The Use of ePortfolios in Higher Education: A Case Study

1 Introduction

This study investigates the use of ePortfolios in an undergraduate course at a Brazilian higher education institution to understand ePortfolios’ potential and challenges from the perspectives of students, teachers, and an external observer of the learning process and outcomes. A constructive approach was used to design the learning experience and implement the course.

Over the past few decades, ePortfolios have been considered a High Impact Practice (HIP) in education, enhancing deep learning and student success (Eynon & Gambino, 2017; Watson et al., 2016). Advances in digitalization and technology have further promoted the use of ePortfolios. According to Garrett (2011), ePortfolios work well as a social learning support tool, providing students the opportunity to learn from each other. Numerous studies have shown that ePortfolios are widely used in higher education for various purposes, such as collecting assignments, assessing student learning (Fitch et al., 2008), promoting active learning (Singer-Freeman & Bastone, 2016; Yancey, 2009; Wang, 2009), engaging students in the learning process (Jordine, 2015), motivating deep reflection (Buzzetto-More, 2010), developing digital competence, and facilitating recruitment and human capital management (Laurikainen, 2018). Uí Choistealbha (2018) emphasizes the importance of planning and aligning ePortfolios with learning objectives to effectively demonstrate students’ learning experiences.

Similarly, Kennedy and Shirley (2011) and Johnsen (2012) highlight that a constructive, student-centered approach can enable deep reflection and allow students to achieve meaningful learning outcomes. Some studies describe the use of ePortfolios as digital tools to support students and teachers in building learning during undergraduate courses. Other studies use ePortfolios more broadly, allowing students to demonstrate their experiences and learning both during and after university. Most research focuses on student perspectives based on their experiences and findings, and all studies examine ePortfolios in higher education within an international context.

Despite the widespread use of ePortfolios in higher education globally, there is a lack of research on their implementation in contexts such as Brazil, where challenges like limited access to technology and infrastructure influence both teaching and learning (Ferrarini et al., 2022; Zoppo et al., 2022). Additionally, while previous studies focus more on student experiences, this study also includes perspectives from teachers and an external observer. This offers a more holistic view of ePortfolios’ impact in a setting where the constructivist approach and the integration of information technology differ from those examined in prior international research. This gap provides an opportunity to explore how ePortfolios can be adapted and effectively utilized in a Brazilian higher education context.

In this study, students used ePortfolios to demonstrate their learning outcomes in an undergraduate course. The teacher used the ePortfolios to assess learning, engage students, and encourage peer learning. Three online surveys were conducted to collect data: the first focused on students’ experiences, the second on the teacher’s experience and perception of students, and the third on an external observer’s perspective of the learning process using ePortfolios. The course and data collection took place in 2021, and content analysis (Bardin, 1979) was used to understand the experiences, potential, and challenges of using ePortfolios in Brazilian higher education. The researchers aim to answer the following research questions: Can ePortfolios engage students in the learning process? How can ePortfolios support assessment in higher education? Can an engineering course benefit from an ePortfolio?

The importance of this research lies in enabling teachers and students to experience a digital tool like ePortfolios and experimenting with a constructivist approach in an online engineering course, which is typically quite technical. This approach allows for a student-centered course design, positioning students as the protagonists of their learning. It also enables teachers to experiment and research their own practices, fostering a habit of investigating their teaching methods and exploring pedagogies, tools, and approaches that promote in-depth learning relevant to the world of work.

2 Literature Review

2.1 ePortfolios and the Constructivist Approach

An ePortfolio, or electronic portfolio, is a digital collection of artifacts that demonstrate a person’s learning, skills, and achievements over time. It is a tool used in learning to help learners reflect on their experiences, document their progress, and showcase their accomplishments. ePortfolios can be used in various settings, including formal education, professional development, and career planning (Chen et al., 2012). ePortfolios emerged in 1990, enabling students to demonstrate their learning beyond papers and expanding the possible ways in which they can share learning and collaborate with peers (Farrelly & Kaplin, 2019). According to Lu (2021), ePortfolios are useful in evaluating student learning as they make it visible and describe the entire learning process in detail (Cordie et al., 2019; Korhonen et al., 2019). Kuh and colleagues (2017) highlight that ePortfolios are powerful pedagogical strategies that lead to meaningful reflections and deep learning.

