Building community

Introducing ePortfolios in university education

Abstract

This paper reports on the introduction of a trial of an ePortfolio product at an enterprise level at RMIT University. The work has been undertaken as part of RMIT’s strategic e-Learning Advancement Program (REAP), which places emphasis on the utilisation of blogs, wikis and ePortfolios as online learning environments that will strengthen the University’s ability to provide flexible assessment practices and support student career development. The trial will run across second semester 2008 till the end of 2009. In following recognised good practice in introducing ePortfolios in the university sector, we report upon the implementation of the trial to date. An important aspect of the trial is developing an associated Community of Practice both within RMIT and through inter- university collaborations. Within RMIT, the Community of Practice extends across both TAFE and Higher Education along with professional support services. The professional breadth of this group has expanded the legitimacy of the trial and led to the creation of CareerTrack, a resource for student career development directly positioned to support ePortfolio use. This trial has the direct aim of developing a whole of University culture that is informed in its use of electronic Portfolios.