Positioning ePortfolios in an integrated curriculum

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential and the challenges of successful integration of ePortfolios and graduate attributes into the curriculum. Design/methodology/approach - An argument is presented about the positioning of ePortfolios, and their links to graduate attributes, that draws upon the experiences of working with teachers to design, implement and support effective teaching practices to inform the challenges and opportunities that ePortfolios present for institutions, teachers and business curricula. Findings - The potential of ePortfolios for supporting student learning must be balanced against the difficulties of embedding the necessary curriculum changes. Institutions expecting to see take-up of ePortfolios by their teachers will need different strategies than those that accompanied the introduction of learning management systems. Research limitations/implications - The paper is based on experiences in an Australian context and a small-scale trial. The limited availability of studies of student learning and the longitudinal use of ePortfolios in the social networking Web 2.0 context are also limitations. Practical implications - A range of potential uses of ePortfolios is considered with a particular focus on seeing their use from the whole-of-program viewpoint, with discussion of the limitations for curriculum if decisions about ePortfolio use are left entirely to teachers to decide. Originality/value - The paper's value is in its argument about the potential for linking ePortfolios to an integrated curriculum by addressing a common problem with the process of embedding of graduate attributes, and in suggesting a role for changed assessment practices to make this possible.