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Overview:
In the introduction to
their book, The
Educational Potential of E-Portfolios: Supporting Personal Development
and Reflective Learning , Lorraine Stefani, Robin Mason,
and Chris Pegler explore electronic portfolios
(e-portfolios) both in theory and implementation. The
authors, instructors and directors of educational technology and
academic development at two different universities abroad, examine
e-portfolios for individual classroom settings, entire departments,
across universities, and beyond, as well as what e-portfolios mean for
students, instructors, administrators, and other stakeholders outside
the university. While they cover a wide range of uses for
e-portfolios, one of the underlying themes of each is how such a
document can become a map of life long learning. The book
has practical applications and explores the issues surrounding such
implementation, with an eye towards what e-portfolios may
do in the future for educators and students.
This book comes at a time
when assessment and accountability in higher education is being brought
to the nation's attention after the Spellings Commission Report.
While the book does not speak directly to this report, the
nature of the topic makes it relevant and timely. Even
though the authors create a current and extensive examination of
e-portfolios, they begin by addressing the limitations of their book
because of other works with concurrent publication dates, specifically
Jafari and Kaufman's (2006) Handbook of Research on
ePortfolios (Idea
Group Publishing). Stefanie,
Mason, and Pegler's book considers scholars both in and outside of
writing studies, but the continuous theme of life long learning through
writing indirectly speaks to writing across the discipline scholarship
as well as traditional writing studies.
Summary:
This book begins by defining e-portfolios. The authors first explore how the term has been defined and used in the
past as well as what role e-portfolios play in assessment,
presentation, learning, personal development, collaboration, and
students' futures (pp. 13-14). While never truly defining
e-portfolios in one way, the first chapter sets up the context for the
following nine chapters to view e-portfolios broadly and as applicable
to various settings that are not limitted to only the writing
classroom.
Much of the book focuses on this ideas of how
e-portfolios can be used as tools for learning, the contrast between
the traditional, paper-based portfolio and the electronic counterpart,
and the flexibility, connectivity, and portability of e-portfolios
(pp. 17-18). The second chapter addresses the five elements of
portfolio development: collection, selection, reflection, projection,
and presentation (p. 19). The connections between these components and
lifelong learning are supported bthroughout the book with brief case
studies that examine specific programmatic uses of e-portfolios to
create realistic expectations of transitioning to and sustaining
e-portfolios.
In addition to creating a broad picture of electronic
portfolios, the book explores issues of course design and assessment.
Specifically, chapters four and five extend many of the
issues and cases for e-portfolios including how to motivate students
and instructors to see the value in portfolio keeping (pp. 58; 85), how to
incorporate portfolios into established classrooms (p. 59), how to see
portfolios as more than a repository for information (p. 67), and creating
authentic assessment through e-portfolios (p. 74).
Additionally, the eighth chapter includes a discussion of the four
types of softwares used for e-portfolios including, commercial
software, proprietary systems, open source software, and open source
common tools (pp. 118-121). The authors critique each type with
a pro and con list and include institutions that currently use the
different types of softwares. These discussions help to
provide an overview for the implimentation of and uses for
e-portfolios.
The book concludes by bringing the topic of e-portfolios
not only to the forefront of current educational scholarship, but also
by exploring the role of e-portfolios in the future. Focusing first on
the short term and later on long term goals, these chapters assess
opportunities for small changes, such as using blogs or wikis as
e-portfolios, to more significant changes, such as the fictional
scenario of "Moira", an elderly woman creating an "e-portfolio
documenting the major events and thoughts of [her] life" to be left for
future generations (p. 163).
Critique:
The early chapters of this book are useful in not only
laying the ground work for the book but also for immersing the reading
in e-portfolio scholarship. Although the text itself never
claims to be completely inclusive, the setup allows for less
experienced educators to enter into conversations regarding
e-portfolios without extensive knowledge of traditional portfolios.
At the same time, the book doesn't limit the discussion to a
single discipline; the use of brief case studies help show how
e-portfolios can truly work in all disciplines rather than only writing
programs or programs that have historically embraced portfolios.
Because specific programs are not discussed at length in
text, the true flexibility of e-portfolios comes through. The focus on what the portfolios can do to enhance classroom practice
and assessment is especially useful for those that do not currently use
traditional portfolios or that are considering transitioning to
electronic versions. Furthermore, the discussion of the
impact on various groups, including students, instructors, program and
institutional administrators, proves useful for preparing the reader who
may be bringing about such a change.
The book's focus on both real and fictional scenarios of
how e-portfolios are being used and may be used in the future helps
illustrate the authors' overall argument for the possibilities of
e-portfolios. While at times their hope for life-long
learning seems idealistic, the book itself focus on issues of
practicality to support this expectations. The important
point that guides the last two chapters, and indeed the entire book, is
the possibility that e-portfolios have to offer students, educators,
and even those outside the university. The use of
examples and analysis of e-portfolios currently in use makes the book a
worthy resource.
Conclusion:
While our field has long supported paper-based
portfolios, and many programs move to incorporate e-portfolios, this
book seems especially useful for those that have not yet moved their
portfolios online. Because the book focuses on multiple
disciplines and ultimately supports that e-portfolios should be used
for all students across an institution, the book is a way for those
inside and outside our field to understand how e-portfolios might be
used. Although the book is based on scholarship and previous
research, it creates a means to generate discussion while providing
questions to consider, steps to take, and options for those beginning
or considering a transition to an electronic portfolio system.
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