Computing Students' Perceptions Towards ePortfolios for Recognition of Acquired Competencies: A Holistic Approach

The paper presents computing engineering students' perceptions of ePortfolios and key considerations for integrating ePortfolios into computing education programs to facilitate students' recognition of acquired competencies. Students, in general, tend to focus primarily on aspects such as the final exam and their final grades, which can lead to a lack of focus on the learning process where they develop skills and competencies. The ePortfolio can be a powerful reflection, self-assessment, and professional development tool and has been found to engage students in the learning process and make invisible learning visible to students. Understanding computing students' perceptions towards ePortfolios can provide insights into how effective ePortfolios are as a learning tool in computing education programs. We derived insight from an ePortfolio introduction session where we introduced 30 computer engineering students with no experience with the ePortfolio to the concept for the first time. Following the session, all students were asked to complete a survey to capture their perspectives and attitudes towards the ePortfolio. Findings reveal that the computing engineering students who participated in the study hold positive perceptions of ePortfolios. The main reason is that they see value in developing an ePortfolio as they believe it enables them to recognize acquired competencies. Based on students' perceptions of ePortfolios, we identify a set of key considerations for higher education institutions when planning to integrate an ePortfolio for recognition of acquired competencies throughout study programs.