Chang’s (1986) constructivist approach places students at the center of the learning process, motivating and encouraging them to build their own learning based on their research, peer discussions, and experiences. Chang investigated ePortfolios using a constructive strategy and practical research, demonstrating that ePortfolios combined with a constructivist approach can result in deep learning and effective assessment for students. According to Jonassen (1991) and Tynjälä (1998), a constructivist approach results in a form of assessment that spans the whole learning process, in which the teacher plans and builds different opportunities for students to continuously showcase their learning throughout the course (c.f., Biggs, 2011).

In their study, Büyükduman and Sirin (2010) investigated student perceptions of using ePortfolios to assess them within a constructivist framework. The study shows that ePortfolios motivate students to take responsibility for their learning, conduct research, and be aware of what they have learned and where gaps remain. Furthermore, the authors stress that teachers should guide and scaffold the entire process so that students can thrive and become autonomous learners. Korhonen and colleagues (2019) emphasize the significance of scaffolding in the ePortfolio process. Similarly, Chen and team (2012) highlight that attitudes play a crucial role in motivating individuals to utilize ePortfolios.

2.2 ePortfolio in assessing and engaging students in Higher Education

Portfolios have been used in higher education as a formative and qualitative assessment method. According to da Silva, Kuyyen, and Juliani (2020), such portfolios are used as instruments to assess students’ outcomes during the learning process and can be built individually or in groups. In Rangel’s work (2003), ePortfolios were used in a higher education context. In the ePortfolios, students reported outcomes and included relevant aspects and materials related to the course. The ePortfolio was a strategy to engage students in the course. There are many possibilities for using ePortfolios in higher education, all of which require a teacher/facilitator to carefully plan activities that align with the learning objectives (Vieira & De Sordi, 2012).

In 2018, Laurikainen and Kunnari explored the use of ePortfolios in higher education institutions as a means of both a practice of assessment and connection with the world of work. Their work highlights the effectiveness of ePortfolios in allowing students to showcase their acquired competencies while also enabling teachers to evaluate student performance and plan learning paths. Additionally, ePortfolios served as an online assessment tool for teachers. (Laurikainen & Kunnari, 2018)

Other research (Chaudhuri & Cabau, 2017; Ciesielkiewicz, 2019; Lu, 2021) has shown that ePortfolios have been widely used in higher education over the past few decades, with results confirming that ePortfolios motivate and engage students in the learning process and provide opportunities for students to express themselves and demonstrate their learning paths.

In Brazil, on the other hand, portfolios are widely used in basic education, especially physical portfolios that present a set of activities completed by the student throughout the learning path (Pianovski, 2008). In higher education, the use of ePortfolios has gradually increased, but there is still a need to encourage teachers to use them and to research their own practices to understand the strengths and challenges that ePortfolios can offer. In recent years, engineering courses in Brazil have been motivated by new national curricular guidelines (DNCs) governed by Resolution No. 2, of April 24, 2019, from the Ministry of Education, Higher Education Chamber of the National Education Council (CES/CNE). This latest guideline emphasizes the need to modernize curricula, including the implementation of technologies and the development of students’ digital skills, among other points such as competence-based education. Motivated by this national guideline, ePortfolios can be one of the digital tools to enhance digital skills in engineering higher education programs. In this context, the present research was developed to study and understand ePortfolios and their potential uses in an engineering course.

In this study, we mean by ePortfolio, a digital collection of artifacts that demonstrate a person’s learning, skills, and achievements over the course. It is a tool used in learning to help learners reflect on their experiences, document their progress, and showcase their accomplishments.

3 Methodology

3.1 Research approach

The case study focused on the experience of several students, a teacher, and an external agent using ePortfolios at the Federal University of ABC – UFABC in Brazil as part of the Management Engineering undergraduate program. A teacher with a background in ePortfolios who was willing to participate in the research was invited. The participating students were enrolled in the Operational Research (OR) course, which ran online in the evenings for twelve weeks from May to August 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventy undergraduate students were enrolled, most of whom had work experience. The teacher designed the course, implemented it, and facilitated the learning process using a constructive approach (Chang, 1986; Kennedy & Shirley, 2011; Johnsen, 2012) that allowed students to build their own learning paths to enhance deep learning, engage students, and motivate peer learning using ePortfolios to facilitate and assess the learning process.

The entire course was designed to span twelve weeks, as detailed in Table 1. The first five weeks comprised a mix of lectures and practical activities that enabled students to build their knowledge of operational research’s fundamental concepts and develop mathematical modeling skills in different scenarios. Didactic strategies were used to promote discussion in this large group of 70 students, deepen the theme of each class, place students at the center of learning, and allow them to bring previous experiences and knowledge from the world of work. Strategies such as problem-based learning (PBL), quizzes, webinars using digital tools connected with open questions to capture learning and promote discussions, small reflections at the end of each class, and sharing moments were employed. From the sixth week onwards, the teacher challenged students to develop a real-life case project, working in groups of up to five students, in which they would choose a real problem or scenario in the management engineering context to develop and demonstrate the operational research learnings and modeling skills obtained during the course.

