Evaluating e-portfolios in law: 2007-08

UKCLE’s Using e-portfolios in legal education project piloted the use of e-portfolios in three institutions – Glasgow Graduate School of Law, Oxford Institute of Legal Practice and the University of Westminster. Following a first evaluation in autumn 2007 a second evaluation of student reactions to the use of e-portfolios was undertaken in autumn 2008.

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Data on the students’ experiences with e-portfolios was collected via a combination of interviews, structured focus groups and questionnaires in the three institutions. Below is a selection of quotes from the respondents (in italics) with some analytical comment, grouped by the twelve questions used in the evaluation and by the broad themes which emerged during the analysis.

1. “What did you enjoy about doing the e-portfolio?”
2. “What did you not enjoy?”
3. “What would have made the process easier?”
4. “What advice would you give another student who is about to start this project next year?”
5. “What advice would you give us to improve the experience for new students?”
6. “What advice would you give employers who are thinking about introducing portfolios in the workplace?”
7. “In what ways will you take what you have learned into your traineeship?”
8. “Was the experience mostly positive or negative and why?”
9. “Should the portfolio be compulsory for students at the vocational stage?”
10. “If given the choice in your firm would you continue to develop your e-portfolio into your traineeship?”
11. “What type of evidence did you include in your portfolio?”
12. “Would you like to make more use of e-portfolios in other modules and if so, why?”

What did you enjoy about doing the e-portfolio?

IT issues

Students welcomed the opportunity to develop alternative presentation methods using the e-portfolio – it was a different way of presenting the coursework which made it more interesting – and to create something which had their own identity. They enjoyed it because it was something personal and I could choose how I wanted it to look, and it improved the acquisition of new presentation skills – I was able to learn how to create an e-portfolio enhancing my ability to use different methods of presenting information through IT. Students enjoyed creating the actual webfolio because it was more interacting and presentable and learning how to attach material through various sources and making the portfolio look better. Some students even used the more advanced functionality – I enjoyed doing the blogs, writing about my experience and giving examples was something I couldn’t do before.

Reflection

Students valued the opportunity to reflect on their achievements and performance. They commented that the portfolio gave me a chance to reflect on my work to date, offered the chance to reflect on work completed in the course and to evaluate the progression of new skills and made you think about how you could improve on your approach to the tasks and assessments.

Some students saw that reflecting on their performance using the e-portfolio assisted them to move forward, drawing out what they had learned from the earlier tasks – I found reflecting on my performance in…assignments to be a good way of moving on from that task, taking from it steps to continue and improve. There was a sense that students were able to identify more easily where they had to develop and progress – I enjoyed having the opportunity to reflect on the skills I’ve achieved during the diploma and what I need to improve upon. The portfolio got you thinking about how to improve yourself.

Even taking part in a more prescribed and at times isolated process itself was seen to have benefits – it was good to reflect on events in a more formal manner, removed from the normal griping that students can be prone too in the context of work. This student goes on to confirm that the e-portfolio allowed a more holistic view of the course – if not for the project I think I might not have appreciated some of the other lessons I learned during the course as a whole.

The significance of providing evidence became more apparent when using the e-portfolio – I particularly found filing in the applications good fun, it was a long form but it made me realise the importance of providing example and relating them to the work your applying for. This valuing of the collation of evidence of achievement was a recurrent theme when students discussed career planning and how the e-portfolio could aid personal development.

Structure

Students enjoyed being able to store all their work in a central repository – the portfolio allowed me to create a centralised record of work – and being able to sort or organise that data when they wanted. I enjoyed amalgamating my work…to have an accurate record of my work and progress. Students also valued being able to access their portfolio easily, whether they were at university or not – the one element of an e-portfolio which may prove useful for a student’s further development is to have all of your presentations, assessments & perhaps even notes in one place for ease of reference. Especially as it is online & accessible from anywhere and the flexibility it afforded – it was all done online and there was no need to come into university just to hand in the hard copy.

