Group Reflection
Although e-portfolios are usually considered to be a personal collection, you can introduce them to your students as a tool to support group reflection. An example of this use is on a Masters course in Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. The course tutors noticed that when students were asked to collaborate within groups, there were often problems in terms of time management and around the effectiveness of assigning roles to each of the students. The e-portfolio was used as a means by which all students and tutors could review the information and resources pertaining to the group project. The students designed the structure, with advice from the tutors.
Whatever model or approach you take the heart and soul of an e-portfolio is reflection which is a crucial skill in facilitating a journey of lifelong learning. The learner will then perceive the e-portfolio as theirs and theirs to release and change as they wish. The focus should be on learning and developing the skills for learning, not on developing stand-alone webpages.
