A developer’s challenges on an e-portfolio journey

Abstract

This paper describes an e-portfolio project at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, designed to provide university students with an e-learning tool to showcase their cumulative, multi-modal evidence of linguistic accomplishments over time. It charts the initial phase of a portfolio journey from paper to electronic format, bringing to the fore some of the challenges a developer confronts when introducing and implementing an e- portfolio for English language learning. Such challenges range from practical issues (e.g. selection of an appropriate open-source platform) to higher-order concerns (e.g. sustainability; equity; benchmarkability). Despite the challenges, the paper concludes that the e-portfolio represents a powerful learning mechanism for addressing, among others, learner diversity rendered possible by information and communications technology (ICT).