Students felt a sense of achievement when viewing their portfolios at the end of their courses, which hadn’t been apparent previously – I enjoyed the end result and how my portfolio looked at the end. Their achievements felt more tangible – I enjoyed reviewing the finished product and seeing how well I had performed throughout the diploma and the new skills that I have developed.

Law students are not naturally creative individuals, but some of the students acknowledged that the e-portfolio encouraged them to be more imaginative – it allowed me to be creative and complete it in any way I wanted ie the pages and links etc and it allowed me to personalise my work and add originality and flare to it. Some of the applications lent themselves to this adaptation – I especially liked using PebblePad, it was a new concept that made writing about myself fun. It was nice being able to characterise my account by using bright colours and animation to reflect my personality and PebblePad had many different functions which could be used to make the webfolio reflect your ideas.

What did you not enjoy about doing the e-portfolio?

IT issues

Although most of the students had a reasonable IT literacy they were not always able to find their way around the e-portfolio. Some students had particular issues to resolve, which arguably will exist with the introduction of any new e-learning tool:

• I wasn’t always sure if something got attached or uploaded so I had to keep double checking it
• one part of the portfolio was really irritating because when I would go to edit the information, the information I had typed would not align
• I really didn’t like the templates on the portfolio and my main difficulty was trying to create my own webfolio and it was not working out to how I wanted it to be
• the page settings were limited

In most cases however students who were having difficulties persevered with the application and managed to overcome their shortcomings – I struggled…as I found the whole system quite confusing. I got there in the end but it did take me a long time and even though instructions were given in class and online, it was still confusing at times because at some points I had to ask other people how to do certain things and others also asked me too. However once I started exploring the functions myself it all worked out. It is not clear what would have helped, as one student said – l am not sure if anything would have made the process easier as I simply struggled with the IT aspect of it and another acknowledged learning a new system, a little difficult to adjust to in the beginning. In addition, students reported that on occasion the lack of clear instructions meant some of them were unsure if they were doing the right thing – I wasn’t sure at times if what I was doing was right or appropriate and they were not always 100% sure as to what I was doing was correct.

Reflection

In general, students find reflection challenging, and this was recognised by some of the students in the studies. One didn’t like identifying my weaknesses and another said I’m not very good at being reflective and found this element a bit difficult. The concern about reflection occasionally spilled over into other areas of the e-portfolio. One student commented that she found it difficult to identify and discuss a critical incident – I couldn’t make up my mind about what pages to make and got a bit stressed out about it. E-portfolios are a new concept for many learners, and we need to develop tools and activities which will aid them.

Training

Not all students were able to make progress with the e-portfolio from the beginning. It was clear that non attendance at preliminary, introductory classes made understanding more difficult – I was unable to attend a couple of the meetings and so found it fairly confusing to share the webfolio in the end, I struggled using PebblePad as I found the whole system quite confusing. I got there in the end but it did take me a long time and I was rather confused during the initial stages as to what was required, although [the tutor] was very helpful and quickly put me on the right track. One student who did not attend the preliminary meeting was unsure how the e-portfolio would be used by employers and I wasn’t aware that I would have to send my webfolio to my training firm. I had the impression that this was a practice for something that we may do at our training firms.

While most of the difficulties were resolved during the course of the module, it is clear that as constructing a portfolio is an unfamiliar concept to students they require adequate guidance from the start. All the mini-projects involved a training session with either the module leader, IT services or the e-portfolio provider. Even those who attended the sessions needed additional support, but those who were unable to attend, although accepting it was their responsibility, quickly found themselves floundering. Most of the applications used were fairly intuitive and supported by excellent user guides, but students wanted to be guided through the systems in structured sessions.

Some students felt that the e-portfolio was an additional burden, and especially when compared with other subjects the portfolio was more work than most. Some of the substantive assessments were not valued – I don’t particularly enjoying writing essays, therefore the essay was the task I least enjoyed. Another student did not see the use in the smaller tasks to be carried out and stored in the e-portfolio. Sometimes it wasn’t clear why particular tasks were being carried out, causing frustration or confusion, as one student articulates – I didn’t like the fact that we had to complete two personal development plans. I know there was one to complete for the present and one for the future development but I was slightly confused. Perhaps I misunderstood?

