Electronic portfolio development in three professional programs
The purpose of this study is to explore the implementation of electronic portfolios (ePs) within three professional programs (Education, Nursing, and Social Work) in one university. An eP is a dynamic website with databases of student program-related experiences that offer flexible, socially networked and indexed repositories of elearning evidence. EPs enable students and their instructors to map, analyze, reconsider and interconnect acquired learning and skills for future careers. They offer insights into the quality of learners’ experiences, recognizing that professional knowledge is situated and socially constructed and that innovative practice develops from the relationship between content and expertise formed within professional learning communities.
The study will be asking, over a five-year period, the following questions:
- What did course instructors learn from using the eP process as they integrated it into their professional programs?
- What challenges were encountered by implementing the eP process?
- What impact did the eP process have on (1) pedagogical practice, and (2) students' professional learning?
- What conditions enabled the eP practices to contribute to the renewal of three professional programs?