IAFOR Journal of Education: Undergraduate Education

Volume 9 – Issue 5 – 2021

Using Padlets as E-Portfolios to Enhance Undergraduate Students’ Writing
Skills and Motivation
Eleni Meletiadou
London Metropolitan University, UK

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Abstract
Despite the increasing support for the use of e-portfolios, research on its utility is justbeginning to emerge. In terms of the current study, 200 students were asked to create digital
portfolios with Padlet, share their e-portfolios via their Virtual Learning Platform (VLE), andask for peer and lecturer feedback every time they completed a written task. Using a diagnostic
test and their final assignment, students had to write a reflective report at the beginning andthe end of an academic term. They also interacted every week using a forum created by theirlecturer to enhance collaboration and peer support. At the end of each interactive feedback
session, they had to reflect on their work and the feedback they received and post their selfreflections on the forum. Findings indicated that students managed to improve their writing
performance significantly and enhance their motivation towards writing and learning in
general due to this innovative alternative assessment method. This was evident from their final
reflective reports, their focus group discussions, and the anonymous feedback they provided
through Mentimeter. Students reported that they enjoyed this interactive experience which
was both engaging and rewarding. However, students expressed their wish for more support
when using IT tools and e-portfolios and asked to be guided to develop their writing andreflective skills and engage even more with their e-portfolios.
Keywords: e-portfolios, inclusive assessment, motivation, Padlet, undergraduate students,
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The use of computer-assisted learning is undeniably helpful in making the learning process
more effective and meaningful among undergraduate learners in terms of developing theirwriting and professional skills (Jawaid & Tariq, 2018; Kongsuebchart, & Suppasetseree, 2018).
The increasing interest in the use of portfolio assessment emanates from the understanding thatit enhances students’ learning, facilitates lecturers, improves the assessment process (Yang etal., 2016), promotes self-regulated learning (Tur et al., 2019), improves student motivation(Beckers et al., 2016), and fosters reflection and metacognition (Weber & Myrick, 2018).
Barrett (2011) defines an e-portfolio as a collection of evidence of students’ learning journeyover time which may comprise text, pictures, videos, and students’ personal reflections. Eportfolios have been widely adopted as a learning and assessment tool in Europe, the United
Kingdom, and the United States (Barrot, 2021). Various studies report that the use of eportfolios promote reflection and even language learning. In terms of writing pedagogy,
researchers claim that e-portfolios facilitate the exchange of peer feedback (Hall & Townsend,2017). Despite the increasing support and interest for experimentation with e-portfolios,
research on its utility is just beginning to emerge (Mapundu & Musara, 2019) especially amidst
the COVID-19 crisis.
This article aims to explore whether e-portfolios can be used to improve undergraduate
students’ writing performance and motivation in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) sinceresearch in the use of Padlets as e-portfolios with undergraduate students is scarce in that
context. The study intends to address the following research questions:
1. What is the impact of Padlets, when used as e-portfolios, on undergraduate students’
writing performance?
2. What are undergraduate students’ perceptions of the impact of Padlets, when used as eportfolios, on their writing performance?
3. What are undergraduate students’ perceptions of the impact of Padlets, when used as eportfolios, on their motivation?
First, the recent literature regarding the use of e-portfolios to enhance undergraduate students’
writing proficiency and motivation will be presented to identify potential gaps in the literature.
Then, the methodology of the study and its outcomes will be thoroughly explored anddiscussed. Eventually, conclusions will be presented, the limitations of the study will be
examined and suggestions for future research as well as recommendations for the successful
implementation of e-portfolios in undergraduate education will be proposed.
Literature Review
The Impact of Padlets on Students’ Writing Skills
Padlet is a valuable device-agnostic tool for interaction on virtual wall that allows students toexpress their views on a specific topic more easily (Jaganathan, 2016). It can be used as an
online paper sheet on which learners can post any kind of content (e.g., pictures, videos, andtext) anywhere on this page and can be accessed by many users form various devices, such as,
laptop, desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Padlets enhance students’ motivation and creativity as
they allow them to take part in various collaborative activities safely (Fuchs, 2014). However,some researchers report that it can lead to cheating and may seem monotonous for somelearners (Wulandari, 2018).
There are several studies that have used e-portfolios in HEI but only one that has used Padlets
to enhance undergraduate students’ learning. Song (2021) used Padlets as e-portfolios in terms

