ePORTFOLIOS: USING TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE AND ASSESS STUDENT LEARNING

Tracking and assessing student learning outcomes within one course can be accomplished with relative ease. However, the true challenge lies within providing data for student learning outcomes for an entire program. The purpose of this descriptive study was to discover and explain the fundamental lessons learned from the beginning stages of ePortfolio implementation in a cohort master's degree program for secondary teachers. A questionnaire was administered to all twenty-six students at the end of their first semester to assses three student leaming outcomes: self-knowledge, technological and organization skills development, and knowledge and skills transfer. After the first semester of implementation, students still see the ePortfolio concept and process as an external component to their master's degree and a separate skill with the technology currently a barrier and fail to see how ePortfolios are connected to their master's degree program. Results may reflect the current status of traditional assessments that is both state and nationally driven, indicating a need to continue to make the shift in paradigm of program design and assessment.