JCPSLP
Volume 16, Number 3 2014
143
Table 9. Students’ perspectives on the future use
of the ePortfolio
Student cohort
2nd
3rd
4th
I can see how the ePortfolio will be useful
when I graduate as a speech pathologist
4.0 3.1
2.0
I can see how I can use the ePortfolio to
apply for jobs when I graduate
3.3 2.7
2.4
I can see how I can use the ePortfolio in
my working life as a speech pathologist
4.3 3.0
2.3
Average:
3.9 2.9
2.2
Note. 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly
agree (5).
An ePortfolio is time-consuming, but
overall a useful experience
Students in later years of the SP course were more
engaged with the ePortfolio but increasingly negative about
the workload required to develop and maintain it. This
finding is consistent with other studies of students who
have utilised ePortfolios, such as those completing
communication and performance studies (Wagner &
Lamoureux, 2006) and trainee doctors (Hrisos et al., 2008).
The time required to complete the ePortfolio needs to be
carefully and progressively increased across a course.
Furthermore, researchers have found staff and students
have different views about the purpose and importance of
the ePortfolio (Hrisos et al., 2008; Wagner & Lamoureux,
2006) so the purpose needs to be made explicit and be
relevant to the students’ current stage in the course.
An ePortfolio is a valuable
learning tool
Students recognise the value of the ePortfolio primarily as
an organisational tool, rather than see the educational
value, particularly students in later years. Jenson and Treuer
(2014) state that students do not clearly understand the
purpose of the ePortfolio as a learning tool, and this means
“perceptions of the role and purpose of the portfolio may
affect the ability of students to engage fully in portfolio use
to develop learning” (Tochel et al., 2009, p. 314).
Students did engage with the ePortfolio and some found
it useful for setting goals and analysing skill development,
which is consistent with other research (Bollinger &
Shepherd, 2010; Devlin-Scherer, Martinelli, & Sardone,
2006; Hrisos et al., 2008) and reflects the statement “users
can be simultaneously sceptical about a portfolio’s intended
purposes and appreciative of what it can deliver for them
personally” (Tochel et al., 2009, p. 314).
SP students in the current study were not generally
positive about the ePortfolio’s value in developing reflection.
Bollinger and Shepherd (2010) found students were positive
if the students were taught reflective skills first. Other
researchers report “the relatively low level of reflection
and personal development planning of learners remains a
challenge” in ePortfolio use (Faulkner et al., 2013, p. 884).
An ePortfolio is beneficial for
lifelong learning
Fourth-year SP students did not recognise the value of an
ePortfolio to promote future employment opportunities,
implying the future value needs to be made more explicit to
students. In other research, students and alumni have
reported the value of ePortfolios to show to prospective
employers and to document growth in their future career
(Devlin-Scherer et al., 2006; Gardner & Aleksejuniene,
2008). Using a platform that is portable and can be used
after graduation would help (Leeson & Williams, 2009).
Students need to be taught the ePortofolio’s use in lifelong
learning (Jenson & Treuer, 2014, p. 54) and “embedding
formative feedback from staff, peers and professional
mentors to encourage and support the development
process can facilitate transforming learners into
professionals” (Faulkner et al., 2013, p. 884).
Students’ comments also varied:
“Looking back at
documents assists me to do better for subsequent tasks”
(third year);
“setting new goals each semester and then
reflecting on those goals and then creating new goals has
provided me with no benefit”
(third year).
Future career
Students did not see the value of the ePortfolio for their
future career either as a showcasing tool or for lifelong
learning (Table 9). Students commented that the ePortfolio
needs to be
“something constructive we can take with us
when we graduate”
(third year) which was not possible with
the MyExpo platform. Other students wanted more
information about using the ePortfolio in the future:
“explain
how we can use it once we are working and for job
applications”
(fourth year).
Discussion
The results of the current study are somewhat consistent
with those of Gardner and Aleksejuniene (2008) who
investigated the experiences of a small group of dental
students who opted to complete an ePortfolio task. They
discussed four dimensions of ePortfolios that will now be
discussed in relation to the current study: (a) ePortfolio
learning requires technical skills that are manageable; (b) an
ePortfolio is time-consuming, but overall a useful
experience; (c) an ePortfolio is a valuable learning tool; and
(d) an ePortfolio is beneficial for lifelong learning.
ePortfolio learning requires technical
skills that are manageable
SP students reported being comfortable and confident with
using new technology, but reported the technology was the
most difficult part of using the ePortfolio. Similar findings
were not observed by Gardner and Aleksejuniene’s (2008)
students, who used a different platform and voluntarily
chose the ePortfolio task. Adoption of any new technology
takes time and learners may not see the value in it (Buckley
et al., 2009). Using a more flexible, user-friendly software
platform and a better ePortfolio template would alleviate
some of these frustrations. Students suggested explicit,
timely and detailed training and support along with
appropriate feedback would also better support the use of
the technology.
