The purpose is to promote and retain student learning. Through their work with the e‑portfolio, students are “forced” to reflect on what they have learned, which in itself should enhance learning. At the same time, they document their own learning, which should ensure retention and strengthen their awareness of what they have actually learned.

The relevant principles for digitally supported learning are listed here:

Variation: 

Using an e‑portfolio introduces variation in teaching. It allows students to acquire and then retain knowledge in different ways, accommodating the fact that students differ and have different conditions and resources.

Collaboration: 

Collaboration is offered as an option, as students in this module can choose to create their e‑portfolio in groups. Although the introduction to e‑portfolio takes place in the first semester, the intention is that they use it throughout the programme, so any collaboration may extend far beyond the content of a single module and even involve other partners.

Co‑determination and Empowerment: 

From the student's perspective, co-determination and empowerment can be understood as involvement and engagement in their own educational choices and processes. In problem‑based project work, this is realised through the fundamental principle of participant control. Working with an e‑portfolio “forces” students to reflect on their own learning and thereby also to manage it. If students choose to create an e‑portfolio in groups, they can share relevant learning materials and become resources for each other. Participation in such a learning community has the potential to give students a sense of a more engaging study environment, strengthening their co‑determination.

Inclusion: 

An e‑portfolio is a flexible tool that can promote inclusion, for example through individual work that helps a student identify academic and personal strengths and challenges before entering a learning community

An e‑portfolio does not in itself solve inclusion issues, but if, on the one hand, individual students are strengthened through this work and, on the other, a “code of conduct” for communication and interaction is developed, this may pave the way for better inclusion for most students. If some members of the learning community have fewer technological skills, steps should be taken to prevent their exclusion.

(You can read about their content below, and otherwise, you can see more here: https://www.iaspbl.aau.dk/projects/principles-for-digitally-supported-pbl)

1. Variation: Students are motivated and learn in different ways, which is the reason why variation can benefit all students in the form of multiple approaches to learning, lecturing, and education. In this context, the digital can help expand the scope of possibilities for education and support variation as a principle at multiple practical levels.
2. Collaboration and Openness: Digital technologies enable new types of collaboration that extend beyond the individual course or project work, making it easier to open up to other stakeholders, a larger number of participants, create cross-collaboration, or envision entirely new forms of cooperation.
3. Co-determination and Authorization: Digital technologies can support authorization and help increase student co-determination beyond project work. They can enable larger and more active learning communities that involve both students and educators in the individual programs, but also across them.
4. Inclusion: Digital technologies can contribute to supporting the work of creating inclusion through a conscious focus on accessibility, diversity, and flexibility. The principle aims to make educational and teaching activities available to all students and also ensure that the individual student has a sense of being able to participate with their individual premises.

The programme consists of a series of four‑hour teaching sessions combining lecturer presentations and study group work. The only exception is the work on the e‑portfolio, which also lasts four hours in total but is divided across three sessions of two, one and one hour, supplemented by individual work on designing the e‑portfolio.

The module’s content elements are introduced through a series of initial sessions. In the fourth session, work on the e‑portfolio is introduced in a two‑hour block. Teaching in the module’s subject areas then continues. Ten days later, a one‑hour status meeting is held to follow up on progress with the e‑portfolio, including presentation of examples from selected students.The module concludes with a project examination, where students must present their initial work on the e‑portfolio, attached as an appendix to the project, and discuss how they plan to continue working with it. The final one‑hour session on the e‑portfolio takes place in the following module, where progress is reviewed and future work discussed. 

An e‑portfolio is an excellent tool for maintaining and visualizing progression throughout a programme and for storing the work students produce. It is also well suited to encouraging students to reflect on what they are working on. If students use the tool throughout their studies, they will end up with a private portfolio that can form the basis for creating a presentation portfolio on platforms such as LinkedIn when applying for jobs. Microsoft Sway is one of the best tools I have seen for supporting portfolio work. It includes a template and clear, easy‑to‑understand instructions.

However, it can be difficult to get students to complete the work. They perceive it as extra work, and most tend to think short‑term about exams, whereas the greatest benefit of portfolio work is achieved over time. Extra effort is therefore needed to motivate students, and reminders are necessary throughout the programme. It is also essential that several lecturers help carry the task.

Spend plenty of time explaining and motivating students to see the value of portfolio work. If possible, find a student who has tried it and had positive experiences, and ask them to promote the idea. Experience shows that dividing the introduction to portfolio work into three phases has been a good way to maintain student focus. It is also important to ensure that all or at least many lecturers in the programme agree that it is a good idea and emphasise its importance. The more it is mentioned and followed up on, the more it will be used.