The ELP Project produced six case studies of use which are summarised in the table below.
To view a summary of each case study click on the title.
To view the whole case study click the disk icon.
The ELP Project produced six case studies of use which are summarised in the table below.
To view a summary of each case study click on the title.
To view the whole case study click the disk icon.
| Context | Case | Institutions | Title | Users | E-portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - Access to Higher Education: From school or F.E. to H.E. |
1  |
Bradford & 3 school sixth forms. | Using an e-portfolio to support learner progression into Higher Education. | Year 12 students. | PebblePAD |
| 2 |
LeedsMet & 2 F.E. colleges. | Adapting an existing paper portfolio supporting progression into Higher Education. | Students in 1st year of level 3 (A-level equivalent) studies. | PebblePAD | |
| 3 |
Leeds & 2 Colleges / Schools. | Preparation for UCAS Application to Medicine and Other Healthcare Courses. | Year 12 / 13 students. | Bodington | |
| 2 - Higher Education to a Work-based Setting | 4 |
Leeds & 1 N.H.S. hospital | Work-place Assessments. | Pre-registration House Officers. | Bodington |
| 5 |
Leeds. | E-portfolios as Progress File for Under- and Post-Graduate Nursing Students. | Undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students. | Bodington | |
| 3 - From H.E. Institution to another H.E. Institution. | 6 |
Bradford & Leeds. | Transferring e-portfolios between Institutions. | Foundation year healthcare students. | PebblePAD |
Students found the use of an e-portfolio helpful in thinking about going and applying to University. They particularly liked recording and evidencing the experiences and skills that they had which would be useful to include on a University application Personal Statement. Generally, they found the e-portfolio easy to use. For the schools involved the e-portfolio encouraged independent learning and provided a structured programme to get students to think about university. The e-portfolio module got students thinking about University at an earlier stage and this was seen as beneficial.
The current paper-based Progression Module is delivered to 16 cohorts in a range of schools and colleges. This case highlighted two key aspects. The first was that simply replicating a paper based portfolio in electronic format did not work very well. The module worked in a particular way because it was paper-based. Simply replicating this electronically does not seem to be the best way forward. There is still a place for paper-based support material, especially for tutors. The second aspect was the importance of tutor 'buy-in'. The tutors involved in delivering and supporting the portfolio work were chosen late on in the process and did not volunteer.
This case study describes the application of e-portfolios to support a widening participation project designed to encourage students from local colleges of further education and 6th forms to apply to medicine and other health-related subjects. Students in participating institutions were offered an on-line careers education module to support their decision-making process and their applications to medical and health-related courses. This resulted in a targeted and focussed personal statement for their UCAS application. There are, however, no UCAS credits applied to the completion of the module.
The successful completion of the required number of assessments and Personal
Development Plans is required before the PRHO can progress onto the second year
of their training. The structure and materials within the e-portfolio were
created using pre-existing paper-based sources and the use of the e-portfolio
was compulsory.
The project commenced in July 2005. The PRHOs were introduced to the curriculum
and e-portfolio in August 2005. All of the e-portfolio content needed to be
signed off and verified by August 2006 enabling the PRHO to move onto the next,
more specialised, period of training. A new e-portfolio product was introduced
in August 2006 and content was transferred from the existing e-portfolio tool
between August and September 2006.
Participation in the project was voluntary and nursing students were given the
choice of participating in the online or paper-based recording activities. The
students were able to withdraw from the online project and transfer to the
paper-based method at any time.
The e-portfolio was launched to the students in June 2005 and an additional
cohort of first-year students were introduced to the online activities in
October 2005. The School of Healthcare decided to reorganise its PDP activities
in July 2006 and made the decision to provide only paper-based centred
materials. Students were able to print out their e-portfolio entries and utilise
them in the new PDP structure.
This case study was for students using e-portfolios for personal and professional development on a healthcare course. After the first year of the course some students were offered the opportunity to transfer to a medical degree at the University of Leeds. Students were given the choice of using a paper based portfolio or an e-portfolio.
The use of an e-portfolio that is neither compulsory nor supported by the tutor involved in assessing the work produced in the e-portfolio will lead to very low take-up and use of e-portfolios. No students completed their portfolio in electronic format.
Transferring data from one institution to another that is using a different portfolio system was not possible in this case study. Students were able to extract all the data from their e-portfolio (in PebblePAD) in the form of a website but importing this into the Bodington VLE was not an easy task.