In one mini-project students were required to complete learning logs for another module, and the correlation between these and the e-portfolio was not always clear – it would have been useful if the portfolio project had dovetailed more closely with the practice management course, as I think the objectives of both the portfolio and the PM course overlap to some degree. This would have on occasion avoided a duplication of work and set the portfolio project more firmly within the overall diploma curriculum. This shows that where the e-portfolio is being used across modules it must be clearly demonstrated to students how this fits in with the overall strategy for the curriculum or programme.

What would have made the process easier?

IT issues

Unsurprisingly the resolution of technology issues would have been helpful for some of the students. Comments tended to suggest that more training sessions would have been useful – I think it would have been easier had we had a few more workshops and been given feedback on first portfolio and possibly more classes to show how [the e-portfolio application]is displayed, one class was not enough, I forgot most of it and had to keep asking the module tutor what to do. On the other hand, one student would have preferred advice via e-mail rather than having to attend meetings.

As the students were using e-portfolios for the first time they would have liked more guidance in the form of examples of previous students’ work, styles or structures requesting a more obvious set style to work from, or some more examples of past portfolios to have a look at. One student suggested producing a particular style for the e-portfolio, but allowing discretion for students who wished to employ an alternative structure. They wanted more examples of what was required to be done, suggesting that at some stages in the process they had not been entirely comfortable with what was required of them.

Reflection

Perhaps some of the issues above would have been overcome through tutor feedback. Not surprisingly, some students were concerned that they did not get enough. This was particularly the case in one mini-project, where students were required to complete two assignments and did not receive feedback for the first one before submitting the second. This would have allowed to see whether what I did was correct in the first portfolio, where I went wrong and how I could improve for the second, more important, section. Other students identified a need for more feedback, more contact time with a tutor and more classes.

What advice would you give another student who is about to start this project next year?

Employability

Students realised the potential an e-portfolio in a work-based learning module had in their future careers and to use it to take this opportunity to find out whether they really want to work in a legal setting once they finish their education. Another saw where e-portfolios in the workplace might be a drawback, as too much information may not add to the profile of the presenter – be cautious…if future employers can gain access to it then be careful of the information that you present – do not necessarily post the speech made at the Christmas Ball, if too much alcohol was involved.

Making regular entries

Most students realised the importance and value of keeping the e-portfolio up to date by the end of the project – try to keep on top of it and do work as you go along, write your personal reflection on each project as soon as you complete it, as the details will still be fresh in your memory and therefore you will gain more from the exercise and update your project on a regular basis, rather than cramming at the various deadlines.

Becoming accustomed to the e-portfolio application itself was also a useful skill for future students, who were advised by one respondent to spend time at the commencement of the project familiarising yourself with the various options available within the portfolio software eg personal experiences. Another said – I think you simply have to ‘mess about’ with [the application] to get used to it and get stuck in at an early stage – ask questions on a regular basis and join the community. Feel confident about presenting information on the e-portfolio system because it is a different form of feedback. Future students are also advised to think about reflecting and to consider if there is anything in your feedback that was not satisfactory and how you would go about, or like to go about, addressing that. Students also realised the importance of being honest in the e-portfolio, as otherwise it will be of little use.

One student identified that the e-portfolio may appear daunting for students at first and advised – try to think about it in bite size pieces and don’t panic about producing the end product until you have uploaded all of your assets and evidence and then piece it all together like a jigsaw. Don’t feel it necessary to upload every piece of work you do. If an asset doesn’t sit well in the portfolio, don’t use it. This is useful, as students sometimes have difficulty deciding what to keep in their portfolio and may be inclined to include everything for fear of leaving out something essential. Another suggests to keep a diary at all times when at work placement, this is so important! It makes life much easier when the time comes to type out the blogs as you will form a plan as to what you will include at the time.

Training

Current students were clear on the importance of the message to become familiar with the e-portfolio application. Future students are advised to take a lot of notes during the session at the beginning of the course, listen when you have that one class of training and ask as many questions as possible during this session. Students are cautioned to practise on [the application] way before needing to complete and submit work.

