British Journal of Educational Technology E-portfolios: an assessment tool for online courses Robin Mason, Chris Pegler and Martin Weller Robin Mason is Professor of Educational Technology, Chris Pegler is a lecturer and doctoral student, and Martin Weller is a Senior Lecturer, all at the Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University. They are researchers in the area of the pedagogy of learning objects. Addressfor correspondence: Professor R. D. Mason, Institute of Educational Yechnology, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK. Email: rdrmason@open.ac.uk E-portfolios in lifelong education As with all terms that have acquired the prefix 'e', e-portfolios are an adaptation of the original concept, in this case portfolios, to the electronic domain. The 'e' could and no doubt will be dropped, but in the meantime, it is useful to highlight the specific features that electronic access and digitisation provide to the portfolio process compared to the paper-based versions of portfolios. There are different uses of educational portfolios, prepared for different purposes and using different kinds of resources prioducing a taxonomy of electronic portfolios in order to discuss and classify examples: * those for developmental purposes * those for presentation purposes * those for assessment purposes. LaGuardia College in New York has embraced the e-portfolio developmental approach which they define as: C British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 2004. Published by Blackwvell Publishing Ltd., 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA. Abstract This article considers the various uses of e-portfolios in an educational context and looks at the particular characteristics of the electronic version of portfolios. It then focuses on the application of the e-portfolio as an assessment method. A case is made for the use of the e-portfolio as an appropriate end of course assessment process where learning objects are the basis of the course design. Evaluation data from such a course is presented. This is a post-graduate online course run by the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University. Conclusions are drawn from the evaluation about the appropriateness of e- portfolios as an end of course assessment method. Vol 35 No 6 2004 717-727

718 British Journal of Educational Technology A self-selected multimedia presentation of student work that offers a rich and textured view of a student's learning and development. In an ePortfolio, students collect and select materials from their college careers to create a body of work that represents their learning over the course of their education. Students then reflect on this work making important connections around career, community, personal and educational goals. The ePortfolio process atLaGuardia Community can be summarized as 'collect, select, reflect, and connect' (http://www.eportfolio.lagcc.cuny.edu). The European conference on e-portfolios in 2003 places a presentational emphasis on the concept, with the conference web site emphasising the advantages of the electronic portfolio: An e-portfolio is an extended, dynamic CV, establishing links to an online database, which contains personal and professional achievements, team results, refer- ences and all relevant evidence of competence obtained in the course of work and learning. It provides an opportunity to reflect on one's own professional practice and to share the lessons learned with others (http://wwweife-l.org/portfolio). California State University in Los Angeles, on the other hand, uses the term webfolios and claims that their use for assessment will have a great impact on both the breadth and depth of student learning, particularly in the context of distance education: The webfolios may also be used as an authentic student outcomes assessment for the courses offered through distance learning as students are able to share their ideas and feedback. Their work-in-progress webfolios will be accessible to one another through the Web during the entire course pe.riod in a learning community created by technology, The webfolios provide a new perspective on student evaluation where students would learn to experience the synergy of collaborative learning rather than competitiveness experienced during testing or examinations. By sharing their resources obtained with one another, students become true partners in learn- ing and develop their professional collegial relationships while they are in class. This also will overcome the isolation often felt by the students in distance learning classes. (http:// www.ca.statela.edu/academic/webfolio/webl.htm). So while some of the uses of e-portfolios are for short-term purposes, the basic concept is one where learners contribute continually to their portfolio throughout their learn- ing life and draw on it for assessment, for job interviews and for maintaining a record of achievement. Characteristics of e-portfolios Looking at course specific applications only, a number of advantages of e-portfolios can be identified for each of the stages (collection, selection, reflection, projection. presen- tation) associated with portfolio use in the literature (Barrett, 2003). * The process of collecting and selecting items for the e-portfolio is made easier because users can hold, organise and reorder contents easily and quickly. Being able to go back and re-work various components of the portfolio is a significant advantage of elec- tronic portfolios. As a method of end-of-course assessment, e-portfolios provide many opportunities to integrate all of the student's work on the course and to connect new ideas with the student's existing knowledge and context. Collections can be the work of an individual, or assembled and shared by a group. C British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 2004. Vol 35 No 6 2004