Curtin University developed an electronic portfolio called iPortfolio for students and staff in 2009. It was introduced university-wide in 2010 and has since grown to include portfolios from approximately 27,000 students and staff. iPortfolio is used for formal assessment across all faculties, including in the health sciences. It provides a way for students to evidence authentic learning and development of skills over their entire course of study. While iPortfolio has faced some challenges, it offers benefits such as enabling reflection, creativity, and consolidation of learning that prepares students for future careers.

1. Jude Comfort
Curtin University
Perth, Western Australia
J.Comfort@curtin.edu.au
ePortfolios Australia Conference, October 2011

2.  Curtin developed electronic portfolio for students and staff
 Piloted second half of 2009, introduced whole University
community February 2010
 Approximately 27,000 iPortfolios developed since launch (note
this does not indicate active portfolios)
 Used in formal assessment all faculties, notably health sciences
 Drive to evidence authentic learning - portfolios one approach
 Curtin University has invested heavily in this
 2011 awards include: Winner, WA Information Technology and
Telecommunications Award, Innovation Category, and highly
commended, Innovations in Communications category,
Australian Telecommunications Users Group (ATUG)
 Still some growing pains

3.  Professional Practice in Public Health final year work
integrated learning unit
 Requires completion of a 100 hour placement as well
as core lectures on transitioning to the workforce
 iPortfolio used for assessment tasks in this unit
 This encourages students to reflect on their learning
and achievements over their entire course of study
 Also to report on placement experience
 Develops student‟s sense of how to present a
comprehensive portfolio of evidence, including
addressing Curtin University‟s graduate attributes,
and extracurricular activities
 Preparation for professional employment

4. 1. Work in a professional role in a relevant workplace
applying skills and knowledge appropriate to the
discipline area
2. Utilise written and oral communication effectively in the
professional environment with technical and non-
technical audiences
3. Critically reflect on and evaluate their own performance
in the workplace
4. Work effectively with people of diverse indigenous and
cultural backgrounds
5. Demonstrate professional behaviour and skills
independently, collaboratively and in an ethical manner
in a professional environment

5. Assessment Tasks Worth % Due Outcome
Assessed
1. Resume assessment 10 Week 4 1, 3
2. Professional portfolio 20 Week 8 2, 3, 5
(iPortfolio)
3. Professional placement 20 Week 13 1, 4, 5
assessment & feedback
from workplace
supervisor
4. Placement reports and 50 Week 13 1, 2, 3
iPortfolio reflection
TOTAL 100%

6.  Are asked to develop an iPortfolio to illustrate
key competencies at both a university level and
at a course/ professional level.
 Encouraged to use a range of mediums,
including photographs, written work and videos.
 Also introduce themselves and their goals.
 Needed to include learning and reflection from
their 100 hours professional placement
 Following are a few sample entries:

7. The About Me
tab includes
biographical
information and
goals. Provides
clarification and
insight for both
student and

8. In the My Ratings tab, a star rating
system is used to self assess
attainment of Curtin‟s Graduate
Attributes. Evidence and critical
reflections justify the number of
stars awarded

9. The My
Ratings tab
captures
student
perceptions
on how their
course has
contributed to
attainment of
Curtin‟s
graduate
competencies.

10. Different
materiality to
show
attributes
(text, scanned
docs etc).

12. My course allows
another avenue
for course
reflection and
evidence of
work. This
student did this
as a way of
recording
competencies
for each unit
undertaken

13. My course
reflective piece
using 3 min
video

14.  Provides space to collect, reflect, showcase and share
work over whole degree
 Allows for greater student creativity and innovation –
diverse materiality/presentation options
 Enables peer feedback
 Ensures have an ePortfolio experience
 Students encouraged to take a holistic and personal
view to tie together learning and development as an
emerging health promotion professional
 Links to Curtin University graduate attributes

15.  Get to „know‟ students in a very different way than
through traditional paper based essay work. Especially
through the About Me tab.
 Tool for students to record/consolidate evidence to
support course reflection and attainment of Curtin
University graduate competencies
 Allows different mediums for evidence e.g.
photographs, written work, videos, documents
 Reflection to better prepare students for presentation
and interviews with prospective employers
 Based on evidence of learning as decided by student.

16.  My Ratings tab enables teaching team to consider
opportunities for course refinement
 Storage of artefacts in one easily accessible place
 Encourages reflection on whole university course of
study rather than individual units
 Potential to interrogate the concept of student
reflection
 Helps close the loop between reflection and
employability
 Provides opportunity to develop and evidence IT
skills

17.  Resistance from some students (lot of work with
unclear outcomes)
 Different levels of IT literacy skills within class
 Need to get staff on board – they may also feel
intimidated by technology
 How to sell the idea of usefulness of iPortfolio
especially post studies
 Integrating the iPortfolio across multiple
years/units
 Better IT support required so that load is not
taken on by teaching staff

18.  Student feedback in 2010 included following:
“No need for IPortfolio assignment it is just information
about who are you? Not related directly to the unit”.
“REMOVE IPORTFOLIO as an assessment piece for third
year students. I often found it difficult to recall on every
single piece of experience I had from first year to third
year. Having iPortfolio from first year to third year would
be more practical and allow students to build a solid
portfolio. I also believe it is not entirely useful, as most
students (including myself) won‟t use it in the future as
potential employers cannot view it unless they have an
iPortfolio account themselves”.

19.  Need to refine marking rubrics
 Need to differentiate between technical skill level
and reflection and evidence content
 Potential issues of collusion and plagiarism
 Need to interface with the Blackboard Grade
Centre environment
 How to handle large cohorts of work especially
with different sessional staff
 Can end up spending a lot of time reading whole
portfolios

21. Some tensions with using iPortfolio
Developmental space Achievement/
showcase space
Public space Private space
Use to support writing Invite potential
job applications employers
Proscriptive areas Allow for more creative
and expectations and individual
interpretation of use
Know who the Don‟t know who the
audience is audience is
Driven by Self directed use
assessable tasks
How to use for Just summative
authentic assessment assessment

22.  Continue to refine use in Pro Practice unit
 Do more to sell the benefits of iPortfolio as related
to WIL
 All first year students in Faculty of Health Sciences
introduced to iPortfolio – build on this base
 Embed use across range of units over whole course
 Tie in with specific professional competencies
 Research to build evidence-base of practice
 Potential industry tie in with accreditation
discussions

23. Email j.comfort@curtin.edu.au
www.iportfolio.curtin.edu.au
Thankyou to those students in Professional
Practice in Public Health 383 and to those
who gave permission to reproduce parts of
their iPortfolio