What advice would you give us to help us improve the experience for new students?

Employability

Students both in university and in employment saw the feedback element of an e-portfolio as being of particular use – it would be of most use for trainees as a tool for delivering work to partners who can then give feedback accordingly. However, it was acknowledged that this might only work if the portfolio was compulsory. Students undertaking several pieces of work underlined the importance of giving feedback timeously – and before the next piece of work was due – provide feedback…just to indicate where the student is going wrong (if they do) so that they can improve. To prevent making same mistakes twice.

Training

Students felt they were dealing with a new environment and would have benefitted from more structure which could have been provided by tutors – a more detailed plan would be useful. I wasn’t sure how far beyond the outline we were given I was supposed to go. They sought more guidance and asked that tutors provide more contact time and guidance as to the expectancies of each piece of work and the assignment as a whole and more guidance as to what evidence to include with the portfolio.

Several students had suggestions regarding the initial training, which they saw as crucial, and felt it could be more integrated into the curriculum – the portfolio should be included as part of the IT induction – getting people set up on it and telling them what to do with it. It would be more useful for it to be integrated into the course. An integrated IT course would be a really good way of giving people more support in getting used to skills. It is a difficult adjustment to make and it would give us a chance to work more closely with tutors so that we can get an idea of how we are doing. They can give us advice on how to adjust to the different kind of course and others suggested students should be more familiar with the e-portfolio before they start the course and the training sessions should be more engaging.

Although training was available to all students, some felt they needed more – more workshops to clarify everything that needs to be done and included in tasks. Students were aware of the information in the handbooks, however I felt that another workshop would have been helpful in order to find out if everyone was satisfied with what was required for the coursework, and one student commented – one whole day is not enough, you forget most of it by the end of the day.

What advice would you give employers who are thinking about introducing portfolios into the workplace?

Employability

It is of note that students were prepared to consider the e-portfolio as a form of career planning tool, although this was more evident on vocational than undergraduate courses. They saw the e-portfolio as a way of presenting information to an employer in a way not previously possible with a standard CV – it enables you to effectively compile a personal development record. It will also enable people to look at what others have achieved and consider doing things like that for improvement eg pro bono work. If this started just before commencement of the LPC it would give the careers advice a lot more to work with.

The e-portfolio gave an opportunity to some students to present aspects of their work which were not purely academic – employers sometimes take on people with good academics who turn out to be no use because they can’t do the job. It would give them a chance to show what they can do, to demonstrate that they can actually do the job, even for candidates whose academic records are not so strong. The e-portfolio was seen as a useful reminder of career aspirations and goals that students once had which are easy to forget once in the flow of employment – it allows people to see what needs to be improved and what skills they already have…employees forget about the aims and goals…once acquired and instead find themselves working because at that time it is enough. Employees need to understand and be aware [of] the aims and achievements that they once wanted.

Not all comments concerning e-portfolios in the workplace were positive, with one student commenting the employer shouldn’t base all the decisions on the portfolio. This is because some people are better at presenting themselves in person rather than on paper. Another student was not sure how an e-portfolio could be useful to an employer, suggesting that there is still guidance required in explaining the purpose – is it to share with clients or with HR or is it simply for personal development?…There would need to be an obvious incentive to do it or it would be thought of by employees as a burden.

Reflection

Students were able to identify that reflection in practice was a beneficial skill, and that the e-portfolio would assist in defining their own identity in the firm environment. One suggested that the employer allow the portfolio to take on the character of the individual employee as a space for personal reflection and development. In general though students could see value in the reflective process – it allows the student the chance to reflect on what they have learnt and the experience they have gained and to think how they need to progress and it would be beneficial to employees especially as they can notice where they are going wrong at work and seek to improve.

They also accepted that intervention by more senior colleagues would be helpful and allow them to asses where they had improved – the biggest benefit of an e-portfolio will be in the areas where feedback has not been so positive, or particularly when you disagree with feedback, as it will enable you to quickly open up into a dialogue…to resolve any problem. Another respondent noted that when it comes to shortcomings sometimes there is more power in the written word – sometimes it is better to write out your weaknesses as opposed to having them in mind, the reality of it becomes clear on paper.