The twelve weeks of the course mostly comprised asynchronous activities, with synchronous sessions organized through webinars that took place on the Google Meet platform every fortnight on Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. These sessions were recorded and later shared using Moodle as a virtual learning environment (VLE) to support the learning process.

Table 1. Operational research course plan.

Week	Topic	Learning Objectives
week 1	Getting to know the students and the Course Plan.	• Know the course plan and dynamics and agree with the ethical terms in online learning. • Meet their peer, the group profile, and connect with peers. • Understand what OR is, its potentiality, and what you will be able to know and do at the end of the course.
week 2	Linear Programming – PL. Graphic Method – MG.	• Understand how the graphic solution helps decision-making. • Apply and analyze the graphical method in real problems, understanding its potential and limitations.
week 3	Simplex, Solver, Excel.	• Understand when and why to use the simplex method. • Understand how the Solver works for linear programming problems. • Apply and analyze problems using the SOLVER tool, evaluating their potential.
week 4	Classic PL Problems: Production Mix Case and Employee scheduling problems.	• Develop mathematical modeling based on real scenarios. • Apply, analyze, and evaluate classic problems using the SOLVER tool.
week 5	Classic PL Problems: Multiple Solution Problem, Binary Problem. Start Final project.	• Develop mathematical models, Apply, analyze, and evaluate problems with multiple solutions and binary problems. • Understand what the final project is, its stages, its objective, what a portfolio is, and how to use it to show your learning outcome.
week 6	Classic PL Problems: Sensitivity Analysis Final project.	• Apply sensitivity analysis using SOLVER. • Analyze and evaluate the potential of sensitivity analysis as well as its limitations. • Final Project: Step 1.
week 7	PL in the context of Management Engineering (ME): Problem Planning and Process Flow Final project.	• Model budget planning scenario and process flow. • Analyze your results through sensitivity analysis. • Make a decision within the scenario considering the strengths and limitations of the solution. • Final Project: Step 2.
week 8	PL in the context of Management Engineering: inventory and transport scenarios. Final project.	• Model inventory and transport scenarios. • Analyze your results through sensitivity analysis. • Make a decision within the scenario considering strengths and limitations. • Final Project: Step 3.
week 9	PL in the context of Management Engineering: Transport Problem. Final project.	• Model Transportation problem scenario. • Make a decision within the scenario considering strengths and limitations. • Final Project: Step 4.
week 10	Final project.	• Final Project: Step 5.
week 11	Final Project: video development regarding the project learning process.	• Final Project: Step 6.
week 12	Final project: Presentation of work (synchronous or asynchronous) Portfolio/Video/Dynamics. Peer assessment.	• Evaluate a class project by analyzing its strengths and possibilities for development. • Closing of the course and delivery of final grades.

The final project, titled “Helping Someone with Operations Research!”, aimed to allow students to experience the challenges of applying operational research concepts in a real-world case. Students were encouraged to use ePortfolios to showcase the outcomes of the final project. Therefore, ePortfolios were introduced to help them understand their purpose, how to choose one, and how to use it as a digital tool for demonstrating learning and outcomes. While students had the freedom to choose any online open-access platform, the teacher presented the most commonly used ones. To scaffold students’ learning, the teacher organized the final project into six steps, providing a structured learning path with specific objectives. Each week, groups demonstrated their progress towards these objectives using their ePortfolios.

The six project steps are outlined below:

• Step 1: Each student group selected a real-life case and presented it in their ePortfolio.
• Step 2: Each group described the scenario in detail, identifying limiting variables and characteristics, all documented in the ePortfolio.
• Step 3: Each group developed a mathematical model representing the real-life scenario, with both the modeling and explanations documented in the ePortfolio.
• Step 4: Each group ran and simulated the scenario using Excel and solver programs, detailing the entire process in the ePortfolio.
• Step 5: Each group presented the final results, conducted critical analysis, explained limitations, and described their decision-making based on the modeling results.
• Step 6: Groups concluded the project by creating a video presentation about their findings and learnings and participating in a peer assessment where they reviewed other groups’ ePortfolios.

Prior to Step 1, during Week 5, students formed themselves into groups of up to five members, resulting in 13 workgroups aligned with their interests in the final project. Each group internally discussed potential scenarios they wished to explore based on their personal interests or issues arising from their work.

