Eportfolios in DCU

In 2016, I was appointed Learning Technologist with responsibility for the Learning Portfolio initiative. Learning portfolios had been called for in DCU in the 2012-2017 strategic plan. After a whirlwind planning process which was only 28 working days, the Loop Reflect Learning Portfolio was launched in September 2016. Based on Mahara, the portfolio aimed to make learning visible through the creation of a personalised and reflective living showcase of academic, professional, and personal achievements. A number of pilot projects were selected to use Loop Reflect across a range of disciplines and in a range of different contexts. At the end of the one year pilot programme, there were approximately 5,200 registered users on the platform.

In addition to supporting the learning portfolio internally to faculty and students through training, drop in clinics and the development of an eportfolio community of practice. I instigated a Student Showcase and Awards which aimed to recognise accomplishments in using eportfolios and to showcase student achievements. Seventy one applications were received and some of the finalists volunteered to become student eterns to support the project going forward. Their enthusiasm for supporting their fellow students and embedding the student voice in ongoing development has become a critical element of the learning portfolio.

Technical enhancements to the Mahara platform that would enhance the reporting analytics of the platform were developed in conjunction with the University of Sussex in 2017. Further information on this project can be found here. The outputs from this project have now been included in core Mahara and over 1.3 million Mahara Users worldwide.

In 2017/18 following a formal launch attended by the Minister of education, the Learning Portfolio platform was made available to all faculty and students.

Reflect Launch.jpg

The Learning Portfolio at the end of the academic year had over 10,000 users or greater than 50% of the student population which far exceeded expectations. The initiative has been embedded into over 20 programmes and has played a critical role in supporting work placement across a number of faculties. Additionally, it has supported ongoing co-curricular activities such as the Mentoring scheme run by the Student Support service.

The project has achieved many successes over the year including the ongoing development of the eportfolio community of practice into Eportfolio Ireland, many conference presentations and literature published to disseminate our work, and award nominations to recognise the work ongoing with the project. Ongoing eportfolio technical developments include a collaboration with the University of Limerick to development improved functionality for faculty to share portfolio templates with students. This will feature in core Mahara in October 2018.

In 2019, DCU reached over 15,000 staff and students accounts on the eportfolio platform. In practice, the eportfolio is now used for assessment across more than 30 programmes; for extracurricular activities such as work placement; and staff professional development through the Presidents Awards for Teaching Excellence. A huge advancement in 2019 was the development of the 'magic block' funded by DCU and the EMVITET erasmus project. This allows greater flexibility for staff and students in the development of eportfolio templates. This has now be adopted by Catalyst IT and incorporated into core Mahara as the 'Placeholder block'. We have shared our experience of harnessing the benefits of eportfolio widely through presentations across Ireland, UK and Asia.

Eportfolios & More

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