Structure

One benefit put forward by students when considering e-portfolios in the workplace was the formal structure it offered and the ability to store elements conveniently in one place. It was also noted that applications for employment in legal firms are now generally online, so this method of recording achievements was in keeping with general policy in the profession – >em>even applications for employees are all made online now. Thus, everything is becoming technology based.

Training

However, students still felt that guidance as to how the e-portfolio operated was required, and that support should be given by employers – provide as much guidance as possible, ie as to the purpose of the portfolio, use etc. Some suggested that help may be required at an IT level to help people through the process. The participants generally felt that they would need time to work on their portfolio if it were to become part of the training process, and that their employers should support them in this. In addition, students were of the view that employers would be required require to set aside sufficient time for employees during their working day to work on the e-portfolio, feeling that it would cause resentment if it was to be completed during their own time.

In what ways will you take what you have learned into your traineeship?

Students felt there were two areas where they had learned from the process of undertaking an e-portfolio – how to plan their career development and the ability to reflect.

Employability

Students learned valuable lessons from completing the e-portfolio, which would assist them in their traineeships. On student acknowledged that professional training is always a work in progress and lessons can be learned from past experience. Another was more sure of what they wanted to learn from their traineeship and what they needed to do to get there – I now know what I would like to do in my traineeship and what I need to improve on.

The e-portfolio focused students’ minds on what might be required when entering the job market. In particular, they began to realise the importance of evidencing their achievements in order to demonstrate their capabilities and differentiate them from other applicants. I will always remember to provide examples in any case, when filing in application forms and applying for mini pupillages. E-portfolio has truly allowed me to see things from a different perspective, that anyone can be that potential employee. What makes me stand out is writing about my examples at work. Even the format of using an e-portfolio was deemed useful – I have thought of using what I had created as an extra advantage by presenting information to potential employers through a more visual means.

Students welcomed the opportunity to consider their short and long term goals rather than always dealing with substantive law – the career plan definitely was an insight to how much work and aims I have for the future. If I follow the career plan…my aims and objectives might not be so difficult to follow next year. Others felt that they could see no particular use for the e-portfolio – I doubt this task will be particularly useful in my traineeship, although others who preferred hard copy accepted that using it had developed their skills – this course has developed many of my skills and I will be able to use those with the course and in my career however, I feel that I will not be using an e-portfolio in the long term because I find it easier to convey the same information on paper.

Reflection

Although students were not always good at self assessment and reflection, they recognised that it was a useful tool and that they had started to learn the process – I will be able to reflect on my experiences easier as I have had practice during the diploma. Even students who were more sceptical could see the value – the project itself hasn’t taught me much but it has required me to look at my performance and see where I can improve. Students also began to realise that their actions had consequences for their future careers – I will be more focused on the impact of successfully completed tasks on my personal development and building my bank of experience. I will be more aware of developing old skills and acquiring new skills and personally reflecting upon these in my own mind.

Was the experience mostly positive or negative and why?

Most students saw the process as being a mostly positive one, as evidenced by the comments below:

• my experience was mostly positive as it helped me to reflect on my time on the diploma
• positive – a lot can be gained from reflecting on tasks/assignments whether they were completed well or not
• positive when you look back on the whole process
• mostly positive because I enjoy using IT and found the software easy to use once I got the hang of it
• mostly positive as I have been able to assess my strengths and weaknesses
• mostly positive – it does no harm to look back on tasks/assessment you complete to see where you can improve. Although time consuming, it is largely worth it
• mostly positive as it was enjoyable to reflect on events at the end of the diploma as oppose to grabbing my certificate and not looking back
• the experience was positive because I learnt new things such as skills within the work placement and new skills on the computer. Skills at the work placement will allow me to be prepared for the future and the work done on PebblePad has enabled me to learn how to create a webfolio. The webfolio is a good way of showing information without the hassle of lots of papers. The only reason I wasn’t comfortable with it was because it involved coursework, I was worried whether or not all the coursework had been delivered
• mostly positive, it was an innovative and interesting way to work
• positive – it has taught me how to develop a further skill and use the skills that I have to work on tasks that need to be done. Additionally I had intention of presenting information about myself through a webfolio when applying for jobs
• _positive, if I were to graduate and go out to work in the legal environment tomorrow I would be most confident and comfortable working with lawyers
• the experience was positive, I really enjoyed it. The whole experience allowed me insight into the working environment

