Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is an educational practice that is often beyond the classroom and provides students with an opportunity to gain valuable real-world employability skills to aid their career development. WIL is an integrated mix of academic learning with applied learning ‘workplace’ experiences such as online, local and international, including internships, consulting projects, study tours and more. Using ePortfolios in WIL helps to support and provide evidence of WIL experiences and capabilities for students.
Use of ePortfolios in WIL programs
Using ePortfolios in the WIL context provides opportunities for students to develop and build their professional identities and curate their professional capabilities across the disciplines. Many different types of evidence can be used in the student ePortfolio collection, e.g. writing, reflections, research, observations, media, projects and feedback from peers, supervisors and mentors. ePortfolios can provide a space for WIL activities, assessment, and feedback.
The following resources are examples of the use of eportfolios in the design and development of WIL learning activities from members of the eportfolio community. In addition, these resources are also relevant for key stakeholders in making strategic and operational WIL and eportfolio-related educational design decisions.
Examples from the ePortfolio Community of Practice
Teamwork Excellence in Property and Real Estate Deakin Halmark
Leanne Ngo & Ameeta Jair (2019)
In this presentation, we present the Teamwork Excellence in Property and Real Estate Deakin Hallmark which is a digital credential that provides an opportunity for students to differentiate themselves to employers. It is a university award that recognise capabilities that are prized in the workplace. This Deakin Hallmark warrants student’s achievement of outstanding teamwork skills to make a substantial contribution in the field of Property and Real Estate. This Deakin Hallmark award recognises the essential role that teamwork plays in the employability of practitioners in the property industry who must work effectively with diverse groups solving complex problems in the industry. Further, we will present on the Deakin Hallmark process including eligibility criteria, submission requirements, assessment panel and criteria, and present on what makes a good portfolio.
Embedding Self-assessment and Feedback into Reflective Portfolios
Terry Young (2019)
Sports Coaching requires a high degree of reflective practice in order for students to improve their skills. This presentation describes a methodology to assess student ability to coach another individual. It incorporates video production and submission, session planning, risk assessment, self assessment and reflection on assessment performance.
ePortfolio presentation to assess career readiness and professionalism
Ron Knevel (2019)
In 2014 a digital logbook, in PebblePad, was introduced to map the clinical performance of oral health therapy students from La Trobe University in Bendigo. Over a relatively short period, and with limited resources, this clinical logbook in PebblePad evolved into an e-portfolio tool that stimulates staff and students to engage in active learning, increases student accountability and is anchored in the professional competencies of the newly qualified oral health therapist as defined by the Australian Dental Council.
The “Career Ready” workbook is the latest addition to the comprehensive e-portfolio. This workbook guides the students in building a competency profile, before graduating and demonstrate, with evidence from their portfolio, their readiness to graduate. The student’s presentation to an industry panel is now an assessable component in a final year clinical subject. This 20/20 presentation presents the experiences and results of this initiative.
Evidencing professional development for students: Preparing for career success
Lana Mitchell (2018)
Engaging students in their own career planning is key. This proposal outlines a project that uses ePortfolios to embed professional requirements into university assessment, making it practical and relevant to students’ future careers. It allows students to take control of their own career development by conducting relevant activities and reflecting the benefit of that learning for their future careers.
Evidencing Professional Skills
Annemieke Craig (2018)
Media reports predict that current university students can expect a working live spanning 60 years with potentially 17 different jobs, over five different careers. If this transpires, then students will need to embrace life-long development of skills and expertise as well the ability to articulate transference of their professional skill set. In preparation for this working future, we are embedding discipline specific scaffolded career education into our courses. A particular focus is to support today’s graduates to build and grow a portfolio of skills.
The WIL portfolio: An integral element in career development
Leanne Ngo, Kristina Hoeppner, Patsie Polly (2018)
Developing student awareness of career and employability skills is strongly aligned with higher education graduation outcome goals. In our presentation, we will present a process for supporting career thinking and development using ePortfolio pedagogy, highlighting four key areas: stakeholders, work integrated learning (WIL), branding, and professionalism. We will particularly discuss the WIL component, provide an example of how ePortfolios has been used in WIL to build graduate capabilities and employability skills, and recommend key resources for passionate practitioners.