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of a module in a Polytechnic in Singapore to evaluate its effectiveness through 226 students’
perceptions using a survey. Findings indicated that Padlets could enhance learners’autonomous learning if students were carefully scaffolded and supported throughout theimplementation. This quantitative study highlights the need for qualitative studies which could
present the benefits and challenges of using e-portfolios with undergraduate students. The
current study intends to examine students’ perceived ease of use and usefulness, their
inclinations to use this technological tool as well as their perspectives while experimenting
with it.
Kongsuebchart and Suppasetseree (2018), who investigated the effects of a Weblog-based eportfolio on the English writing skills of forty-five Thai EFL undergraduate students reported
significant improvement of students’ writing skills and participants’ positive opinions towards
e-portfolios. However, they stressed that a prerequisite for the successful use of e-portfolios isfor all students to have a reliable Internet connection and suitable technology for learning. The
current study intends to explore the challenges of using e-portfolios with undergraduate
students in a European country as a means of improving their writing skills to compare
findings.
Furthermore, Ngui et al. (2020) explored the impact of implementing e-portfolios at a public
university in Malaysia and concluded that it contributed to the successful enhancement ofundergraduate students' writing skills. Students confessed that they improved their writing
skills considerably, but the researchers admitted that further research was necessary acrossother HEI for comparison. They claimed that a comparison of different case studies might
additionally reveal more development, strengths and challenges related to e-portfolio use.
Barrot (2019) also examined the effects of Facebook-based e-portfolios on 89 L2 English
students’ writing performance. The study emphasized the beneficial effects of e-portfolios due
to Facebook’s interactive features, flexibility, accessibility as well as its ability to expose
students to social pressure and increase their audience awareness. However, τhe researcher
highlighted the need for more qualitative data that would explore students’ experience in using
various online platforms as e-portfolios. These studies could also examine students’
psychological dimensions, such as attitudes towards writing or e-portfolios and motivation.
Barrot encourages researchers to use interviews or focus group discussions and adds that theuse of technology for educational purposes provides a rich area for future investigations.
Consequently, it should be treated as one of the core foci of any research agenda on technologyenhanced pedagogy. The current study will further explore some of the areas that Barrot has
highlighted in his study.
Finally, Karami et al. (2019) explored Iranian students’ perceptions of e-portfolios and theirimpact on students’ writing performance and revealed that e-portfolios had a significant effecton undergraduate students' writing achievement. They highlighted learners' positive attitude
towards the use of e-portfolios because of its accessibility, convenience, and the feedback they
could receive through it.
The Impact of Padlets on Students’ Motivation
The current study also intended to examine whether the use of Padlets as e-portfolios with
undergraduate students could enhance their motivation and autonomy as learners. The use of
Padlets as e-portfolios have never been explored before, to the knowledge of the present
researcher.

