E-portfolio, a Self-assessment Tool for Evaluating Subject Content Acquisition: A Practical Example in a European Project

Lina Sierra¹, Piedad Martin¹, Mª del Carmen Sierra^2
(1. University of Alcala, 28804 Alcalá de Henares, Spain; 2. CEIP Isabel La Católica, 28004, Spain)

Abstract: The European project “An INTegral Teacher Training for Developing Digital and Communicative Competences and Subject Content Learning at Schools” intends to improve subject content learning, communicative and digital competences in an integrated way to train future Primary and Secondary School teachers. The project partners are experts in ICT, Science, Humanities, Language and Applied Linguistics, and are Professors and Senior Lecturers in six Universities: Alcalá (Spain), Coordinator of the project, Helsinki (Finland), Lisbon (Portugal), Comenius University of Bratislava (Slovakia), Leicester (United Kingdom) and Trabzon (Turkey). The project members believe that ICT can transform teaching and learning. Consequently, the project will incorporate every digital resource available to produce didactic materials: web pages, blogs, e-portfolio, wiki, face book, videoconference, etc., either to look for authentic materials to build up the project materials, as well as for implementing the designed materials during lessons. This does not imply that every project partner may use every available tool, for instance, the University of Alcalá is working with blogs and e-portfolio, and in this paper we will try to explain the advantages of using e-portfolio in training future teachers as e-portfolios can be a tool to increase active learning, reflection, analyze and report, get feedback, store information, and foster self-assessment. E-portfolio has been introduced in the materials designed by Alcalá with the aim of providing student teachers and pupils with a digital tool used for self-assessment giving them the opportunity to follow their personal and professional development in the case of student teachers, and in the case of school pupils, the e-portfolio gives them the chance of evaluating their progress in the process of learning. The paper will also deal with the main outcomes of the project, and examples of e-portfolios are included.

Key words: digital competence, communicative competence, education, e-portfolio, evaluation