JISC

Region:Yorkshire and Humberside

Overview

The ability to reflect is a powerful learning tool. The ELP project aims to encourage students to reflect and record their experiences and skills in order to help them progress through their learning journey. This will be enabled through the use of e-portfolios.

The project will examine the use of e-portfolios at three key points in this learning journey - student progression into Higher Education, through Higher Education, and into work - to evaluate if and how e-support assists students in managing these key transitions.

The project's final report is now available from the foot of the page.

Aims and Objectives

The overall aim of the project is to evaluate the application and potential of e-Portfolios to support students through their lifelong learning journey, particularly at key transfer points in that journey. The project will examine three of those transfer points; Context 1, moving from school/FE into University; Context 2, moving from University into the workplace (both in placement experience and first career positions); and Context 3, moving between Universities.

The objectives are to:

• Facilitate wider participation in HE by raising aspirations and attainment through the use of an integrated online support environment that will help students manage their learning in a range of institutional, work-based and informal settings.
• Facilitate student progression into work by enhancing the student experience in work based placements through the use of e-portfolios.
• Support and develop staff in the use of e-portfolio systems and help them guide and mentor students who will be using the e-portfolios.
• Promote greater interaction amongst learners.
• Establish and share good practice in e-support including developing resources where appropriate.
• Test the portability and transferability of e-portfolio content between different e-portfolio systems.

Project Methodology

The project will look at e-portfolios in three different contexts.

Context 1: The use of PebblePAD e-portfolio system and e-portfolio content in the Bodington VLE with sixth form/ FE students on the partner institution Compact/ Access schemes. The project will aim to evaluate:

• Whether students are better prepared for transition into Higher Education.
• What effect e-portfolios are having on aspirations and entry into HE.
• What aspects of e-portfolios aid pre-entry support.
• Technical issues related to transferability of e-portfolio information.

Context 2: The use of e-portfolio tools within Bodington for students studying professional healthcare qualifications. E-portfolio tools will be piloted with students during their work based placements and those doing postgraduate professional qualifications.

Context 3: Assessing the needs of e-portfolios for students who may be transferring between institutions and the issues of moving their e-portfolio between institutions. This will involve consultation with the department staff within each University, students who have previously transferred and students who may soon be transferring.

Implications/ Deliverables/ Stakeholders

The project will aim to evaluate the effectiveness of e-portfolios in supporting the needs of students at different stages of the Student Lifecycle Model and to develop case studies in pedagogy in the application of e-portfolios. It will also evaluate the technical issue with transferability of e-portfolios between different systems as a student moves through the Student Lifecycle Model.

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