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E-portfolio is an “alternative” form of assessment which helps learners develop their autonomy
and self-confidence as writers through interaction among each other especially when used in
combination with an online learning platform (Marín, 2020; Meihami et al., 2018; Nicholson,2018). As Chaudhuri and Cabau (2017) point out, helping people become aware of each other’sand one’s own learning fosters increased autonomous life-long learning. Undergraduate
students’ willingness to engage with e-portfolios and online learning platforms is going to be
explored as very little research has been conducted to examine their attitudes to date (Aygün& Aydın, 2016). A key feature of e-portfolios is that learners interact with each other as theycreate their e-portfolios, provide feedback to each other, and gain considerable benefits (Oh etal., 2020).
In the constructivist theory, learners should be conscious of their own learning process anddevelop their metacognitive skills so that they can control and evaluate their learning process
on their own. The social constructivist perspective on learning puts the learner at the centre of
the teaching, learning and assessment process, and the metacognitive functions are deemed as
crucial as learners should be able to build accorded new knowledge on their own (Hussain &Al Saadi, 2019). Nicol and Milligan (2006) propose principles for effective formative feedback
through alternative assessment methods such as e-portfolios which aim to enhance learning.
They claim that formative feedback should focus on self-regulation as learners need to set goals
and plan strategies to achieve them, manage their resources, and try to achieve their goals. They
also focus on learners’ critical appraisal (Nicol et al., 2014) and problem-solving skills (Hwanget al., 2014). In terms of the present research study, undergraduate students’ perceptions of theways in which e-portfolios may enhance their learning will be explored to supplement theexisting literature.
E-portfolio, one of the most prominent forms of formative assessment, helps learners develop
various learning strategies by fostering co-operative learning and self-management which is ahidden benefit of engaging the learner in his/her learning process (Cabau, 2017). Through selfand other-regulation which are fostered as students engage in e-portfolios, certain learning
processes which were in a state of development may have had an opportunity to mature andconsolidate, and new knowledge may have been generated (Segaran & Hasim, 2021; Lei &Chan, 2017).
Rokhsareh et al. (2015) investigated motivational factors of using e-portfolios fromundergraduate learners’ perspective. After interviewing 15 students from the chemicalengineering, civil engineering, and computing programs, the researchers identified a eightmotivational factors, that is, information quality, system quality, consequences of use, learnercompetence, social norms, positive feedbacks, ownership, and service quality. Since only 15
learners participated in the study, the researcher highlighted the need for future research studies
with larger sample size. Addressing that need for studies with more participants, the current
study explored 100 undergraduate students’ perceptions of e-portfolios.
In sum, there are several gaps in the literature regarding undergraduate students’ perceptionsof the impact of e-portfolios on students’ writing performance and their motivation as learners(Ifinedo, 2017; Yang et al., 2016). Although the use of e-portfolios is associated with numerous
benefits in relation to student writing performance (Aygün & Aydın, 2016) and motivation(Ciesielkiewicz, 2019), more research is needed to provide insights on undergraduate students’attitudes towards e-portfolios. The current study aimed at addressing various literature gaps
using a semi-experimental design, a focus group discussion, and a survey. There is still little

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research on how to adapt this approach (e-portfolios) to address the needs of undergraduate
students worldwide (Hall & Townsend, 2017).
Consequently, the current study explored the use of e-portfolios as an innovative learning andassessment method with undergraduate students in HEI. The aim was to examine
undergraduate students’ perceptions of the usefulness of e-portfolios in terms of enhancing
students’ writing performance and motivation towards learning.
Methodology
Participants
The current study engaged 200 students, aged 19-35, in using Padlets to create e-portfolios andinteract with each other with the aim of improving their writing skills and motivation as learners
for approximately four months (13 weeks in total) in terms of a general Academic Writing
Skills Module at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. The participants formed six mixed-ability
groups of local and international students (Table 1). This was their first year at the university
and students found writing a rather challenging task. Students had to develop their academic
skills in terms of a module which asked them to produce a variety of written tasks and include
them in their e-portfolios. Students attended two 60-minute classes per week, used the samematerial and were taught by the same lecturer who was also the researcher of this study. Thesestudents had to present English language qualifications as a pre-requisite to start their degree
which classified them as upper intermediate stage (B2) EFL learners according to the Common
European Framework of Reference (CEFR) (Council of Europe, 2001). The lecturer asked
students to provide anonymous feedback every two to three weeks using Mentimeter. The
lecturer also conducted regular group discussions to identify any challenges that the students
may have been facing and provide the necessary support. Participation in the discussions andthe provision of feedback was optional. The lecturer asked for the students’ permission to use
their feedback and marks. The students provided their oral consent since the lecturer ensured
confidentiality and anonymity of their responses. The lecturer also informed the University andwas granted their approval.
Table 1
Demographic Details and Characteristics of Participating Students
Students

