RAPPORT
Volume 3 Issue 1 (2018)
felt that they were an appropriate fit with
the existing reflective exercises as they
offered students the advantage of a more
creative format, incorporating different
digital technologies, rather than continuing
with the current text-based format.
Background and Context to the
Research
At the time this module was introduced in
2011 there was increasing emphasis on
equipping students with relevant skills and
competencies for the future workplace.
The European Commission (EC) report,
The future of learning: Preparing for
change (Redecker et al., 2011) published
by the Institute of Prospective
Technological Studies highlighted some
current and future competences that
education should equip students with for
the workplace (and society) of the future.
Also, in 2011 DCU introduced the concept
of DCU-specific graduate attributes known
as Generation 21, which is described as
follows:
“a culmination of extensive
consultation with DCU staff, students
and employers in Ireland and
overseas on the attributes, skills and
proficiencies they consider important
in graduates today and in the future. A
key element of Generation 21 includes
the graduate attributes programme
which identifies six key important
attributes every DCU graduate will
have after graduation and which are
underpinned by proficiencies and skills
that they will acquire in their university
years, through full engagement in
university life, both inside and outside
the lecture theatre” (DCU, 2011).
The six attributes are that after
graduation students will be creative and
enterprising; solution-oriented; effective
communicators; globally engaged; active
leaders; and committed to continuous
learning. The seven underpinning
aptitudes and proficiencies are research
and inquiry; intellectual insight and
innovative thinking; digital intelligence;
ethical and professional standards;
information literacy; interpersonal and
intercultural competence; and personal
awareness and development (DCU,
2011). Mapping these attributes,
aptitudes and proficiencies against the
key competences identified by the
Council of the European Union (2006),
and in Redecker et al’s. (2011) report,
indicates similar skills, competences,
attributes and proficiencies across all
three publications [Table 1].
Learning portfolios in DCU
The latest initiative in DCU’s Generation
21 programme, the learning portfolio
platform known as Loop Reflect, was
introduced DCU-wide in 2017 following
an initial pilot prior to this. On reviewing
examples of e-portfolios as teaching and
learning tools in January 2018 this e-
portfolio learning format appeared to offer
an appropriate method of assessment on
a module where creativity, discovery and
experiential and reflective learning were
key learning objectives.
A recent research report published by
DCU (Scully, O'Leary, & Brown, 2018)
reviews emerging literature on e-
portfolios since 2010, and refers to three
types of e-portfolios, each with a different
48