Michelle Reilly – Victoria University – while share how e portfolios are predominantly being used with children’s services students at certificate and diploma level to house placement journals, and to be an interactive support mechanism for students whilst they are away from campus.

1. Using e-portfolio
in Vocational
Education.
Michelle Reilly
College of Education

2. History of using e-portfolio
• My personal journey in e-learning began in
2009, when I attend an internal Professional
Development course. This was known as
“e-fficient” which went for a period of one
semester and contained units related to e-
learning that were encompassed in the
Diploma of VET.
• Myself and a colleague were the first in our team
to be trained in e-learning strategies and was
very exciting at the time.

3. Our journey
• 2010: introduction of e-portfolios in our
classes from Certificate 3, through to year 1
and year 2 of Diploma course.
• Students used “ thoughts” on e-portfolio to
communicate with teachers or write a
reflection. Eg: I would show a movie and then
ask students to reflect on its content and send
that to me in a thought.

4. Our Journey continued
• Students then began using webfolios to keep a
journal of their placement experience.
• 2nd year Diploma students also designed a career
portfolio via webfolio, where they addressed
graduate capabilities, this also housed their CV
and selection criteria which were a task toward
the end of their study.
• As teachers we would use webfolio to house
resources students may need whilst on
placement.

5. Our journey
• Since the introduction of e-portfolio into our
teaching we have also utilised Web CT to
teach at our Diploma and Advanced Diploma
level courses.
• Teachers have been trained by myself and or
blended learning team. There has been a
general shift toward blended learning which is
proving to be a great approach for teachers
and students.

6. Examples
• If people are interested I can show you
examples, but I am unable to upload them
due to confidentiality reasons.
• Questions so far?

7. Training the staff
• Staff were at very different skill levels utilising
technology. I was able to train some staff very
quickly with a few sessions.
• Other staff needed much more support and
the Blended earning team scheduled formal
training and informal drop in sessions.
• Some staff were reluctant at first about e-
portfolio, but have since embraced the idea.

8. Inducting the students on e-portfolio
• When first introducing e-portfolio teachers would book
a computer lab for students, we developed a
powerpoint for the log on process as that was
sometimes complicated, with enrolments etc.
• Teachers would normally conduct this induction over 2
hours or so. We would give students a simple task, like
to add the teachers to their page and then send us a
thought. This would show us that they had understood
what was said in induction.
• Teachers would utilise students in the class with a high
skill level to assist other students.

9. Who are our students? Certificate 3 In
Early Childhood Education and Care.
• Groups normally 20-25 people aged 17-55 yrs,
mostly female.
• Groups normally consist of young people who
have exited highschool early, ESL learners who
were highly educated in their own country,
mature aged women changing careers or
returning to the workforce.
• Students attend campus 5 days per week and
complete work placements.

10. Who are our students? Diploma of
Early Childhood Education and Care.
• Groups normally 25 people aged 19-55yrs,
mostly women.
• Students have completed a certificate 3
qualification prior to Diploma. Students attend
classes 5 days per week. Some have worked in
industry. Our part time students work in
industry 15 hours a week and attend classes 2
nights per week.

11. Aims of the Introduction of e-portfolio
• To engage students in a creative way using
technology.
• To create a more flexible mode of study for
students to access at Certificate 111 and diploma
level. Students commonly access their e-portfolio
via their phones on their train trip to University
etc.
• Students will have access to teacher’s support via
their placement journal via webfolio.
• To be less paper based and more sustainable in
our teaching practices.

12. Positive Outcomes of Using e-portfolio
• Great learning journey about e-learning strategies for
teachers.
• Flexibility for students and teachers to attend to tasks when
and where convenient.
• Provides certificate 111 students with an opportunity to
develop a skill they will utilise in future employment or
study.
• Can be a time saver for teachers if managed correctly.
• Saves students money printing out pages and pages of
placement journal and is more sustainable.
• If students are having difficulty whilst on placement this
has been flagged in their journals and teachers can
See that student in industry earlier than planned.

13. Difficulties using e-portfolio
• Enrolment processes at the University, can make
student access to e-learning spaces extremely
difficult. We have needed to work with the
Blended Learning team to ensure students have a
“dummy” password to enter the student portal.
• Occasional technical issues where student portal
has been down or inactive.
• Poor time management from teachers and not
always answering students in a timely manner.

14. Words of advice
• Ask your blended learning team, or colleagues
for help if you need it, don’t be proud!
• When students are on placement instead of
your class use that time to respond to their e-
portfolio tasks.
• Attend any training that is offered at your
workplace, keep up to date.

15. My Details
• Michelle Reilly
• Teacher - Children's Services
• College of Education
Victoria University, Werribee Campus
Phone 61 3 9919 8236
• Email: michelle.reilly@vu.edu.au
Web www.vu.edu.au
•