Newly-innovated E-portfolio to Promote Dynamic Collective Evaluation on Students' Extramural English Written Artifacts

Abstract

Performance-based evaluation through digital portfolios is not new. In these portfolios, the teacher usually takes the central role in assessing students' artifacts. Peers and the students themselves have not been involved in the evaluation process. To provide solutions to the problem, a new e-portfolio model was developed. This research then investigated if an e-portfolio with its hold system could push students to get involved in an online collective-dynamic evaluation. As many as 25 students of English took part in this study and were required to collect at least 20 credit points to complete the study through dynamic online interactions. The students had to upload 4 to 7 5-paragraph English essays of any topics of their preference to be then teacher-validated, peer- evaluated, teacher-evaluated, self-evaluated, rated and petitioned if the scoring was considered unfair. Giving peer-evaluation was set voluntary; however, an upload had to receive at least 3 evaluative entries and each entry had to be composed of at least 30 words to be eligible for submission. Credit points were awarded to every upload and participation to be then automatically recorded in an online transcript. A certificate of accomplishment was printable when the 20 credits had been achieved. Data on peer- evaluation, self-evaluation, and petition recorded in the system was analyzed to see the rate of participation and enthusiasm in joining the collective-dynamic evaluation. First, results show that the number of entries and words used in each peer-evaluation significantly exceeds the required number (required: 3 and 30). Second, the average number of words used in the self-evaluation also significantly goes above the cut-off (174 words per entry, required: 40). Third, the petition cycle has been used by 9 students and they make 145 words for each petition (required: 40). In conclusion, the data confirms that the hold system is effective to build both individual and collaborative participation and to push students to get extensively and collectively involved in the dynamic online evaluation.