E-Portfolio is also sometimes known as Electronic Portfolio or Digital Portfolio. It is a collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by user on the web. They include inputted text, e-files, images, multimedia, hyperlinks or in the form of blog entry. It demonstrates the user's abilities for self-expressions, which can be maintained dynamically over time.
An e-portfolio can be seen as a type of learning record that provide actual evidence of individual achievements. At the same time. e-portfolio help to foster a more independent and autonomous way of thinking. Through e-portfolio, individuals, especially students, are able to to reflect on what they have learned and how they plan to build and improve in the future. As such, it helps these people to become more critical thinkers and help them to develop their writing and multimedia skills.
Success Story
COFA Online is an online learning and teaching unit at the College of
Fine Arts, The University of New South Wales (UNSW). The university has developed a series of free
online resources as part of its ‘Learning to Teach Online’ (LTTO) Project. This
project aims to provide free resources for teachers from any discipline to gain
the skills and knowledge they need to effectively plan, teach and evaluate
online learning initiatives of varying scales.
Based on the findings, there was an increase in peer and
collaborative learning among students and teachers in the university.
Also, teachers have reported being able to better monitor students’ progress
and the ability to form supportive relationships with students. At the same time students have reported higher levels of
feedback from their teachers. This has encouraged deeper levels of self
reflection about the students' own learning and professional practice.
Students in UNSW develop a professional ePortfolio during the class
that they can export to the professional ePortfolio system used in the UK as
part of teacher accreditation. This has given them a working understanding of
the professional accreditation system.
Using an ePortfolio is ideal for any discipline where teachers have
an active interest in monitoring and assisting in the process of students’
construction of knowledge and abilities. The technology offers students the
opportunity to easily maintain a record of their learning journey, providing
them with a means of critical reflection and giving them an opportunity to
engage in peer feedback.
E-Assessment is the use of ICT for assessment-related activity. It covers a wide range of student activity ranging from the use of a word processor to on-screen testing. E-Assessment can be used to assess both cognitive and practical abilities.
Among the benefits in using E-Assessment in teaching and learning is that it offers a lower long-term costs. At the same time, E-Assessment will also provide an instant feedback to students together with greater flexibility with respect to location and timing. At the same time it will improve reliability and impartiality. On top of that, E-Assessment can provide greater storage efficiency and will enhance question styles which incorporate interactivity.
Success Story
In 2005, the Universities of Leeds, Bradford & Huddersfield and Leeds Metropolitan &York St John Universities came
together to form an “Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings”
(ALPS). The formation of ALPS is ine with an emerging emphasis on
inter-professional practice in health and social care professions. The main purpose was to take
advantage of mobile technology in order to engage students more closely in the
assessment process.
Professor Trudie Roberts, the director of
ALPS CETL from the University of Leeds agrees that the ALPS Program is an
opportunity to do something which was amazingly creative, risk taking which will take take the university to the edge of where learning and teaching might be.
ALPS investigated the use of mobile
technology to improve the assessment and learning experience of students while
on placement. The ALPS programme is considered to be multi-faceted which involve a radical review of assessment practices across 16 healthcare professions. It also complies with the requirements of stakeholder groups such as the National
Health Service and professional, statutory and regulatory bodies which pays great attention to
ethical and legal aspects of professional practice.
Results indicated that a very wide variation in
confidence and perceived competence across the different professional cohorts.
However, there were some areas where students generally appeared less confident
across all professions. These areas include in dealing with conflict and negotiate
differences, motivating others as well as dealing with cultural issues. Additionally, the result shows that there is a dip in confidence among the students within six months after their graduation.
As a result of the ALPS programme, students
are benefitting from more responsive tutorial support, reflective tools and easy access
to key medical texts to support their practice. Students can easily assemble
their work in one place and can reflect on work before submitting it for
assessment. Tutors are notified when the work is ready for assessment and can make a feedback in a timely manner. Tutors are also able to monitor progress and
prioritise workplace visits for those most in need of support. The authenticity of the assessment twinned
with the ability to capture immediate feedback from multiple sources is proving
beneficial to students, service users and tutors.
