All Ireland Society for Higher Education
| Name: | Maja Jankowska |
|---|---|
| Email: | maja.jankowska@beds.ac.uk |
| Institution: | CETL |
Gaitan, Alfredo, alfredo.gaitan@beds.ac.uk Manton, Rob, rob.manton@beds.ac.uk
Personal Development Planning and Employability have become core elements of the curriculum throughout at the University of Bedfordshire. This poster focuses on the effectiveness of e-portfolios in developing reflection as an aid to deeper learning in students, increasing their awareness of employability issues and more broadly, enhancing learner development.
All undergraduate and postgraduate students are currently using the Blackboard virtual learning environment, but the introduction of the tools for constructing an e-portfolio ('content collection') is being piloted on a smaller scale (within two undergraduate areas) before it is implemented across the university. The research aims to explore whether the use of e-portfolios can be a successful way of winning students' hearts and minds, increasing their ability to engage with reflective practice, explore future career opportunities and record personal achievement. It has been claimed that the e-portfolio can become 'an additional personal marketing tool' (Owen & Hastings, 2006). E-portfolios can also be a vehicle for learning journey through life thanks to their capacity to support digital story telling. Finally, they can also provide support for learners who do not have English as their first language, offering them opportunities to work at their own pace and in convenient time and helping them overcome their inhibitions. The experiences of the two groups were monitored through interviews and group discussions (using Facilitate Pro for anonymous brainstorming) at different stages of construction. Samples of portfolios were also assessed. This poster draws on these to illustrate the processes and offer initial conclusions.