Success Factors

What are the key outcomes of the initiative?

The Learner and tutor experience

The evaluation process highlighted some interesting results in terms of student engagement with the e-portfolio. Whilst tutors reported informally a general level of cynicism in the classroom, personal feedback was more positive. The most notable success of the project's first phase was with mature learners at a variety of levels who were more receptive to the benefits of e-portfolio in helping to identify skills. In the continuation phase where greater attention was placed on the appropriateness of the interface, an increased number of younger learners were engaged. The hardest group to engage with the concept of e-portfolio were 16-19 year-old males.

There was a mix of preference for the 'reflective journal' approach and the 'recording evidence as CV' approach. Although there was some developmental work on the presentational templates for the portfolio these aspects were never fully explored due to the timescale. Many would have liked a more 'attractive' user interface although definitions of this vary between user groups. All parties stated further adaptation of the software would be required for their institution, with the inclusion of subject specific skills high on the list.

The student-centred approach rather than the module-centred focus of traditional VLEs appeared to be a factor in increasing students' motivation. The social networking aspects of the e-portfolios (blogs/share tools) were regarded as a beneficial tool, especially in helping to engage 'isolated' learners.

Shaping institutional policy

In some cases the project has highlighted challenges for the partner institutions' respective business processes to accommodate an e-portfolio into the provision for students. This may be as complex as joining up the e-portfolio with other business systems or it may be as straight-forward as the need to provide e-mail accounts to students to establish initial points of contact.

Evaluation Methodology

The evaluation methodology provided useful information on the opinions of a range of people connected with the project. The emphasis on the qualitative rather than the quantitative aspects of the evaluation and the number of partners involved did mean that the logistics were difficult, especially in establishing cohorts and delivering the activities.

What follow-up activity will be/has been carried out as a result of the project?

The partners involved in the continuation phase considered the implications of encouraging wider scale use of e-portfolios in their respective institutions. This involved learning more about the workload implications for staff, the effectiveness of different software and the effectiveness of encouraging staff to become early adopters. Specific areas of interest were in following up on students as they progressed with e-portfolios, integration with PDP, recognising skills through audit/support, encouraging learners to become more independent and using e-portfolios to support possible 'transitions'.