Digital portfolio for learning: A new communication channel for education

Abstract

Purpose: The Catalonian Government has the intention of introducing the digital portfolio before 2017, an initiative related to new approaches for learning. Taking in consideration the increasing interest for digital portfolio as a new communication channel for education, the article aims are: on the one hand to describe how the digital portfolio works and on the other hand, to identify a list of criteria that should be useful for educative centers to select the best application to create the digital portfolio according to their needs.

Design/methodology/approach: Firstly, a theoretical framework for portfolio functioning is described. After, applications to support the digital portfolio are classified. Next, a requirement analysis on an ideal application to support the portfolio is made, according to those phases for the portfolio creation identified in the theoretical framework. Lastly, a list of criteria is established to select the application for creating the digital portfolio.

Findings and Originality/value: The article contributes to structure the portfolio creation process in some stages and phases in a wider way that it is described in the literature. In addition, a list of criteria is defined to help educative centers to select the application for managing the portfolio that fits better with their objectives. These criteria have been obtained with an exhaustive methodology.

Research limitations/implications: In order to put in practice the identified criteria it is proposed to complete the multi-criteria decision model in a new study. It should include processes to weigh criteria and define normalizations. Afterwards it would be able to analyze the value of the model studying the satisfaction for using it by a sample of educative centers.

Practical implications: The list of criteria identified should facilitate the selection of the more adequate application to create the learning portfolio to the educative centers, according to their specific needs.