Exemplars of DCU Best Practice with eportfolio based assessment

Foreword by
Dr Helen L. Chen, Stanford University

Whether you are new to eportfolios or an experienced educator, there is an ongoing need for examples of how the affordances of the eportfolios are operationalized to support teaching and learning. This collection demonstrates the different ways in which eportfolios can be adopted to address assessment of learning (summative) and for learning (formative) in a range of disciplines. In some cases, the process of eportfolio creation together with reflection becomes evidence of the learning itself (assessment as learning).

Instead of leading with the technology, each exemplar thoughtfully situates eportfolios within disciplinary learning and the opportunities for pedagogical innovations in the creation and redesign of activities, assignments, and projects are highlighted. The introduction of eportfolios in this context is accompanied by additional skills and outcomes such as digital literacy, integrative learning, multimodal composition, and metacognition. This set of case studies identifies promising strategies for more effective alignment of eportfolio outcomes with course and program learning objectives and contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how eportfolio practice continues to evolve in higher education.

Acknowledgements

The examples in this ebook were generously contributed by Dublin City University (DCU) academic staff outlining that many ways in which the DCU eportfolio platform, Loop Reflect, was integrated into assessment strategies across the university. Loop Reflect is built on the open source Mahara platform. Support on using Loop Reflect is available from the Teaching Enhancement Unit, DCU by contacting lisa.donaldson@dcu.ie and is accessible through https://bit.ly/reflecthelp.

This ebook is an output of DCU’s Assessment Practice project funded by the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) project fund from the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning.

A sincere thank you to all contributors for sharing their practice.

Supporting successful eportfolio practice

Eportfolio practice has grown significantly in higher education over recent years and when 'done well' can be seen to have significantly enhanced student learning and assessment (Eynon & Gambino, 2018). In fact, since the last eportfolio assessment ebook was released, eportfolio has been included as a High Impact Practice by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U).

Eportfolio can support student centred and authentic assessments which enable students to creatively reflect on their learning experiences. Mihai et al (2021) describe eportfolio as a means to provide students with a "personal learning space while also enabling teachers to monitor, scaffold, and assess knowledge and skill building." Scaffolding the introduction of eportfolio for students is critical to their success. Some key points for the integration of eportfolio to assessment practices are outlined next.

References:
Eynon, B., & Gambino, L. (2018). Catalyst in action: Case studies of high-impact ePortfolio practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC
Mihai, A., Questier, F., & Zhu, C. (2021). ePortfolios in Political Science: The Interplay Between Independent Learning Space and Collective Knowledge Building. International Journal of ePortfolio, 11(1), 11-24.

Health & Society

Professor Anne Matthews
Email: Anne.matthews@dcu.ie

Programme: BSc Health & Society, years 1-3, face-to-face (online for 2020/21); approximately 50 students per year

My eportfolio intervention

Using Loop Reflect to support creative and impactful responses and actions to address health inequities.

What was the challenge

The BSc Health & Society is a multidisciplinary programme about health, within which we encourage students to identify and work on areas of their own particular interest. This can also help them decide on, and support, their next steps, to employment or postgraduate study. Having evidence of creative and innovative learning achievements is useful for students.

Supported by the eportfolio Loop Reflect, students on this programme have undertaken video creation and presentation (Sustainable development and health, in year 1) and campaigns (Campaigning for health equity, year 2). These have worked when the module ran face-to-face and fully online. The UN Sustainable Development Goals form the framework for my teaching and learning activities and assessments on this programme.

Health & Society

How was the assignment designed?

For Sustainable Development and Health, students were tasked with creating a video on a health inequity or injustice. They recorded this using Uni.Cam (supported by DCU) or using their own mobile phone cameras. I encouraged the student to save the video on their institutional drive, and then copy that link into Loop Reflect. I gave detailed instructions on how to do this, and recorded a 15 minute video using Zoom, demonstrating the various stages involved in the process.

For Campaigning for Health Equity, students build a campaign across the module (planning, evaluation, and reflecting) and this process is captured within their eportfolio. They share their plans, what they did and then their own evaluation and reflection on their campaign’s effectiveness to address a health inequity. The eportfolio enables students to share artefacts (like copies of emails to relevant organisations, politicians and others, their campaign materials and content).

Supporting video

Health & Society

Reflection
Student feedback has been consistently positive about using Loop Reflect. There can be some technical glitches for students, and I have tried to provide guidance by video, in text and other means to support the students. One student from said “I think it worked really well and was enjoyable to navigate - I wish more modules used it”; another said “I liked using it, the work we put it shows for itself. Having the text, artefacts and links one after another looks very good“.

I encouraged students to submit their portfolios to the DCU showcase for Loop Reflect which some did in March 2021. One such student replied that she was very encouraged that I thought of her. This had the effect of recognising and giving confidence to students. This also happened when I asked students for permission to include their work in my University ‘Sipping Point’ seminar and School presentation on eportfolios, with feedback that “I’m glad you think it’s worthy enough, thank you!”.

Overall, my assessment using Loop Reflect have required more preparation and scaffolding for students, including guiding students through video creating, academic use of social media and other related skills, feedback from students affirms that this is time well spent: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the module. I found it very rewarding to be able to look back on my Instagram & Loop Reflect page & see so much of my own work come together”. Loop Reflect enabled students to be more creative and to demonstrate their engagement with the outside world to address societal challenges.

Psychology

Dr. Simon Dunne
Email: simon.dunne@dcu.ie

Programme: M.Sc in Psychology (conversion), Year 1, online; approximately 20 students

My eportfolio intervention

Students were asked to conduct an independent case study on a new or emerging technology or innovation used in psychology research. This took the form of an in-depth literature review of the emerging technology or innovation. Students were encouraged to make the e-portfolio as interactive and visually appealing as possible.

What was the challenge

I decided to implement an e-portfolio assessment for this module to encourage students to be as creative as possible with their case study assessment. More specifically, while I felt that the existing written case study assessment for the module had a very useful focus, after having corrected a number of case studies that had no supporting diagrams or videos, I found that the students’ work was often very dry/dull and could be hard to follow without visual aids. The eportfolio assessment offered an antidote to this and provided them with a webpage that they could attach to their CV for future job and program applications.