Instructional design/ePortfolios/Benefits and challenges

1. Introduction

2. Purposes of ePortfolios

3. Types of Artifacts

4. Benefits and challenges

5. Best strategies

6. Assess Yourself

7. Summary

Benefits of ePortfolios

Benefits for the learner	Benefits for the educator	Benefits for the evaluators
Record and examine goals and successes	Embedding technology into curriculum	Identify a need for professional development programs
Reflect on learning experiences	Use of authentic assessment tools	Provide training or continued education to employees
Set long term goals	Monitor performance regularly	Increase staff morale and create excitement
Take responsibility for managing their own learning	Have evidence of student work
Receive credit for formal and informal learning	Develop personalized learning spaces
Get feedback from teachers and peers	Support students' development
Demonstrate skills to future employers	Create rubrics and guidelines

You can explore more advantages of ePortfolios from the "Forty one benefits of an ePortfolio" article.

Challenges with ePortfolios

Challenges for the developer	Challenges for institutions	Challenges for the evaluators
Privacy issues	Long term maintenance	Ownership and intellectual property
Time consuming	Adoption	Workload
Not enough skills	Developing a team	Technical training
Motivation	Institutional support	Scope of effort
Technical Skills	Hardware and Software	Obtaining permission

Some challenges related to an ePortfolio project adoption are discussed in Lorenzo and Ittelson's "An overview of ePortfolios" article.

Click the "Next" link below to move on to the next section.

Backː Types of Artifacts	Nextː Best strategies