A Narrative Biographical Study of Faculty Collaboration in E-Portfolio Development

Introduction

As technology is considered indispensable in current society, its pedagogical use has become one of the crucial foci in education (Buckingham, 2003; Cable in the Classroom, 2006, November; Marsh & Millard, 2000; Potter, 2005). For teachers to use technology to enhance their growth and adopt the technology for student learning, they must build knowledge and critical perspectives on using technology, beyond acquiring skills of using it (Kellner & Share, 2007; Leu & Zawilinski, 2007; Semali, 2003). The mere presence of technology in educational settings does not mean they are critically assessed and integrated into teaching and learning (Cuban, 2001; Kist, 2005). Therefore, it is important to support teachers to learn essential knowledge and develop perspectives on new technology for their teaching.

While there have been discussions and research on the use of e-Portfolios in higher education for student learning and growth (Lin, 2008; Young, 2002) as well as assessments (Shephard, 2009; Liu, Zhuo, & Yuan, 2004), few research on faculty and professional development is available, especially addressing challenges in using e-Portfolios for teaching and research (Luera, 2016; Hyland, 2012). In order to effectively support faculty in learning new technology, it is imperative to understand the experiences of faculty in the process. In this paper, we examine our own experiences in the process of learning and implementing an e-Portfolio system. Specifically, we, two faculty at a mid-sized college near a metropolitan area, will narrate our experiences when we explored the e-Portfolio, applying it to their teaching and professional development. We will discuss how our professional partnership helped us to go through the important steps in learning, planning, and applying technology to our teaching. Additionally, we will explain how our participation in a larger faculty learning community which was also supported by the college administration has helped us to grow as e-Portfolio users, reflective practitioners, and researchers.