ePortfolio Effectiveness: A(n Ill-Fated) Search for Empirical Support

ePortfolio has become ubiquitous in higher education over the course of the last decade, with faculty and institutions devoting both time and monetary resources to its use. Given this trend, the purpose of this study was to investigate the landscape of ePortfolio research to determine what evidence exists for ePortfolio’s impact on student outcomes. We identified four trends in the research: articles making theory-based arguments for the use of ePortfolio or providing a descriptive account of a single instance of use; articles presenting original data on users’ feelings and opinions of ePortfolio; articles presenting original data on student outcomes resulting from ePortfolio use; and finally, articles focused on the technological vehicles of ePortfolio. Through our analysis of the literature it became evident that an increased focus in the research is necessary with regard to collecting and presenting original data on student outcomes and investigations of the most effective and usable platforms designed for ePortfolio.