To organize the ePortfolios and facilitate communication with students, the teacher utilized an online platform (Figure 2) where students could share their group formation, name, and progress on their ePortfolios.

This study involved three types of participants: 70 enrolled students, the course instructor, and an external observer. Students used ePortfolios to demonstrate their learning outcomes; the teacher utilized these ePortfolios to engage, assess, and promote peer learning among groups; the external observer’s role was to observe the entire process objectively and provide insights into the potentialities and challenges of ePortfolios based on their experience. The teacher, from the engineering field, has dedicated over five years to improving learning and teaching in higher education, incorporating ePortfolios into face-to-face classes to enhance students’ digital skills and overall learning experience. The external observer, a student researcher in an undergraduate education sciences program at the Federal University of ABC – UFABC, has firsthand experience with portfolios as a student and has studied pedagogy extensively. She was not a student in the operational research course (the course that was applied to this research) nor in the undergraduate program, which was management engineering, and has no connection with it other than that of a young researcher. She developed the content analyses and acted as an observer in this research.

3.2 Research Method, Data Collection and Analysis

This research adopts a practitioner action research approach (Burton & Bartlett, 2005), utilizing ePortfolios to gather data from a learning experience aimed at enhancing learning and teaching practices. The study employs qualitative analysis, which focuses on understanding human interactions, complemented by statistical analysis (Silva et al., 2021). According to Yin (2001), a case study involves an empirical investigation that follows a comprehensive methodological framework encompassing planning, data collection, and analysis. In this study, a qualitative single case study methodology was employed to investigate the teaching-learning process from multiple perspectives, using ePortfolios to facilitate learning in an online undergraduate course.

The research proceeded through three main phases as outlined in the case study framework: planning, data collection, and analysis. The context and planning phases were detailed in the preceding section (3.1). The subsequent steps are presented below.

Data collection involved the administration of three questionnaires designed to capture various perspectives on the experience of using ePortfolios:

1. Students’ perspectives and feedback on using ePortfolios to demonstrate their learning outcomes in an engineering course.
2. The teacher’s strategies, experiences, and observations while assessing students through ePortfolios.
3. Observations from a neutral agent who observed the entire learning process from an external perspective, ensuring impartiality.

The questionnaires were distributed via Google Forms and included a mix of open-ended and closed questions, along with Likert scale questions ranging from 0 to 5. The questions were tailored for each group—students, teachers, and external agents—aligning with the research objectives. The students’ questionnaire had eight questions, and the teachers and the external agents had ten questions (see Attachment 1 for details). Likert scale and closed questions were used to understand the levels of experiences regarding the ePortfolio and quantitatively measure respondents’ attitudes. In contrast, open questions were used to get respondents’ opinions, feelings, and experiences regarding the use of ePortfolio in detail.

At the conclusion of the learning process, the questionnaires were voluntarily and anonymously completed. Students were given a 15-day window to respond, and out of the 65 enrolled students, 41 completed the form, representing approximately 63 percent of the class. Both the teacher and the external agent had 30 days to finalize the course, assess student results and outcomes, and complete the questionnaires.

The data analysis was conducted separately by groups. The questions using the Likert scale and closed questions were counted in terms of percentages, in the case of students’ answers, to understand the representativeness of the whole group. The responses to the open questions were subjected to content analysis (Bardin, 1979; Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). These two strategies allowed for a comprehensive analysis of these three distinct perspectives separately.

Content analysis was employed to identify patterns and variations in the use of ePortfolios within higher education teaching and learning processes. This method involves categorizing and coding textual data to uncover recurring themes that represent specific codes. Three phases of categorical analysis were followed to examine the questionnaire responses: pre-analysis, material exploration (coding), and treatment of results, including inference and interpretation.

Pre-analysis aimed to organize the data and establish the corpus for the research. This research analyzed three specific documents: the responses from the student questionnaire, the teacher questionnaire, and the external observer questionnaire. Material exploration involved selecting and identifying code units, which could include words, themes, objects, characters, events, or documents. This research utilized pre-prepared questions with code units already categorized into themes such as: “experience,” “potentialities,” and “challenges and limitations” of using the ePortfolio. Instead of counting words, we focused on identifying the code units and understanding what the code reveals. The exploration of the documents and the identification of code units were organized in a separate document without using software to facilitate this process. The findings from these analyses were synthesized into a comprehensive framework (see Table 2) that encapsulates the three perspectives on ePortfolio utilization. The results from the treatment, inference, and interpretation—the final phase of content analysis—were compiled into the same table, titled “Conclusions,” summarizing the findings and providing a horizontal analysis for each group.

