ERIC Number: EJ1107855
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2157-622X
EISSN: N/A
Examining the Role of Reflection in ePortfolios: A Case Study
Landis, Cynthia M.; Scott, Susan B.; Kahn, Susan
International Journal of ePortfolio, v5 n2 p107-121 2015
Extended institutional experience with ePortfolios grounded and framed this qualitative case study guided by the research question: Why, how, and with what success is reflection, as a teaching/learning process, employed among ePortfolio projects at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)? Thirty-two representatives of 16 varied ePortfolio projects in degree programs, campus-wide high-impact practices, and single courses participated in 27 hour-long, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and provided supplemental documents for review. Qualitative data analysis software enabled collaborative data coding and analysis. Researchers adopted procedures to support reliability, trustworthiness, and transferability of findings throughout the research process. The nine findings cut across stereotypical ePortfolio distinctions, revealing widely shared purposes, practices, successes, and frustrations with reflection in ePortfolios. Reflection was seldom the primary motivator for ePortfolio adoption, but its importance was quickly recognized and valued. Students' limited abilities to reflect typically surprised their instructors, who then pursued a range of strategies to help students improve their reflection skills. Faculty and student understandings of reflection had multifaceted effects on ePortfolio practice and experience. Though not easy to achieve, effective reflection practice appeared to be multi-dimensional and rewarding for students and instructors alike.
Descriptors: Role, Reflection, Case Studies, Qualitative Research, Portfolios (Background Materials), Teaching Methods, Learning Processes, Semi Structured Interviews, Reliability, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, College Students, College Faculty, Metacognition, Skill Development, Student Evaluation
Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Georgia. North Instructional Plaza, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. e-mail: ijep@vt.edu; Web site: http://www.theijep.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Indiana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A