RAPPORT Vol 3 RAPPORT Vol 3 Issue 1 | Page 63

RAPPORT Volume 3 Issue 1 (2018) on them (Hartnell-Young et al., 2007). Moreover, ePortfolios have also acquired relevance as an assessment system in higher education (López, 2008). As the author states, ePortfolios emerge: ‘as a new way to conceive the assessment that offers the opportunity to design a different system, with a new tool, which facilitates the acquisition and pursuit of learning, through the new roles assigned for teachers and students’ (López, 2008 p.55). In this view, ePortfolios can promote dialogue and understanding about learning, development and assessment among teachers and students (Rodriguez Illera, 2009). The use of ePortfolios in Europe goes back to the 90s in educational contexts (Alcaraz, 2016; López, 2008) and their use seemed to respond to the need for fostering teacher and student-focused innovative practices. Moreover, much innovation carried out with ePortfolios has been related to learning and assessment (Alcaraz, 2016; Pérez- Gómez & Serván-Núñez, 2016). In this way, some authors (Pérez-Gómez & Serván-Núñez, 2016; Scully, O’Leary & Brown, 2018) conceptualise ePortfolios as Learning Portfolios due to the fact that learning and assessment could be promoted by their significant use. Scully, O’Leary and Brown (2018) identify three different types of Learning Portfolios: firstly, the Learning Portfolio as process which is useful for students to reflect on their competencies and development; secondly, the Learning Portfolio as product where ‘the primary purpose [...] may simply be to showcase examples of work and/or achievements’ (Scully, O’Leary & Brown, 2018 p.2) and carry out summative assessment; and last but not least, the one that ‘leads to the most favourable outcomes’ (Scully, O’Leary & Brown, 2018:19), combining the previous two and termed the dual goal orientation Learning Portfolio. In this latter type, the student ‘may include drafts and ‘unpolished’ work, with the focus broadened to include the process of compiling the portfolio, as well as the finished product’ (Scully, O’Leary & Brown, 2018 p.2). As the present research is carried out in the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain, it is necessary to mention that it was not until the beginning of the 21st century that Learning ePortfolios were used in our context (Alcaraz, 2016). However, the use of Learning ePortfolios in Spanish higher education contexts has become commonplace in the last decade (Alcaraz, 2016; Cobos, López & Llorent, 2016). As mentioned above, Learning ePortfolios are widely used in teaching and learning processes due to their potential to promote metacognitive development (Klenowski, 2004) and to broaden learning experiences (Scully, O’Leary & Brown, 2018). But as Klenowski (2004) claims, ePortfolios can be used in five ways: 1) summative assessment; 2) competence certification and candidate selection; 3) promotional use; 4) teaching and learning support; and 5) professional growth. Reflection, formative assessment and feedback are important elements of the learning process and, as Klenowski, Askew and Carnell (in Scully, O’Leary & Brown, 2018 p.2) state, ‘[ePortfolios’] overall goal is to facilitate and document learning and development over time’. And that is the aim of the dual goal orientation Learning Portfolio (Scully, O’Leary & 62