E-Portfolios and Digital Identity: Some Issues for Discussion

Abstract

As awarding bodies modernise their procedures and incorporate elements of e-assessment into their qualifications, e-portfolios are emerging as a popular method of allowing candidates to display their abilities. All major United Kingdom awarding bodies now accept evidence from eportfolio products for at least some of their qualifications. Although there is a substantial body of emerging literature looking at how e-portfolios can be used and the practical implications of increasing provision, issues of identity and privacy with widespread use of e-portfolio products are rather less well explored. This article highlights the two dominant paradigms of e-portfolios -e-portfolio as assessment and e-portfolio as story -before exploring the concept of identity, particularly in relation to authentication, within an e-portfolio. It also considers the concept of 'emplotment' as defined by Ricoeur as a means of making sense of the narrative identity created. The article examines the implications and issues for awarding bodies associated with personal identity, privacy and surveillance which are raised by the widespread use of e-portfolios. It goes on to suggest some areas for further investigation and exploration.

Electronic portfolios and learner identity: an ePortfolio case study in music and writing

“…The relationships between eP and identity are of growing interest to educational researchers, in part because the narrative aspect of the eP allows a self-constructed identity to be imagined, conveyed and refined over time 20 (McAlpine 2005). ePortfolios developed as a process of storying are acknowledged to have the potential to house these self-constructed identities, 'weaving an individual's learning and feedback to provide a reflection of who they are and what they have learned' (McAlpine 2005, 384).…”

The importance of using electronic portfolios in teachers work

“…Mainly the definition of e-portfolios is related to the usage and purpose. According to McAlpine (2005), there are features that e-portfolios share: an organized collection, comprised of digitized artifacts, seeking to provide an authentic record, related to an individual's status, particularly associated with learning, although may cover other areas.…”

“…However, little is known regarding the capacity of portfolio assessments to support judgments that are valid for large-scale [assessment] purposes (Barret, 2005). Regarding the usage of portfolios for the assessment and evaluation of students work McAlpine (2005) lists several benefits that are provided by using portfolios: -Increasing the validity of the assessment, increasing the accessibility of the assessment by allowing recording forms, -Increasing the reliability of verification, improving the assessment process, speeding up the appeals process. While everyone is aware of the rapid evolution of technology, not everyone is aware of the new and different ways in which people are using the technologies in teaching, learning, and communication; and the emerging pivotal role of the digital portfolio in a learner's education and life.…”

The e-portfolio continuum: Discovering variables for e-portfolio adoption within music education

“…In this debate students are often perceived and referred to as 'digital natives', with the implication that they are 'technoliterates' with 'inbuilt' information technology skills and acceptances (e.g. McAlpine, 2005;Hemmi, Bayne & Land, 2009). …”