Embedded and applied ePortfolios in WIL
Laurie Murphy (2018)
Students in JCU’s Bachelor of Business degree are required to complete ONE of three WIL subjects in their final year of study – BU3101 – Professional Internship, BU3102 – a Multi-Disciplinary group project addressing an identified issue or problem for an industry partner, or BU3103 – an Independent work-based project for students already employed. In preparation for these subjects, students are introduced to WIL and Pebblepad in first year through a skills road map workbook which helps them to connect a range of assessment items across their degree to relevant WIL skills. This workbook facilitates and encourages them to upload as evidence assignments which demonstrate the relevant skills so that they have an ‘asset store’ of evidence which can be used to create their CV ePortfolio for assessment in their chosen WIL subject. A range of subjects in the degree also utilize a variety of tools in Pebblepad for assessment (eg. Reflection templates, meeting agenda and minutes templates, or tailored workbooks) which ensures that at least some evidence of WIL-related skills has been collected by 3rd year.
The onward march; Are ePortfolios in Monash radiography helping students
John McInerney (2017)
Since 1 July 2012 Medical radiation practitioners have been a nationally regulated health profession (MRPBA, 2013). The Bachelor of Radiography and Medical Imaging (Hons) (BRadMedImg) program at Monash University prepares students to become registered practitioners under the auspices of Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia (MRPBA). (Baird, 2008). Upon graduation healthcare students are now also required to exhibit the capacity to demonstrate the achievement of identifiy graduate attributes required for employment, rather than simply being able to perform tasks, however the extent to which university teaching and learning processes develop these in graduates is highly contestable (Barrie, 2008). This paper aims to demonstrate how the Monash University radiography progamme uses PebblePad ™ technology to provide students with a cohesive and integrated learning experience, one which they can continue to build on after graduation. It will also
explore the use of effectiveness of an ePortflio for increasing awareness of expectations among students by reporting on a small scale study. This study is a follow up to a similar presentation made at ePortflio 2016 where we explored the gap in students’ knowledge arising from the increased complexity as described.
The use of ePortfolios for assessment in Clinical Practicum
Dilani Gedera (2017)
This presentation outlines the implementation of e-portfolios as an assessment tool in a clinical practicum undergraduate course at a university in New Zealand. Having used pen and paper portfolio, in the multi-components assessment of this course students reported their concern that the nature of portfolio as a hard -copy document did not lend itself to further use in their careers. An action research project was designed to address students’ experience by offering flexible learning opportunities and diversification of various modes of assessment using Mahara ePortfolio system. ePortfolios allow the demonstration of learner achievements and competencies where the electronic repository of artifacts facilitate the transition from study to employment. Drawing on online surveys, semi -structured interviews with students and ePortfolio analysis, this research will examine students’ experiences and challenges of using ePortfolios, as well as potential strategies for improving the use of ePortfolio as an assessment tool in similar work integrated courses.
Building Blocks to Graduate Employability
Alf Kuilboer (2017)
By embedding both WIL experiences and PebblePad-based assessment, the employability theme is integrated throughout the Bachelor of Business degree. In fist year, students are provided with a skills portfolio workbook in PebblePad to help them connect assessment to transferable skills throughout their degree and to encourage them to save assessment as assets. A scaffolded approach to Portfolio pedagogy and WIL ensures students not only have the opportunity to gain valuable industry experience, but can enrich their experience by documenting and demonstrating work-based competencies through the creating of a CV/skills Portfolio in one of the 3rd year WIL subjects: Professional Internship, Multidisciplinary Project and Independant Project. Utilising PebblePad in each of the three WIL subjects, students develop their own CV Portfolio, specifically designed workbooks and templates for agendas, minutes and reflective diaries. Final presentations are made using Portfolios. The building blocks embedded in the degree ensure every BBus graduate leaves the institution with a skills-based CV Portfolio significantly enhancing their employability.
To ensure that the ePortfolios Australia community’s assets like these are actually searchable and usable, we are seeking feedback about the usability and design of the WIL and Employability resources on this page, either by:
- commenting on this blog post
- contacting eportfoliosaustralia@gmail.com
- completing a short feedback form
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