Graduate Students' Perceptions of Factors that Contributed to ePortfolios Persistence Beyond the Program of Study

This study examined the factors that contributed to ePortfolio persistence in an online program from data collected in 2016 (Thibodeaux, Harapnuik, & Cummings, 2017) and again in 2018. A myriad of research points to learning portfolios as having transformational power; however, many traditional instructional models that use ePortfolios in higher education downplay the significance and transformational learning that effective ePortfolios offer. To research this phenomenon, a convergent, parallel mixed-methods design was used to gather data from an online program in order to explore the learning conditions and context of ePortfolio usage over multiple years. Results indicated that real-world projects and authentic artifacts, the ePortfolio used as a career tool, and management of the ePortfolio were common factors identified in studies that contributed to continued use of the ePortfolio. Findings also revealed that learner autonomy, control, and agency, as well as continued opportunities for choice and voice, led to increased appreciation and ownership of the ePortfolio beyond the program of study.