The classroom environment must evolve since our world gets more and more complex and ever changing. Students must learn to take initiative, become the owners of their own learning success and progress and be able to learn more self-directed than ever. But it is not only up to them: Teachers as well should provide a learning environment that encourages them to take ownership and put the student into the driving seat of their learning process. There are a variety of instructional choices for universities and teachers to choose from but the big question is how student engagement and ownership can both be increased and how EdTech Tools like digital portfolios can provide a solution for that.
All learners feel the fundamental need for autonomy when it comes to approaching and consuming learning materials. Taking ownership means learning self-directed, staying engaged and motivated and being able to make choices and take responsibility for their own learning. Instructors can help learners to take more ownership of their learning by providing meaningful choices, establishing clear learning objectives, giving clear feedback and most importantly connecting the dots between learning and the real world where lifelong learning and improving skills becomes more and more important.
Research shows that students who have the possibility to take ownership for their learning are much more capable to identify and work towards learning goals and are more invested in their academic success. When students have a sense of ownership and responsibility for their learning, they believe they can tackle complex academic challenges and have more control over it. They are also more likely to engage with others and the learning material, monitor their own learning and demonstrate life-skills such as showing initiative, self-direction and the ability to master challenging material. But being able to take ownership is a learning process itself in which scaffolding on the route is crucial for a good success.
The overarching purpose of portfolios is to create a sense of personal ownership over one’s accomplishments, because ownership engenders feelings of pride, responsibility, and dedication.
Paris and Ayres (1994)
Digital portfolios are one efficient way to foster responsibility and autonomy on the own learning process for learners. This way, they can reflect on their work and evaluate their academic progress, often even while deciding what to include in their portfolio. The digital portfolios can be used as repositories of evidence for growth and learning but also help teachers in their instructional design and communicating progress with the students.
For students, digital portfolios can foster creativity, independence and lifelong learning while educators can track and assess student progress and provide constructive feedback. Also it allows students to participate in their own evaluation process and therefore accept co-responsibility for their learning. As contrasted with the snapshot-view of a test or formative assessment digital portfolios offer the possibility for an assessment and documentation over time. With a more holistic type of assessment educators can make sure that learners are more than just scores and not misrepresented in their potential. Also students get their own space on the web where they can capture, curate and share their learnings.
Portfolios can come in various types and forms, but these four are the most common ones that are used in education:
Accumulating or showing the students work: Often used to showcase the students achievement and evidence of learning while actively seeking for feedback. This type of portfolio comes into place after learning has happened. In higher education they can also be used to highlight the CV or resume of students with the purpose to attract potential employers.
Often work in progress: This type of Portfolio is also called development, reflection or formative portfolio. The content is added while learning still takes place and is mostly not a collection of the student´s best work. More often it can reflect struggles and challenges within the learning process or learning attempts and allow more self-reflection and self-assessment.
Part of certification programs or degrees, these types of portfolios can provide evidence for teachers and the institution that students mastered curriculum elements but they are less useful for student development. They are more formal and less student-centered.
A combination of all other forms of portfolios: A process portfolio can for example evolve into a showcase or assessment portfolio.
Finding the best online tools or apps to meet the needs of your students and your organization can be a daunting task! If you need a practical guide that helps you define a strategy for personalized learning by using the right technology, download this ebook here!