1. ‘It looks really pretty but it’s not doing anything I can’t do without’: purpose and intention in design for learning with reflective e- portfolio tools Richard Pountney and Serena Bufton Sheffield Hallam University

2. The External Context Membership of the US-based National Centre for e-Portfolio Research, 2006-9. Three-year research project on the use of reflective e-portfolios for student learning at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Use of ‘PebblePad’ e-portfolio and Blackboard tools to support reflective learning.

3. The Internal Context Faculty Learning, Teaching and Assessment strategy group and e-learning development team NCEPR Research –Social Science Foundation Level 4 –Professional Development in Education Masters Programme Level 7

4. The Undergraduate Level Prior evidence of difficulties facing students on transition to HE Introduction of an e-portfolio tool 2006/7 (PebblePad) to promote reflection, skills development and a more dialogic learning experience. Analysis of 30 student webfolios; 3 student focus-group meetings.

5. Findings Technical affordances of the e-portfolio tool feature largely in student evaluations. Students tend to place more value on the ‘product’ than the ‘process’ aspects of e-portfolio work. The e-portfolio encouraged sharing, dialogue and collaborative practices for only a minority of students. Many students see learning as an individual activity and the e-portfolio as ‘a biography in the making’ or ‘a virtual me’.

6. The Postgraduate Level (CPD) Integrated environments and tools

7. Pedagogical Design Formative reflection in action through blogs in Blackboard providing raw material for the summative portfolio in PebblePad Assessment aligned with reflective analysis Peer review and feedback integral part of learning process Personal Professional Development Planning providing a focus on learning outcomes (and opportunities for APEL)

8. Conclusion Different levels / contexts / prior experience / intentions / purposes for e- portfolio make comparisons difficult, but: Importance of pedagogic design and purpose for the choice of tools Influence of where students are in their learning on the take-up and use of tools Need for further research on the use and affordance of tools for reflective learning.