Frequency

Male

76

Female124

High-achievers

14

Medium-achievers

118

Low-achievers

68

GenderClass rank

Instruments and Procedure
Students had to write a pre-test which was a reflective report (Figure 1). In that report, they had
to reflect on their experiences in terms of writing and assessment so far and discuss those that72

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had a significant impact on their lives. Students then received training in how to use Padlets as
e-portfolios and were given several samples to understand what they should do. They firstcreated a free account and started building their portfolios choosing the background, headings,
texts, videos, or pictures they wanted to include which were relevant to the topics and wereasked to upload their texts on their portfolios and share the link with their lecturer and peers
asking for feedback. In terms of this module, students had to develop their writing skills.
Students received instruction regarding report writing and were asked to prepare a reportchoosing one topic from the five provided by the lecturer i.e., the importance of diversity andinclusion. Students uploaded their work on their Padlet and used a forum on their VLE toexchange ideas and share the links of their e-portfolios on Padlet. The module tutor played therole of e-portfolio moderator facilitating students’ interaction and engagement, providing input
when students made mistakes as they discussed various concepts or deviated from the topic of
the main discussion. She even had to play the role of a judge resolving conflicts or
misunderstandings.
Figure 1
Implementation Cycle

Pre-test (Reflective
report)Reflective report

ArticleTraining (e-portfolios)

Argumentative
essay

Students received their final mark by the lecturer who provided a mark for all written texts, anargumentative essay, an article and two reflective reports. Students received instruction
regarding the different genres (article, essay, report). They also had to write a self-reflective
report at the end of the implementation explaining what they have gained from the wholeexperience and whether they liked it or not and why. Students were also encouraged to offer
suggestions for improvement of the e-portfolio implementation. This report served as a posttest and both tests (pre- and post-test) were evaluated taking into consideration the same
marking scheme which was prescribed and approved by the University after negotiation ofminor elements with the students.
Students invited their peers to provide either written or oral feedback in the form of a shortvideo taking into consideration the marking rubric that was used in terms of this module. The

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lecturer negotiated the marking scheme with the students and made some minor changes toallow students to engage even more in the intervention since they felt they owned theassessment criteria as they were able to change them even slightly. They were asked to provide
up to five suggestions for improvement and indicate up to five strengths of their peers’ texts
for two of their peers. To make sure that all students received the same amount of feedback,students could provide feedback on their peers’ Padlets on a first comes first served basis.
Therefore, once 2 students had provided feedback on one draft, no additional feedback could
be provided by other students. They just had to pick another student.
Students explored these topics in the face-to-face setting and online, and based on theirconversations, they were asked to provide anonymous feedback addressing three mainquestions regarding each topic (one topic was covered in two-three weeks) in the form ofassignment. The specific questions were: (1) What have you learnt of the topics that we
explored? (2) What are your personal perceptions of the issues examined? and, (3) How does
the above learning contribute to your development and growth as undergraduate learners? It
was determined that the assignments should be between 600 and 700 words. All these data
were utilized to answer all research questions. Students had also to post their views (50 words)
related to discussions during the lectures and tutorials.
Students were promised to get 10% of the overall marks as a kind of reward if they provided
kind, honest, detailed, thoughtful and helpful feedback. The lecturer and the author of the text
indicated whether they thought the student had really read the text, reflected on it, and provided
valuable feedback. Students were provided the same kind of feedback from their peers andlecturer and were then asked to reflect on the feedback and make revisions. They wereencouraged to take into consideration only the suggestions that they thought would really help
them improve their work.
In terms of exploring students’ attitudes, data were collected from students’ final reflection
essays, the lecturer’s field notes from observations and focus group discussions, and students’anonymous feedback through Mentimeter as students were asked to provide feedback
regarding the process of the implementation every two to three weeks. The overall aim was totriangulate the data, identify and determine the themes, and establish reliability of the datacollected (Nowell et al., 2017). The researcher analysed all data using thematic analysis. (Terryet al., 2017). Data analysis included specifying the units of analysis coding data, sorting codes,
and generating themes (Deterding & Waters, 2021). She also had an assistant who analysed
20% of the data which were chosen randomly to enhance the reliability of the analysis. The
researcher and the assistant went through 20% of the data and identified recurring themes. They
then used a small phrase to describe the theme. They found themes in four categories which
will be presented below.
Findings and Discussion
Impact on Students’ Writing Performance
The current study explored the impact of e-portfolio assessment on students’ writing
performance by comparing students post- versus pre-tests. The students had to write a reflective
report before and after the implementation. The researcher scored all reports and a second
assessor with a PhD in Applied Linguistics, blindly scored 20% of all pre- and post-test reports
using the same marking rubric after receiving training on how to rate other students by the
researcher. The interrater agreement was 95% and any disagreements were discussed and74

