High Impact Practices (HIPs)

The current field study investigated the weekly use of a reflective electronic (e-)portfolio by 1469 higher education students throughout a term and its effect on exam performance. Students' use of the e-portfolio elements as well as their self-reported use of several learning strategies were documented during a 9-week period. Regression analyses showed that over and above the continuous use and the weekly time spent on the e-portfolio, the reported use of cognitive strategies was a significant predictor for exam grade. Finally, students who used the e-portfolio outperformed their peers without e-portfolio use on the final exam. We discuss results with regard to future implementation and training of the e-portfolio use.

The educational use of portfolios has been increasing in the last few years, especially as technology has also developed electronic versions of portfolios. Although there is abundant information about their benefits and practice description, few studies provide empirical evidence of their implementation. The objective of this study was to provide initial evidence about the use of the portfolio in higher education. Concretely, we aimed 1) to explore the correlation between students' performance on the portfolio and their performance on more traditional assessment methods 2) to explore whether student's personal variables predict performance in key elements of the e-portfolio, such as individual reflections, and if these contribute to general academic performance in the course, and 3) to evaluate whether the use of the e-portfolio during a semester changes the students' self-efficacy and engagement. For this purpose, an initial sample of 73 students were recruited, and an e-portfolio (based on Mahara) was implemented over a semester. The results showed that performance on the portfolio correlated with the score obtained on multiple choice tests. There was an increase in self-efficacy after one semester of e-portfolio implementation, and engagement proved to be an important predictor of the final course grade through the mediation of individual reflections. These results offer preliminary and promising evidence about the relationship of a specific element of e-portfolios, individual reflections with several variables related to academic achievement such as self-efficacy and engagement.

Open journal to encourage the study of practices and pedagogies associated with ePortfolio in educational settings.

The article examines the use of high-impact practices (HIPs) by colleges and universities in the U.S. as of October 2015, highlighting the ring in the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien as a metaphor for higher education. The roles of HIPs and electronic portfolios in evaluating learning outcomes are explored as well as their implementation at colleges and universities. Also discussed are e-portfolios as a HIP and establiment of e-portfolios at the core of the curriculum.

There is growing awareness of the importance of dispositional attributes to effective performance, both during college and in the workplace. In this paper, we examine multiple facets of dispositional learning such as fluid intelligence and interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies, and explain why participation in well-designed high-impact practices (HIPs)—activities such as learning communities, service learning, undergraduate research, and community engagement—can help students cultivate conscientiousness, resilience, self-regulation, reflection and other learning dispositions. In addition, we demonstrate how and why the use of ePortfolio practice can extend, deepen, and document the impact of HIPs on these essential but often overlooked and difficult-to-measure attributes.

ePortfolios are both a product—an archive of learning artifacts—and a process that supports student learning: Building an ePortfolio leads students to naturally make valuable connections between various courses, assignments, and cocurricular activities through reflection of their past work. Whether showcasing students’ knowledge and skills for graduate school or a job application, ePortfolios paint an accurate portrait.

From AACU, this archive consists of every peer-reviewed journal article we could locate that focuses on ePortfolio. We included only refereed journal articles in this database, as our purpose is to compile evidence that has been reviewed by experts in the field. Thus, no books, conference presentations, white papers, reports, etc., can be found on this site.