Educators and researchers are looking for new ways of developing
student-learning outcomes. Thus, as new technologies continue to engulf our
culture, a convergence between Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
and education has been a popular solution to improving outcomes. However, it is
important that any eTechnology (a) is easy to use, (b) produces a beneficial
user experience technology, and (c) does not distract or prevent users from achieving
intended purposes (Hattie, Brown, Ward, Irving, & Keegan, 2006). Furthermore,
technology must reflect real world applications to enable meaningful learning
from users (Kumar, 2010). Otherwise, intended goals of improved learning and
teaching may be subverted by the interaction of human abilities and attitudes
with machine characteristics.
The study is planned in four phases. Phase 1 will evaluate a variety of ePortfolio technology platforms (e.g., Mahara, Wordpress, etc.) being used in the University of Auckland. Each ePortfolio technology will be evaluated with the User Information Satisfaction (UIS) framework (Bailey & Pearson, 1983) and Learning Usability Evaluation Method by collecting student user experiential feedback about each system and by directly examining the functionality of each platform. Phase 2 will examine students’ perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of ePortfolio systems, with a special attention to platforms used in the Faculty of Education. Phase 3 will examine teachers’ attitudes, beliefs, and technology competencies as to incorporating ePortfolios in their curriculum. Phase 4 will explore the relationship of ePortfolio attributes with student and teacher technology attitudes and competencies as predictors of the quality of work in ePortfolios.