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resolved between the coders (Belotto, 2018). The outcomes of students’ writing pre- and posttests can be seen in Table 2.
Table 2Students’ Writing Pre- and Post-Test Scores

Experimental groups

Pre-test

M
29.88

SD
14.99

Control groups

Post-test
Pre-test

54.54
22.88

9.95
15.05

Post-test

25.01

14.79

A paired t-test was conducted to explore experimental groups students’ progress and showedthat there was a statistically significant difference between students' pre-test (M = 29.88, SD =14.99, n = 100) and post-test (M = 54.54, SD = 9.95, n = 100) on writing performance (t (99)
= 23.02, p < .05) (Cohen's d: 1.93). A similar test was performed for the control groups, and it
showed that the difference between students’ pre-test (M=22.88, SD=15.05, n=100) and posttest (M=25.01, SD=14.79, n=100) and post-test was not statistically significant (t (99) = 1.8,
p< .05) (Cohen's d: 0.14). Cohen’s effect size value (d = 1.93) suggested a “large” effect sizeand high practical significance for the experimental groups and a rather “low” effect size (d =0.14) for the control groups.
An independent samples t-test was performed which indicated that students who were involvedin the e-portfolio assessment scored higher than student who submitted their work as separate
assignments and that this difference in performance was statistically significant t (198) = 8.064,
p=0.004<.05. Then, a Levene’s test was performed in Excel and the p value was .004<.05
which indicates a violation of the assumption that the variance is equal across the control andexperimental groups and indicates that the difference between the variances is statisticallysignificant.
Perceived Impact on Students’ Writing Skills
Our study indicated that students appreciated the fact that they could easily store their workand add various elements to make it more attractive to potential readers, i.e., add podcasts.
They were able to identify their strengths and weaknesses more easily and check whether they
were able to improve their work as one student reports:
I love the fact that I can always look back at my work and see the progress I
have made. I can also have a look at peers’ and my lecturers’ comments andkeep them into consideration when I am writing something new. I also enjoy
adding mew elements to my e-portfolio i.e., my own podcasts. The wholeexperience is so engaging and interactive.
Since peer feedback was used as part of this alternative assessment method that promotes
assessment for learning, students were able to engage in a productive dialogue by providing
comments and suggestions for improvement to their peers. Students also thought that they wereable to develop their linguistic abilities as they were looking for material and ideas, weremonitoring their work and engaging with each other’s texts. They were also able to develop
content knowledge in a variety of fields which would be valuable for the rest of their modules.

