Implementing ePortfolio Practice into English Speech Class

The use of electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) in higher education has begun to receive increasing attention. Institutions such as the American Association of Colleges and Universities have focused on ePortfolios in courses, programs, learning outcomes, and student evaluation. The notable advantages of developing an ePotfolio include the depth of students’ involvement in selection of contents (Wiedmer, 1998), and a great amount of thinking that they apply to the contents (Holt, McAllister, & Ingram, 2001). Additionally, researchers confirmed that the interconnectivity of artifacts across pages in ePortfolio could promote a deeper understanding of the relationship between standards and performance, enhancing a sense of professional efficacy (Holt, et al., 2001; Pecheone, Pigg, Chung, & Souviney, 2005; Tucker, Stronge, & Gareis, 2003). Electronic portfolios are applied in the educational settings for a variety of purposes—for evaluation/assessment, for career development, and for demonstrating students’ learning experience and growth over time. Some emerging research suggests that ePortfolios can help students learn how to develop their identities as budding professionals (Alvarez & Moxley, 2004; Schatz & Simon, 1999; Schatz, 2004). In addition, teachers confirmed that the use of ePortfolio could help them increase their confidence in their professional practice and an overall improved sense of personal empowerment (Wiedmer, 1998). Yet less emphasis has been put on the implication of ePortfolio in oral training courses. Teaching English Speech in a university of technology has always been a challenge. As an instructor of English Speech course, I found that many students tended more towards a static lecture style rather than toward dynamic and active participation. In addition, providing feedback and evaluation for a large-size class is quite effort and time intensive. Therefore, there is a need for change in evaluation to enhance students’ learning attitude and involve students in evaluating themselves. This paper seeks to share the experience of implementing ePortfolio into an English Speech class.