An important question is posed, why is ownership of an ePortfolio important? Is it truly your own ePortfolio if it is critiqued and revised to appeal to the grader? Ironically, the idea is that students should own the ePortfolio, yet oftentimes the ideas presented through posts, such as this post for example being a discussion assignment, are not truly their own and the connections are not as meaningful (Harapnuik, 2023). Two insightful ways to combat this predicament though is to provide an opportunity for choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning (COVA) that relates to real-life problems that the student can evaluate on their own and students need the opportunity to see their teacher or professor showcase examples of not only their work, but exemplars of other ePortfolios (Harapnuik, 2023).
The attitude surrounding ownership over assignments will change once a student's perception of the grader is gone (Rikard, 2015). In fact, owning the ePortfolio involves having true interest and agency over the data presented and how it is presented (Rikard, 2015). As a student I find the reasons listed above to be important, because I want to feel connected to my work and share it with others showcasing my passion for what I have learned and found. I enjoy when I can turn a post into my own and create it to appease my audience without the worry of grading critiques. These issues highlight an important aspect of continuing to shift the attitude of ePortfolios back onto the students.
References
Harapnuik, D. (2023, September). Who owns the eportfolio. It's About Learning Creating Significant Learning Environments. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6050
Rikard, A. (2015, August 10). Do I own my domain if you grade it?. EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-08-10-do-i-own-my-domain-if-you-grade-it
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