After the content analysis, a comparison was conducted between the three perspectives to identify both similarities and differences. Certain findings were cross-referenced with statements from the bibliographic references cited in Chapter 2. This vertical and transversal analysis, which concentrated on the main themes of the questionnaire and the coded units, offered a comprehensive view of the portfolio’s impact within the educational context from different perspectives.

Based on the data collected and the analyses conducted, the three research questions outlined in the introduction chapter were addressed.

The research design, detailed in this section, is illustrated in Figure 1 and summarizes the steps undertaken in the study.

4 Results

4.1 Overview of Student Projects and ePortfolio Utilization

In general, the study yielded 13 compelling portfolios detailing real-world applications of Operational Research to enhance or resolve workplace challenges. Figure 2 displays an example of the online wall featuring these 13 ePortfolios. Additionally, both students and teachers utilized this online platform to facilitate communication. They exchanged feedback, addressed queries, and shared insights and emotions related to each project.

The projects undertaken covered a diverse range of intriguing themes, including addressing Brazilian social needs such as optimizing food donations for the homeless, enhancing the distribution of the Covid vaccine in Brazil, and tackling issues in investments, cost reduction in enterprises, logistics, and transportation challenges, financial resource allocation across projects, and designing consumer promotion kits, among others.

Regarding the choice of online open-access platforms for their ePortfolios, the 13 groups predominantly utilized Wix, Google Sites, and WordPress. They effectively used these platforms to meticulously describe each scenario, develop mathematical models that reflected real-life situations (including defining objective functions and constraints), simulate scenarios using Excel with solver programs, and present results with detailed explanations and critical analysis. Throughout the course, they employed various digital tools such as videos, podcasts, slide presentations, mind maps, drawings, photos, voice recordings, and written content to articulate their learning experiences weekly.

In the final step (Step 6), all groups created a comprehensive video summarizing their findings and key learnings from the entire process. Peer assessment was incorporated to encourage students to explore and learn from other groups’ ePortfolios and insights.

Each group successfully addressed a real-world problem using their ePortfolio to document their learning journey comprehensively. Each ePortfolio provides a detailed account of the respective project, showcasing how the final project empowered students to apply operational research concepts and tools in practical settings. The experience fostered essential skills such as mathematical modeling, utilizing solver tools, and nurturing critical thinking abilities among the students.

4.2 Students’ Questionnaire Results

The students’ questionnaire was distributed at the end of the course, ensuring that responses remained anonymous. Likert scale and closed-ended questions provided valuable quantitative data. The results revealed that 60 percent of respondents (25 students) had no prior experience with ePortfolios, whether in professional or academic settings. Additionally, nine students reported using ePortfolios in research projects, while four had utilized them in educational contexts previously.

Regarding their experiences using ePortfolios in the course, approximately 73 percent of students (30 respondents) agreed that ePortfolios effectively visualized their learning journey during the development of the final project, rating it highly on the Likert scale with scores of 5 and 4. Eleven students moderately agreed with scores of 3 and 2. Over 75 percent of respondents (31 students) agreed that ePortfolios helped them develop communication skills, remain objective, and make their group’s learning visible, rating these aspects highly on the Likert scale with scores of 5 and 4. Eight students moderately agreed, while two expressed little or no agreement. Furthermore, more than 85 percent strongly or moderately agreed that ePortfolios could enhance the recruitment process by providing a clearer understanding of candidates’ experiences, skills, and profiles. A few respondents (six students) either slightly agreed or did not agree.

The three open-ended questions analyzed through content analysis in the students’ questionnaire provided more detailed responses related to the code units: “experience,” “potentialities,” and “challenges and limitations.” Firstly, the presence and absence of code units were identified, revealing that the code units were present in all the responses received from the students. Next, we sought to understand what they revealed. Regarding the potentialities and challenges of using ePortfolios to showcase their learning, respondents highlighted the creative and clear expression of results, enhanced awareness of the entire learning process, and the ability to present professionally. They noted that ePortfolios enabled the integration of digital tools, facilitated the incorporation of real-world data, and provided diverse assessment methods for teachers. Many emphasized the importance of weekly development as a strategy that fostered engagement and facilitated learning by breaking tasks into smaller, manageable goals. Students also stressed the necessity of time and effective group communication to construct cohesive and coherent portfolios, as well as to develop and learn digital skills.

