePortfolio, what artifacts get added, how it is designed, and so on. Typically, a student loses access to the LMS when courses end, while ePortfolios remain the student’s property after finishing university (University of Waterloo, 2023). Thus, the ownership of the ePortfolio process is vital to the learner as it promotes active engagement, reflection, personal growth, and lifelong learning.
References:
Georgia Tech. (2021, May 19). Supporting students’ learning with ePortfolios. Georgia Tech Center for Teaching and Learning. https://blog.ctl.gatech.edu/2021/05/13/supporting-students-learning-with-eportfolios/
Lazenby, B. (2022, June 14). EPortfolios: The what, why, and how!. Missouri Online. https://teaching.missouri.edu/blog/eportfolios-what-why-and-how
University of Waterloo. (2023, November 14). ePortfolios explained: Theory and practice. University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/catalogs/tip- sheets/eportfolios-explained-theory-and-practice
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