E-portfolios as Digital Assessment Tools in Higher Education

This chapter examines the role of e-portfolios as digital assessment tools in enhancing the quality of student learning outcomes in higher education. E-portfolios tap into the potential of digital technologies to support students’ self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and sharing of learning. Thus, e-portfolios have been reported as bringing about improvements in student learning. On the other hand, existing research also shows challenges for teachers of higher education institutions (HEIs) when adopting e-portfolio assessment. To formulate strategies for optimizing the learning potential of e-portfolios, a landscape review of research literature is conducted to address the research question: How are e-portfolios used as digital assessment tools to enhance the quality of learning outcomes in higher education?
The chapter begins with an overview of e-portfolios as digital assessment tools. A typology of e-portfolios is then presented to analyze the situations where e-portfolios are applied in higher education. The chapter goes on to argue for two essential affordances of e-portfolios, namely: (a) empowerment and ownership of learning for students and (b) feedback and interactivity by drawing on digital technology. This is followed by a discussion of challenges and opportunities of e-portfolios in meeting conventional assessment criteria, including: reliability, validity, authenticity, and honesty. Key pedagogical factors influencing the use of e-portfolios as digital assessment are then examined, giving rise to four strategies for effective implementation of e-portfolios:
⋅Analysis of students’ learning needs and contexts for using e-portfolios
⋅Constructive alignment between learning, teaching, and assessment
⋅Scaffolding of students’ learning progress through task design
⋅Capacity building and sustained support for students and teachers
By considering these strategies, teachers of HEIs are likely to maximize the affordances of e-portfolios, and ultimately enhance the quality of learning outcomes. Along with these strategies, this chapter points out several aspects of e-portfolio implementation that warrant future research.