Designing an Eportfolio Conceptual Framework to Enhance Written Communication Skills among Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Eportfolio is a powerful tool to develop students' communication as well as critical thinking skills as it allows students to produce their own reflective written products and foster active learning. This study aims to design an innovative teaching approach to improve students' written communication skills in English which is one of the important soft skills for students entering the workforce. Specifically, this study intends to design an eportfolio conceptual framework that can be embedded into an English course. Furthermore, the interactivity mediated by the social networking platform and students' familiarity using this platform can also elevate their motivation to write in English language. This study contributes to the creation of an innovative teaching approach, a student-centered learning approach that utilizes online technology. The new developed eportfolio framework can also be adopted in other English courses for the purpose of improving students' writing skills in English language. Future research should emphasize on the eportfolio model evaluation, integration with soft skills and students' perception of the use of this web-based tool using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

The effectiveness of writing techniques in improving students’ writing ability with different self-esteem

“…They also corrected their peers' writing. In this case, they improved their written communication unconsciously (Mazlan et al, 2015). In terms of cognitive improvement, high and low self-esteem students could handle their vocabulary problems and grammar error in writing argumentative text.…”

“…Besides, Boumediene et al (2018) also supported this research finding and stated that writing about topics requiring reflection enables students to express their feelings, thoughts, and judgments more comfortably. Mazlan et al (2015) added that RLP allows the students to provide feedback to their peers; the feedback may include arguments, compliments, corrections, and suggestions of the writing task, improving the way the students communicate in the written form. RLP provides opportunities for both the students and teachers to see the learning goals and the progress toward the goals.…”

Lecturers’ Views on the Functionality of e-Portfolio as Alternative Assessment in an Open Distance e-Learning

“…This study is foregrounded within the social constructivist and self-directed learning theories. A constructivist-learning environment "posits that knowledge is not passively received from the world or from authoritative sources but constructed by individuals or groups making sense of their experiential worlds" (Mazlan et al, 2015). In line with using e-portfolio, students are not only passive recipients of information, it encourages active involvement of students in their learning.…”

Teaching Power Electronics and Digital Electronics using Personal Learning Environments. From Traditional Learning to Remote Experiential Learning

“…In the final year, to graduate from this degree program, all students must complete a minimum of 60 days as a trainee in the industry. By using their e-portfolios, students are able to showcase their experiences, skills, professional capabilities in power electronics and digital electronics, as well in other courses [27]- [28], in an interactive and creative way when applying for internships. In this context, e-portfolios enable students take advantage of the 21st-century technology skills and demonstrate their competencies and store their works, internships, personals and collaborative projects/realizations in the aforementioned fields that may not be demonstrated on a traditional résumé or during an interview.…”