Students were also asked to choose a word to describe their ePortfolio experience. Commonly mentioned words included “interesting,” “good,” “calm,” “creativity,” “cool,” and “organization,” whereas less frequently used words included “productive,” “enriching,” “innovative,” and “weak.” Overall, students’ responses indicated a positive experience with ePortfolios, although concerns about time management, acquiring new skills, and issues with devices and internet access were noted. They highlighted the importance of scaffolding in supporting their weekly learning and emphasized that ePortfolios could serve as a supplementary strategy to demonstrate competencies and experiences in the recruitment process.

4.3 Teacher’s Questionnaire Results

In the teacher’s questionnaire, two Likert scale questions were rated as 4, indicating that, from the teachers’ perspective, ePortfolios can facilitate access to students’ learning and progress in the subject, as well as serve as a tool for recruitment processes to better understand candidates’ experiences, skills, and profiles.

The eight open-ended questions in the teacher’s questionnaire were evaluated through content analysis, identifying code units such as “experience,” “potentialities,” and “challenges and limitations” in seven of the questions. However, in one specific question—”Do you intend to make changes regarding the use of the portfolio in the discipline? If so, please describe and explain your motivation”—no relevant codes were found. At this time, the responsible teacher has not identified any ideas for modifications to the proposed approach.

Experience code unit indicates that the teacher has been employing ePortfolios in higher education for over three years. Their use of ePortfolios aimed to assess group outcomes, provide visibility into the learning path for both students and the teacher, develop students’ digital skills and ethical awareness, foster peer learning, enhance students’ communication abilities, and underscore the potential of ePortfolios in educational and professional contexts. The word the teacher chose to describe their experience with using an ePortfolio was ‘Making learning concrete.’

The challenge and limitation code unit identified from the teacher’s perspective highlights the difficulty of understanding each student’s contributions to the learning process when it comes to group ePortfolio. However, the teacher suggested that additional strategies could help better understand how students have created their ePortfolios, developed their digital skills, collaborated in groups, and constructed their outcomes. The teacher also noted that ePortfolios help streamline teachers’ responsibilities in a practical and focused manner. They stressed the importance of planning and aligning the educational objectives clearly to avoid the risk of prioritizing the websites’ aesthetics over learning outcomes, citing references such as Biggs (2011) and Korhonen et al. (2019) to support this viewpoint.

Furthermore, the teacher underlines the importance of students understanding digital ethics, including issues like plagiarism and proper citation of images, videos, and references. The teacher also encouraged colleagues to be open-minded and willing to learn from students, regardless of their own digital proficiency. Creating a supportive and motivating environment was deemed crucial for fostering student creativity. While acknowledging that some students may face challenges, the teacher emphasized the role of educators in providing encouragement and examples of various online open-access platforms like Wix, WordPress, Blogger, and Adobe Spark, among others.

In terms of potentialities, the teacher emphasized that ePortfolios make students’ learning paths visible, enhance their digital skills and ethical awareness, and promote peer learning. They noted that ePortfolios allow for quick and visual access to outcomes and student engagement levels. Reflecting on the entire process, the teacher affirmed that ePortfolios allow students to effectively demonstrate their learning. They emphasized that ePortfolios can be utilized either individually or in groups, depending on the pedagogical objectives. Additionally, ePortfolios facilitate the organization of courses when integrated into Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). They referenced studies such as Laurikainen (2018) and Garrett (2011) to underscore the benefits of ePortfolios in enhancing technical and interpersonal skills relevant to professional contexts.

4.4 External Agent’s Questionnaire Results

The external agent’s questionnaire aimed to provide an outsider’s perspective on the learning process facilitated by ePortfolios. In response to one closed-ended question and two Likert scale questions, the findings indicated that the external agent had experience with ePortfolios during their undergraduate studies. The external agent rated the ePortfolio at the maximum Likert score of 5, underscoring its effectiveness in making the learning path visible. Additionally, the external agent rated it a 4, suggesting that ePortfolios could be valuable in recruitment processes for companies and institutions seeking to better understand candidates’ experiences, skills, and profiles.

Regarding content analyses, the three code units were identified in all open-ended questions. Concerning potentialities, the external agent noted that ePortfolios facilitate reflection, help organize ideas, motivate teamwork, and foster the development of digital skills among students. Regarding the experience code unit, the external agent described ePortfolios as ‘innovative,’ recognizing them as tools with substantial potential to engage students, foster critical thinking, and enhance awareness of learning and knowledge.