More negative comments included:

• I believe a lot of students are under quite a lot of pressure whilst completing the LPC so completing a compulsory portfolio might stress them out even more so may have a negative effect
• I see it as an additional thing I had to do, rather than a particularly useful tool, however for students with less contact time [with the institution] or who perhaps feel less confident about approaching tutors, a portfolio of this kind may provide an excellent & invaluable opportunity to do this

Should the portfolio be compulsory for students at the vocational stage?

The Legal Practice Course and Diploma in Legal Practice

This question did not produce an emphatic response in either direction, with some students omitting to answer. One student in favour said that it would be easier to manage and another thought it would be useful to get it started during the vocational stage as every student is under one roof. Students also cited pressure of work as a disincentive, and that the e-portfolio was an additional thing I had to do.

Traineeship

Again, there was no real consensus here, with one student suggesting it should only be compulsory at [the university] stage if it is compulsory in the traineeship. Another thought it would be beneficial for personal development.

If given the choice in your firm would you continue to develop your e-portfolio into your traineeship?

When deciding whether they would continue to use the e-portfolio, students were concerned that it would mean more work – I probably would [use it] although as I found it quite time consuming I think this would need to be taken into consideration. Another indicated that if it was not much more work than had been undertaken in university then she might be prepared to use it in practice. It was also accepted that undertaking an e-portfolio now would be easier as they had the experience to draw from.

One student welcomed the opportunity to take the e-portfolio further, as in university it was only really experienced through a single experience – being able to continue the project during the traineeship will allow participants to carry through the changes in approach they have suggested and observe their success.

There was a concern that since some of the information was personal – ie your feelings on how well you have/have not performed in a task, it is perhaps not information which you want shared with a wide audience!. This suggests that the student was not clear about the control available in an e-portfolio, especially in an employment situation, and that more guidance is required.

What type of evidence did you include in your portfolio?

This question was only asked of Westminster students:

• photo’s – the video I created would not upload on PebblePad. Also I was not able to upload my evidence of client care letters etc
• examples of work done whilst on the placement
• hand writing stencils
• examination grades
• land titles and registration, information of property to clients, some drawings of the property being issued to clients
• a chronology I constructed for one of the cases, a business card given to me by a lawyer and scribbled notes with a few quotes of what barrister said in a trial

Would you like to make more use of e-portfolios in other modules and if so, why?

We wondered if students saw a use for the e-portfolio in other modules. Most of the feedback came from the undergraduate studentswho had used the e-portfolio on a work placement module, who felt it was appropriate for a work-based learning module – I think that the e-portfolio was perfect for this module because it was all about reflecting on oneself and because the work placement was practical rather than theory based. However, the student was not sure if this method would be appropriate in other modules, mainly due the workload – I’m not sure that the e-portfolio would work with other modules because it simply makes it too much of an effort to present a written assessment and having to spend time in creating the portfolio.

Another student felt it gave alternative methods of presentation – it allows you to incorporate information and items which are otherwise not possible with the standard presentation of work. The reflective nature of the e-portfolio was identified as a positive by one student, who said the e-portfolio would help to identify areas of weakness and this is important if the module may be difficult for a student and the fact that it allowed the student to deal with tasks in bite sized chunks, one can break down the tasks and approach it from a different angle…I disliked writing about myself, this time I really enjoyed it.

Once again, students were of the opinion that the e-portfolio should be started during the undergraduate career for a number of reasons – on the whole I think that it is an excellent idea. But I do think that attacking students before they start the LPC may be vital because they are ambitious, waiting to start the next phase in their learning. Most have only been to one university and only seen one method of teaching and feedback.

Last Modified: 6 July 2010