FE > Technology > E-portfolios

FE1: Developing digital portfolios for students at Bishop Auckland College
Author: Lucy Hutchinson, Web Developer, Bishop Auckland College, County Durham
Date: 2005

Lucy's account offers insight into the process of initiating the use of e-portfolios by students and tutors in a College of Further Education. The portfolios presented mainly still and moving images.

She suggests that e-portfolios are most effective in areas with strong visual outcomes to capture, such as demonstration of skills in hairdressing or handling complicated equipment.

Lucy identifies two critical ingredients to building capacity for the development of e-portfolios. Firstly, it was essential to provide personal technical support to staff and students. As they develop skills, they are then able to pass them on to others personally, creating a gradual skills cascade. Secondly, it was valuable to take a year-on-year approach. In the first year, tutors drove the gathering of documentary evidence for the portfolios, which the students assembled at the end of the year. This process highlighted the value of the portfolios but the paucity of evidence, motivating the students to take far greater ownership of documenting their work in following years.

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FE > Technology > E-portfolios

FE2: Raising childcare students' self-esteem through the production of an electronic portfolio
Author: Sandra Hall, Childcare Tutor, Bishop Auckland College, County Durham
Date: 2005

Summary

Sandra's research offers insight into the process of introducing the use of e-portfolios and using e-portfolios to build self-esteem.

Action

12 Childcare students filmed themselves at work and in a mock interview, and assembled the footage into an e-portfolio. Their reflections were gathered through personal tutorials and the completion of self-evaluation documents at the beginning and the end of the year. The students were all low-achievers with negative school experiences and low self-esteem.

Outcomes

The course had 100% completion and good progression rates, with seven students progressing to level 2, four to level 3, and one leaving to take employment.

Strong indicative evidence of self-esteem is reported, and students' self-assessments were all very positive. Viewing the footage, students noticed their improvements over time. Improved language, an improved stammer, and improved eye-contact and social confidence are noted by the tutor, who argues that self-esteem has been raised by the supportive learning environment and the digital self-evaluation tools.

The tutor offers personal experience of overcoming low confidence in ICT with the help of personal technical support. "I was worried about failing in my teaching role if I used ICT which I wasn't confident to use, and furthermore failing the student Fortunately the project gripped my interest and with support from the ICT Test Bed web developer on the technical side we accomplished all together."

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