The code unit challenges and limitations arose in the context of group ePortfolios, highlighting that not all members can fully develop the tool’s potential due to the fragmentation of the construction process. The observer suggested that while ePortfolios facilitate group assessment, individual assessments should be complemented with additional activities and strategies. On the other hand, additional activities and individual ePortfolios can be time-consuming. In this context, the external agent emphasized the importance of teachers planning strategies in advance to ensure sufficient time for reviewing, assessing, and providing feedback on ePortfolios. One suggestion that emerged, particularly in the context of large classes, is that teachers’ teamwork could help educators manage ePortfolios more effectively. Regular weekly feedback was suggested as beneficial for keeping both teachers and students on track. The agent emphasized the need for students to recognize the potential of ePortfolios, advocating for greater awareness among learners.

Table 2 summarizes the perspectives of students, teachers, and the external agent, highlighting the ePortfolio purpose, the “experience,” “potentialities,” and “challenge and limitations” code units. The conclusion from each perspective refers to the horizontal analyses through treatment, inference, and interpretation—the final phase of content analysis. This table aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how ePortfolios are perceived and utilized across different roles within the educational context.

Table 2. Student, teacher, and external agent perspectives of the ePortfolio experience.

Perspective and survey respondents	ePortfolio purpose	Previous experience with ePortfolios	Potentialities	Challenges and limitations	Conclusions
Students, 41 (63 % of the whole group)	Demonstrate learning	Over 60% of students had no experience of using ePortfolios.	Make the learning path visible; enable the indicating results creatively and clearly; integrate digital tools, data from the world of work, different ways of assessment, communication skills development, and peer learning; can facilitate recruitment.	Requires a good group dialogue to build a consistent and clear ePortfolio, as well as initial digital skills and/or the willingness to learn them. It can be time-consuming, and a lack of devices and internet might be an issue.	Positive feelings that led to a good experience. They were able to cope with challenges such as digital skills, lack of infrastructure, and the large amount of time needed to build a meaningful experience. They think it is a good tool to show their competences and skills in professional matters.
Teacher, one	Assess, engage, develop digital skills and critical thinking, make learning visible, and enable peer learning.	Has over 3 years of experience working with ePortfolios in teaching and learning	It supports assessment, enables peer learning, and allows students to demonstrate learning; it makes outcomes visible, motivates, engages, and develops teachers’ and students’ digital skills and ethics, develops communication, makes them aware of ePortfolios’ potentialities in education and professional matters and is easily incorporated into VLEs (virtual learning environments).	Requires teachers and students to develop digital skills, needs clear guidelines about its aim, and can be time consuming. Some students need instructions on which online open-access platforms to use. Individual assessment can be a challenge when working in a group ePortfolio. Lack of internet and devices could be a gap.	Positive experience but highlights that large groups could be challenging when it comes to individual assessment. It can facilitate teachers’ duties, make students’ learning paths visible, develop digital skills and awareness about digital ethics and plagiarism, motivate peer learning, and demonstrate skills (technical and interpersonal skills) for professional matters.
External agent, one	Observe the learning process	Has experience of using ePortfolios as a student	ePortfolios enable reflection and organize ideas, as well as motivate teamwork and digital skills development. An innovative method that can be used to mobilize and make the students the protagonists of their own learning path.	Group ePortfolios could be an obstacle to understanding individuals’ digital skills development. Allows group assessment; individual assessment should be combined with other strategies. Monitoring, evaluating, and giving feedback takes time, and a plan is needed.	An ePortfolio is an innovation in HE and has a lot of potential to engage students and motivate group work and management. It can enhance students’ critical thinking and awareness about learning and its potentialities in the recruitment process.

A comparison was conducted among the three perspectives to identify both similarities and differences between students, a teacher, and an external agent’s experiences. At the same time, certain findings were cross-referenced with statements from the bibliographic references cited in Chapter 2 to reinforce the findings.  

Concerning the experience code unit, the words chosen by the students to represent their experience of using the ePortfolio in the operational research course were mostly positive and showed a good experience of the ePortfolio. The teacher and external agent spoke about an innovative tool that makes the students’ learning visible, concluding that the ePortfolio supports the learning process, making a connection with this finding and the literature review; for instance, Chen et al. (2012) pointed out that attitudes towards ePortfolios are important factors in the intention of their use.