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Moreover, they seemed more engaged with developing ways in which they could learn more
effectively rather than accumulating information and memorizing it as is often the norm at thislevel. They were able to change their mindsets (Kabilan & Khan, 2012) and become more
actively involved in their own learning.
I was so bored when I was asked to write an assignment and submit it. Several
module lecturers ask me to write similar assignments. This is demotivating
really. With e-portfolios, I can decide what I want to do and how to do it andadd images and videos. I love sharing my work with others and having a lookat their work as I can get new ideas which help me improve my writing skills.
Students were able to produce better and longer texts and improve various aspects of writing,that is, mechanics and grammar. They felt that they could produce more complex sentences
and use new vocabulary since they were able to explore various texts and their peers’ work as
well. One of the students claimed:
Exams are so boring. We have to memorise a lot of information and just use
them during the exam. Nobody remembers anything afterwards. Assignments
are also boring as we do not use any creative skills and we do not interact with
our peers. In portfolios, students can also include their reflections and allow
the lecturer to take them into consideration when he/she marks our assignment.
Our lecturer can also detect how he/she can improve his/her teaching practices,
what we like and what we hate. As a result, he/she may improve the wholelearning procedure.
Students felt that they could easily monitor their work and gradually improve their academic
performance. They could also include aspects of their personality in their portfolios as they
were able to combine text with, for example, infographics. As a result, they could engage others
to read their texts and they could also re-read and reflect on their work with the aim to increase
their writing proficiency through peer and self-assessment (Yang et al., 2016).
Finally, in terms of e-portfolios, the lecturer also stressed the significance of process writingand encouraged students to revise their work reflecting on the feedback they received. Eachtime, they received feedback on their work, they were asked to check older versions of theirwork, organise their thoughts and make all necessary changes as they focused on improving
different aspects in their writing. As they enhanced their writing skills, students also developed
various other professional skills such as reflection and critical thinking.
Benefits Related to Students’ Motivation
According to students’ feedback, e-portfolios seemed to boost students’ motivation as they
allowed students’ complete development. Students had to combine a variety of skills, forexample, creativity, autonomous critical thinking, good judgement, sensitivity, and aesthetic
appreciation at the same time as they allow students to use a variety of resources and combine
them in unique ways according to their own personality and taste.
We are bored to death. We either sleep on our desks or play video games during
the lectures. We are demotivated as everything is so repetitive. Same
assignments for all modules. No possibility of choosing our topic or of doing
something more creative. Portfolios are so much more inclusive. Every student
has an opportunity to succeed rather than fail. So, no student is left behind.

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Students found e-portfolios extremely interesting and motivating as assessment and learning
tools as they seemed to engage more actively and deeply in their own learning, understandwhat is expected from them and set their own short and long-term goals. Affective assessment
provided by peers also enhanced their writing performance and provided additional insights
into their own challenges indicating solutions that the lecturer may never have thought of. Oneof the participants reports:
I don’t mind devoting time while I work on my e-portfolio as I am free to do
whatever I want. I love this sense of freedom and personal responsibility as
well. I am also flattered when my peers are impressed by my work and ask forsuggestions to improve their own e-portfolios.
Students appreciated the fact that their lecturers could evaluate both the process and the final
product and give them credit for their efforts. Lecturers could also intervene, provide additional
support and guidance, and praise learners for their efforts. Students believed that e-portfolios
were more comprehensive and meaningful since they allowed students to show their efforts
and add their personal touch (Jawaid & Tariq, 2018). Finally, e-portfolios allowed students tofamiliarise themselves with the assessment criteria helping them reflect on their work after
receiving multiple feedback.
Perceived Challenges Relevant to Students’ Writing Skills
Students claimed that their lecturer had to check peer feedback to make sure students assesseach other’s work correctly as students expressed some complaints. They reported that thelecturer might also be influenced when students used other interactive material such as videos
and pictures in their e-portfolios. Consequently, lectures might provide more marks than theywould have if they had assessed the written text only. A student complained that:
I think my lecturer is unfair. I do not have time to find material to make my eportfolio more interactive. I think that has an impact on my grade. This isunfair.
The literature also claims that e-portfolios are often invalid and unreliable (Dune et al., 2018).
Students in the current study also detected that some of their peers had a tendency to repeat
themselves and paraphrase or even plagiarise as they did not have enough time to spend whenworking on their portfolios (also in Yang et al., 2016).
Perceived Challenges Related to Students’ Motivation
Significant challenges are reported in the literature regarding the reliability of e-portfolios. The
assessment criteria should be clear, and e-portfolios should be used in combination with some
final examination as students feel that is fairer. Some students have negative attitudes towards
this approach as it requires higher involvement, more time spent to improve digital skills(Kongsuebchart & Suppasetseree, 2018) and facing various challenges, i.e., problems withinternet connection, facilities, and resources to prepare the material to include in the eportfolios etc. Time constraints that students have is also an issue as well as workload
constraints from other modules as a participant indicates:
I really find it hard to understand the rules of the game and the assessment
criteria. Thank God, we also have the final exams. I also find it hard to use eportfolios without proper guidance and support. I am not proud of my digitalskills. I need help.