An LMS is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking and reporting of training programs, e-learning programs and online events. Basically, an acceptable LMS system should be able to centralize and automate the administration of online pragrammes. At the same time, it should also use self-service and be able to assemble and deliver learning content rapidly. Not mention it must support portability and standards as well as able to personalize contents and enable the reuse of knowledge. However, what is more important is that the LMSs are used by educational institutions to enhance and support classroom teaching and offering courses to a larger population of learners all over the world.
Success Story
In August 2011, The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) has approved the selection of Desire2Learn as the next
learning management system (LMS) for the university. The USG Learning Management Transition taskforce was
charged in August 2010 with recommending an LMS to replace the current system
(Vista 8) which will no longer be supported by Blackboard effective January
2013. The taskforce has a broad range of representation including students and
faculty as well as other USG stakeholders.
The LMS
software application is designed to manage online classroom activities and
includes functionality such as a learning repository for course content,
assignments, discussion boards, messaging, assessment, grades and
communications between faculty and students. At the same time, the LMS is used extensively in
face-to-face classes as well as distance education classes. The Board’s
approval of Desire2Learn was based on a recommendation of the Learning
Management System (LMS) Transition Task Force. The task force was comprised of
USG faculty, students, learning specialists and technology administrators. Task
force members also included representatives from The Georgia Department of
Education and Technical College System of Georgia.
As shown in this chapter, Curtis J. Bonk stated that nowadays online
learning has become more and more popular among adult learners. The online
learning or e-learning programme is a teaching and learning process that is
delivered via a computer and internet networks and supported by other forms of
electronically learning and teaching aid. Through e-learning, learners will gain
knowledge and skills which will at the end affect their performance and behavior.
These factors lead the learners to extend their existing skills into new
directions.
Many educational institutions around the globe are offering online and
blended learning programmes to students. These programmes are proven to created
incredible opportunities to adult learners. In the US, The Capella University, Walden
University and Jones International
University, to name a few, have successfully implemented online and blended
learning and have benefited millions of
students in variety of disciplines of courses. In Asia itself, Open University Malaysia (OUM) in Malaysia, Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok and Indra Ghandi National Open University in India are other examples
of successful online educational providers which also have shown a tremendous
growth in online learning.
Bonk also stated that a good education system should provide
students with unlimited resource. At the same time, it also should allow
students to share knowledge and expertise. Finally, learning should be open
regardless of prior degrees and certifications. As such, educational institutions that offer online and blended learning
continually explore ways to reach greater number of learners while expanding
their educational services. They have made it possible for students to “return
back to school” at the convenience of their homes. Not to mention at their
available time and pace. As long as the students are connected to the net, they
will have control of when, where and how to learn. What matter the most to these students is the flexibility and convenient mode of learning
and its accessibility.
According to Bonk, e-learning is not always equated to adult
learners. This is rightly so. As mentioned in this chapter, The “NotSchool” program has also benefited
millions of students in the range of 14 to 15 years old, who are not doing well
in their regular face to face classroom lessons. This programme has also been
given some sort of formal accreditation.
Students are called the researchers and they are provided with internet
connections and other technologies in order to keep up with their studies.
Although online learners feel that online programmes which are
offered by the educational institutions are both convenient and easily
accessible, they may face challenges to success in the online learning
environment. Among the challenges includes the lack of face-to-face
interactions between students and instructors as compared to traditional
classroom learners. On top of that, in the online learning environment,
students may have problems in managing and using information effectively, not
to mention family and work commitments. These factors lead to the higher
percentage of drops among online learners.
Due to these challenges, Bonk suggested that online learners must
equip themselves with the essential skills in order to successfully complete
their course of studies online. Online learners must prepare themselves with
strong skills in time management. At the same time, literacy skills among
online learners are also vital which include good reading, writing and
comprehension skill. If any of these skills is absent, it will lead to lack of
motivation among the students to successfully complete their course of studies
online.
