Costs and Benefits of Electronic Portfolios in Teacher Education

Abstract: This descriptive study investigated the benefits and costs of using electronic portfolios (EPs) in preservice teacher education by examining the voices of students in six programs thought to be mature in their implementation. Benefits included opportunities to reflect, better access to and organization of professional documents, increased technology skills, and better understanding of teaching standards. The costs or disadvantages included issues of program implementation, access to and reliability of the technology, and the amount of time and effort expended. The authors conclude that understanding student perceptions of their experiences can lead to improved practices and policies with regard to EPs and should be considered in future research.