The potentialities, challenges, and limitations of code units’ comparison show that it is evident from all perspectives that ePortfolios can motivate digital skills, communication skills, and the development of critical thinking. Still, the feedback highlights that students should be autonomous and responsible for their learning process and willing to develop the skills needed. Challenges such as time-consuming tasks and the difficulty of individual assessment in group portfolios were pointed out. The teacher and the external agent emphasized that Biggs’ (2011) alignment and other pedagogical strategies could be combined in order to fill these gaps. The students highlighted that scaffolding was extremely important in helping learners build their learning, and this finding connects with the reference from Korhonen et al., 2019, in topic 2.1. All points of view consider that ePortfolios can be used as a complementary strategy to show competences and experience in the recruitment process. Students also mentioned the availability of devices and internet infrastructure as important points if adopting ePortfolios as a pedagogic learning strategy. In general, the content analysis shows that these three perspectives were complementary and stressed the same potentialities and challenges.

Based on the data collected and the analyses conducted, the three research questions outlined in the introduction chapter were addressed. The answers to the specific research questions are below.

4.4.1 Research Question 1: Can ePortfolios engage students in the learning process?

This study provides findings that ePortfolios enable students to demonstrate their learning and actively engage in the learning process. All three perspectives—students, teachers, and external agents—support the conclusion that ePortfolios can indeed engage students in the learning process. Both teachers and external agents highlighted that ePortfolios, when used with a constructive approach, enhance engagement. This is consistent with literature such as Chang’s (1986), which shows that ePortfolios motivate students and encourage them to construct their own learning paths.

Moreover, ePortfolios offer a way for students to engage with real-life problems and align their learning with personal interests. Teachers can further promote engagement by demonstrating the capabilities of ePortfolios, using open-access platforms, and showcasing examples of high-quality portfolios. The study suggests that introducing students unfamiliar with ePortfolios in this way could help foster greater participation and interest.

4.4.2 Research Question 2: How can ePortfolios support assessment in higher education?

The second research question reveals that ePortfolios support assessment in higher education by facilitating both teachers’ evaluation processes and empowering students to demonstrate their learning autonomously. As noted by Lu (2021), Cordie et al. (2019), and Korhonen et al. (2019), ePortfolios provide a comprehensive view of students’ learning outcomes, making it easier for teachers to assess progress in alignment with Biggs’ constructive alignment (2011).

Through the content analysis and literature review, it is clear that ePortfolios can guide learning design and evaluation purposes, supporting student reflection and learning visibility. However, it is important to note that in the Brazilian context, issues like limited access to devices and poor internet infrastructure could hinder fair and equitable assessment through ePortfolios. Addressing these challenges is essential to ensure that all students, regardless of socioeconomic background, have equal opportunities for learning and assessment.

4.4.3 Research Question 3: Can an engineering course benefit from an ePortfolio?

The third research question confirms that an engineering course, like others, can benefit from using ePortfolios. This research shows that ePortfolios can enhance both educational outcomes and professional development within engineering programs. In addition to their role in promoting learning and engagement, ePortfolios can facilitate students’ transition into professional environments, helping them present their skills and projects to potential employers. This finding aligns with the work of Laurikainen (2018), which suggests that ePortfolios have practical uses in professional recruitment processes.

6 Conclusions

The aim of this research project was to investigate the experience of using ePortfolios with a constructive approach in the Operations Research course of the Management Engineering program at the Federal University of ABC – UFABC in Brazil. The methodology facilitated understanding of students’, teachers’, and external agents’ perspectives on the same experience.

Based on this research, ePortfolios not only engage students in meaningful learning related to real-life problems and their interests but also support assessment and make learning visible to both students and teachers. To effectively engage students unfamiliar with ePortfolios, teachers can highlight their importance, demonstrate the capabilities of open-access platforms, and showcase exemplary student portfolios. Furthermore, ePortfolios have the potential to benefit various undergraduate programs, including engineering, by enhancing educational outcomes and preparing students for professional contexts.

Content analysis allowed for a detailed examination of questionnaire results, identifying patterns and differences among respondent groups. While questionnaires are effective for data collection, future research could incorporate focused interviews to explore deeper aspects of the ePortfolio experience. One potential improvement for future studies is to clarify the definitions of assessment and engagement to minimize interpretation differences in questionnaire responses.

This research provides a unique perspective by including viewpoints from students, teachers, and external agents, enriching an understanding of ePortfolios in higher education. Future research should expand on this work to encompass more diverse student experiences within the same institution and across different institutions. This would contribute to a broader understanding of the topic.

Further research topics could explore individual ePortfolio development and their role in practical recruitment processes. Given the relatively low adoption of ePortfolios in Brazilian higher education, additional investigation is warranted to fully grasp their potential, needs, challenges, and compliance with national laws aimed at enhancing digital tools in Brazilian higher education.

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Attachments

Attachment 1: Questionnaires