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Unreliable internet connection or software issues may hinder students as they try to engage in
online discussion in the fora and they might lose unsaved work or be unable to post theircontributions to online discussions. This is a very frustrating experience for students, but the
recent COVID-19pandemic has taught people to be more patient and resourceful. Few mature
students also described their own challenges:“I am not good with computers. I do not have the time to develop both my digital
and writing skills, not in just 12 weeks. I also find it difficult to understand how
Padlets work. They are not that user-friendly.
Implications
The current study confirms what was reported in the literature but also indicates several usefulimplications. For instance, when using e-portfolios, lecturers must ensure that the assessment
criteria used are crystal clear to enhance the reliability of the e-portfolio approach (Barrot,
2021). This should be used in conjunction with other summative forms of assessment.
However, it should count for at least 50% of the overall final grade to be meaningful forstudents to engage in it as it is demanding in terms of time and overall effort. Lecturers andmodule leaders should carefully check the timing of submitting the e-portfolio, arrange sessions
for students about paraphrasing and plagiarism providing acceptable and unacceptable example
with reasons and strategies to avoid them (Barrett, 2011). They should also train students towork independently and reward them for their efforts. Students should understand why it isimportant to be able to create an e-portfolio. This can be used for e-branding purposes as they
will be looking for a job after their graduation. Lecturers should also allow students to work on
a variety of topics to avoid repetition, make sure they engage all learners, provide meaningful
feedback and clear suggestions for improvement.
There are also implications for researchers who wish to explore alternative assessment methods
even further. The current study has several limitations as it explored the use of e-portfolios
with a small number of students in a specific context for only one semester. Future researchshould be more thorough and explore the use of e-portfolios at a large scale in undergraduate
education for a longer time frame. It could also examine its impact on other skills, i.e., oral,
and professional skills.
Universities should also make sure that all students are provided with access to the internet,
laptops, and any other resources necessary to design and complete their e-portfolios and grant
extensions if there are unexpected problems, i.e., inability to join a specific network (Lei et al.,2017). They must provide professional development courses to train their staff in using
alternative assessment methods, such as e-portfolios, to help students take responsibility for
their own learning and develop various skills necessary to thrive in the current highly
competitive world.
There are also implications for undergraduate students who should be less timid and willing to
make their e-portfolios available to other people such as family, friends, and employers as they
can show the range of skills people may possess, how creative and/or reflective they are andask for feedback as there is always room for improvement. Another suggestion forimprovement would be to try to increase the ways in which students engage in collaboration
by designing group e-portfolios and fostering ongoing interaction by using additional resources
for example, a group on Facebook or twitter. This would enable more people to get involved
in discussions around various topics and contribute their ideas and experiences. In the long78

