Ninth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

This paper discusses a study that investigated how visuals were used in ePortfolios to illustrate students’ personal learning narratives during two repeats of a course on global citizenship at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia. This study examines 40 university student ePortfolios that were produced during a twelve-week period. A theoretical framework is used to analyse the effectiveness of using visuals as a mechanism for illustrating student’s personal reflections and learning. In this course students were required to make connections between their knowledge and experiences and their personal research, alongside theoretical perspectives gained from studying published research findings. This study analyses how students used mind maps to communicate visually their learning during the course and the benefits of ePortfolios as an elearning tool to demonstrate professional readiness while learning the skill of creating ‘eye-catching’ digital resumes. The benefits of ePortfolios as a mechanism for visually demonstrating how student can connect their learning outcomes to both the course summative and formative assessment is outlined. It will be argued, that the ePortfolios can be a powerful educative tool to provide a tangible record of learning as well as a mechanism by which students can innovatively and creatively, visually reflect on their understanding of their future roles and responsibilities as 21st century global citizens.