| News and Events
16.03.2015
Becta releases "Impact study of e-portfolios on learning"
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A study conducted by a team of researchers
in the Learning Sciences Research Institute at The University
of Nottingham led by Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young presents
the potential impact of e-portfolios on learning and teaching
and is primarily aimed at policy-makers.
This study provides eight case studies
in the early stages of e-portfolio use from across the sectors
of education, from primary school to adult learning.
The report identifies the three distinct
components of an e-portfolio system: the digital archive (repository
of evidence), tools to support different processes, and different
presentation portfolios developed for different purposes and
audiences.
Becta commissioned researchers from
the Learning Science Research Institute, University of Nottingham,
to investigate the impact that e-portfolios can have on learners
in schools, further education, higher education and work-based
learning.
Case studies of eight e-portfolio projects
were created from document analysis and interviews and surveys
of learners and teachers. Findings relating to the impact
of e-portfolio systems on learning outcomes and processes
and commencing and sustaining e-portfolio development were
drawn from cross case analysis.
Key findings include:
- e-portfolios benefit learning most
effectively when considered as part of a joined-up teaching
and learning approach, rather than as a discrete entity.
The approach should include online repositories, planning
and communication tools, and opportunities for both students
and teachers to draw out and present e-portfolios at particular
times and for particular purposes. There is then likely
to be substantial impact on both learning processes and
learning outcomes.
- e-portfolio processes support both
pastoral or social needs and curriculum outcomes
- e-portfolio processes and tools
for organisation and communication support the learning
outcomes of students with a wide range of abilities
- e-portfolios make progress and attainment
more obvious to both teachers and students, because viewing
and revisiting the repository of work reveals development,
achievements, strengths and weaknesses
- Some learners in all age ranges
find that software that includes structured processes and
organisational tools scaffolds their learning until they
are confident enough to progress to working independently
- Although some institutions are working
together across phases to use e-portfolios to support transition,
teachers and learners rarely consider the nature of a ‘lifelong’
e-portfolio repository and how this might be managed
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