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term, these exchanges could help students enrich their e-portfolios, improve their writing skills,
increase their motivation as learners and expand their network (Cabau, 2017).
Moreover, taking into consideration the findings of the current study, the implementation of eportfolios should be more structured so that students could easily understand the rules andfollow them (Barrot, 2019). To address ethical issues, there should be frequent supervision of
the procedure and open communication as well as severe penalties for academic offenders. Eportfolios allow students to have a voice and express their feelings, ideas, and concerns. These
can then be taken into consideration to enhance students’ overall experience. A brilliant idea
would be to decrease students’ burden by allowing them to produce one portfolio for all
modules they have every semester or one portfolio for the whole duration of their BA studies.
This would allow students to improve their work by interacting with one another and decrease
the number of exams and assignments they have focusing on the process as well as the final
product.
In sum, the aim of this study was to explore undergraduate learners’ perceptions of Padlets
when used as e-portfolios and their learning benefits especially in terms of enhancing students’
writing skills and attitudes towards learning. Understanding their perspectives can lead to
improvements in the implementation of e-portfolios, further the HEI’s mission, and ultimately
benefit all stakeholders.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The current study explored the use of Padlets as e-portfolios with undergraduate students.
Students insisted that they should have clear assessment system (well-developed rubrics withidentifiable criteria) explaining expected contribution and participation and that the emphasisshould be on the quality rather than quantity of contributions and interaction as e-portfolios
need to be directly aligned with their intended purpose. Validity should also be reflected in thefocus of evaluation for any decision to be fair and accurate. To increase the reliability of thewhole procedure, the focus should be on the process rather than the product by observing
students’ contribution and overall performance.
Writers’ rapid growth was discernible in their e-portfolios, their engagement with the forum
and the quality of feedback they provided. However, lecturers should help their students
develop a deeper understanding of their expectations as writers, enhance their critical thinking
and assessment skills and challenge their existing beliefs about learning. Students should be
encouraged to check their peers’ e-portfolios and contribute in terms of interactive activities
by negotiating meaning and form, identifying problems, and providing solutions andsuggestions for improvement of their peers’ e-portfolios. They should also exchange points ofview in a civilised and constructive way and share ideas which will help their peers grow as
writers. Using e-portfolios has helped these learners gradually improve their writing skills in
so many ways, that is, by increasing understanding of ways in which they can improve theirwriting efficacy; enhancing linguistic abilities and improving their so called “soft skills”;
improving their content knowledge as regards various topics; developing their digital skills,
autonomy and interpersonal skills, and managing to move from a fixed to a growth mindset.
Educators encounter various challenges when implementing e-portfolios as they must train
students to develop their critical thinking, reflective and digital skills and develop an openness
towards other people’s ideas and perceptions. Course leaders should be knowledgeable andexperienced when using e-portfolios. They should supervise the whole procedure closely and79

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intervene to make sure all students reap their benefits. Experienced lecturers can engage
learners in interaction, encourage peer learning and promote learning how to learn taking into
consideration students’ unique character. Students should be trained systematically for a long
period and supported by peers and their lecturers. Students gradually learn how to fill their own
gaps, organise their ideas and never give up.
The present study has also indicated that other types of assessment can also help in triangulating
data from the e-portfolios as continuous assessment is necessary. Lecturers should motivate
learners to increase both quality and quantity of their e-portfolios and help them realise theirown reasons why they should try to improve their writing skills by engaging actively in the eportfolio experience. Students should engage in continuous learning and show flexibility invarious socio-cultural contexts as they will need to continuously add knowledge and skills to
become competitive in the employment market and find a career-enhancing position.
The current study stressed that as students often get confused, each e-portfolio should have a
specific aim and help students set their own goals, refine their skills, and reflect on how they
can improve. Students can then engage in a variety of ways to improve their work, observe
others, critically reflect on their work, try out new things, fail, adapt and be flexible but mostof all think critically and grow within a community of learners who help each other to reach
their own personal learning goals.
Currently, the advantages and disadvantages of developing e-portfolios from the student
perspective have been largely ignored (Aygün & Aydın, 2016). Educators need to understandwhat aspects of e-portfolios promote learning especially in terms of students’ writing skills andenhance their motivation (Ciesielkiewicz, 2019). Therefore, more research and educational
projects that utilize e-portfolios as a learning tool are needed to help practitioners have a clearer
picture of its benefits in the long run as an alternative assessment method that promotes
inclusive learning.

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Corresponding author: Eleni Meletiadou
Email: elenim@outlook.com

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