Symposium 2: Into HE: Learners' Experiences of e-Portfolios in Raising Aspirations and Pre-entry Support

Abstract

This paper reports on the use of e-portfolios as a tool for widening participation and assisting in the UCAS application process. It also examines the use of e-portfolios in facilitating reflective learning, recording achievement and user engagement. Evaluation questions examined the students’ perspectives of using e-portfolios and the impact that the use of the e-portfolio had on them. The initial results of the project exploratory evaluation suggests that even though the main purpose of an e-portfolio is to assist and help transition, an e-portfolio’s success ultimately lies in how it is ‘marketed’ to its potential users and, equally importantly, their educational supporters. The initial training and its technical success along with the engagement of tutors are both important factors that influence the student use of the e-portfolio. However the results also suggest that those who did engage with the process found the use of the e-portfolio to be a pivotal tool in the success of their university applications and in the development of their decision making processes. Initial data also suggest that e-mentor support and a discipline focus may be important factors.