| Embarking on a journey to define eportfolio, one will encounter numerous definitions. These definitions include words such as reflection, collection, tracking, achievement, competency, career tracking, resumes, academic achievement, highlighting - to name a few.
For the purposes of this portal, we define eportfolio as:
An eportfolio can be a web-based information management system that uses electronic media and services. The learner builds and maintains a digital repository of artifacts, which they can use to demonstrate competence and reflect on their learning. Having access to their records, digital repository, feedback and reflection students can achieve a greater understanding of their individual growth, career planning and CV building. Accreditation for prior and/or extra-curricular experiences and control over access makes the eportfolio a powerful tool.
(ePortfolio Australia, n.d.)
And we would add that:
"If your view of portfolios is just something akin to a content management system, don't bother. But if it's the student's personal and continuing presence in an online community of discourse, then you are on to something."
(Downes, 2004)
You may have heard of the term webfolios. There is a difference however, between eportfolios and webfolios. Since the mid-90s, the term eportfolio has been used to describe collections of student work at a Web site. Within the field of composition studies, the term "webfolio" has also been used. In this portal, we are using the current, general meaning of the term, which is a dynamic web site that interfaces with a database of student work artifacts. Webfolios are static Web sites where functionality derives from HTML links. ePortfolio therefore, now refers to database-driven, dynamic web sites, not static, HTML-driven sites.
(Batson, 2002)
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