Introducing E-Portfolio Work with an Online Course: Benefits and Limitations of the Role-Playing Approach

Abstract

The use of e-portfolios in educational institutions is clearly in vogue. In order to meet the associated expectations, students must receive both a technical as well as a theoretical introduction in order to understand the background and goals of this learning approach. The paper at hand describes the (further) development of the online course «E-Portfolios: Introduction to the documentation and self-assessment of learning». In this article we take a closer look at the «didactic center-piece» of the course: The role-playing approach. How well does this idea work? Is the role-playing approach suitable to introduce students to e-portfolios? We both demonstrate how the online course has been created and illustrate its instructional design. Then we take a closer look at the pilot phase of the course and explain the design and results of the evaluation. Finally, we describe the adjustments that have been made due to results of the evaluation.