Create. Share. Engage.

What did Prof Dr Mark Brown learn about portfolios in his 21+ years of experience at Massey University and at Dublin City University, working with Mahara? He highlights three lessons:

1. Be clear about the purpose of the portfolio.
2. Support from the institution's leadership.
3. Embed portfolios into programme-wide assessment.

Mark advocates for learners to retain the ownership of their portfolio.

Most recently, Mark served as the Inaugural Professor of Digital Learning and Director of the National Institute of Digital Learning at Dublin City University.

Resources

• Mahara
• Mark Nichols' keynote at Mahara Hui 2014 'Mahara and the challenges of adulthood'
• Mahara Hui Online on 15 October 2026
• DCU's 10th Mahara anniversary event on 1 October 2026

Books

• Donaldson, L. (Ed.). (2018). Eportfolio based assessment—Inspiring exploration and supporting evaluation for practitioners. Dublin City University, National Institute for Digital Learning.
• Donaldson, L. (Ed.). (2021). Exemplars of DCU best practice with eportfolio based assessment. Dublin City University, National Institute for Digital Learning.
• Lowney, R., & O’Keeffe, N. (2026). Case studies of eportfolio assessment practices: Volume 3.
• Lowney, R., O’Keeffe, N., & Campau, S. (2026). ePortfolios at Dublin City University: The experiences of students and staff.
• Modise, M.-E., & Vaughan, N. (Eds.). (2025). Digital resilience of ePortfolios during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons for the future. Open Education Alberta.
• Scully, D., O’Leary, M., & Brown, M. (2018). The learning portfolio in higher education—A game of snakes and ladders. Dublin City University, Centre for Assessment Research, Policy & Practice in Education (CARPE) and National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL).

Related episodes

• Lisa Donaldson: From 0 to 6,000 in six weeks
• Orna Farrell: Supporting learners and lecturers alike in their portfolio journey
• Mark Brady: Journal regularly for profound insight
• Mark Glynn: Take a programmatic approach to assessment with portfolios
• Rob Lowney: Create collaborative portfolios to surface group learning
• Tabitha Parker: Build the habit of reflecting

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Production information
Production: Catalyst IT
Host: Kristina Hoeppner
Artwork: Evonne Cheung
Music: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Penny Leach, MA, from Catalyst, interviews podcast host Kristina Hoeppner, MA, on her time on the Mahara project since mid 2010, her experience working on Mahara and supporting organisations around the world in their portfolio implementations.

Resources

• European Language Passport and European Language Portfolio
• Event 'Celebrating and sharing ePortfolio practice', for the 10th anniversary of Loop Reflect (Mahara) at Dublin City University; includes links to two new volumes of portfolio case studies
• Interviews with Ruby Cooney and Emaan Sami Khan from Dublin City University
• Presentation 'Portfolios: Integral to your programmatic assessment approach'
• YouTube channel of the Mahara project
• Kristina's YouTube channel and presentations

Related episodes with (former) DCU members

• Lisa Donaldson: From 0 to 6,000 in six weeks
• Orna Farrell: Supporting learners and lecturers alike in their portfolio journey
• Mark Brady: Journal regularly for profound insight
• Mark Glynn: Take a programmatic approach to assessment with portfolios
• Rob Lowney: Create collaborative portfolios to surface group learning

Subscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.

Production information
Production: Catalyst IT
Host: Kristina Hoeppner
Artwork: Evonne Cheung
Music: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Christa Matlack, MSc, and Associate Teaching Prof Dr Rebecca Thomas from Bucknell University help students go deep into their reflection in their portfolio. They use the Taxonomy of Reflective Inquiry (TORI) to build their prompts for their students. Students can also use OpenAIR, the Open AI Resources, to use generative AI tools to help them with their reflection. The AI does not do the reflection for them though. It asks the questions, based on a specific TORI domain and selected category.

Rebecca is also the Inaugural Faculty Director of Bucknell University's Pathways Program, in which she and Christa have been supporting students across the university with portfolios since 2021. Portfolio work at Bucknell University is also supported through the NSF grant 'Revolutionizing Engineering Departments program'.

Resources

Papers

• Thomas, R., Appelhans, S., Kozick, R., Matlack, C., Asare, P., Thompson, M., Thomas, S. J., Nickel, R., & Cheville, A. (2023). Addressing the barriers of knowledge transfer: Using ePortfolios to enhance student reflection in technical courses. 2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 1–9. 
• Thomas, R., Appelhans, S., Thompson, S., Thomas, S., Nickel, R., Cheville, A., Kozick, R., Matlack, C., & Asare, P. (2023). Work in progress: Cultivating reflective engineers: Does providing a reflective ePortfolio experience in a first-year design course lead students to be more reflective in later courses? ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.

'Digication Scholars Conversation' podcast episodes

• Matlack, C. (Guest), Yan, J. (Host). (2024, January 31). Transforming career services: Insights from Bucknell University’s STEM Career Coach—Part 1 (No. 130). Digication Scholars Conversations [Podcast].
• Matlack, C. (Guest), Yan, J. (Host). (2024, February 14). Transforming career services: Insights from Bucknell University’s STEM Career Coach—Part 2 (No. 130). Digication Scholars Conversations [Podcast].
• Ramos, C. (Guest), Yan, J. (Host). (2025, March 5). Empathy and engineering: Bucknell student Clea Ramos on AI’s impact in academia and industry—Part 1 (No. 175). Digication Scholars Conversations [Podcast].
• Ramos, C. (Guest), Yan, J. (Host). (2025, March 12). Empathy and engineering: Bucknell student Clea Ramos on AI’s impact in academia and industry—Part 2 (No. 176). Digication Scholars Conversations [Podcast].
• Thomas, R. (Guest), Yan, J. (Host). (2024, February 21). Empowering STEM majors to make a difference with ePortfolios in engineering education Part 1 (No. 132). Digication Scholars Conversations [Podcast].
• Thomas, R. (Guest), Yan, J. (Host). (2024, February 21). Empowering STEM majors to make a difference with ePortfolios in engineering education Part 2 (No. 133). Digication Scholars Conversations [Podcast].

AAEEBL resources

• AAEEBL Annual Meeting
• AAEEBL Symposium
• Thomas, R., & Matlack, C. (2026, June 16). Designing effective reflective prompts for ePortfolios [Workshop]. AAEEBL Symposium, Online.
• Handout 'Develop an effective reflective prompt' from the workshop at the AAEEBL Symposium
• Thomas, R., & Matlack, C. (2026, June 17). First-generation students and campus success [Presentation]. AAEEBL Symposium, Online.
• Thomas, R. (2026, June 17). Show, don’t just tell with ePortfolios in Engineering [Presentation]. AAEEBL Symposium, Online.

Student portfolios

• Clea Ramos' portfolio
• Jackson Graney's portfolio

Related episodes

• Helen L. Chen: Reflect through conversation to tell your story
• Mike Joiner-Hill: Represent yourself through a portfolio
• Mike Altieri: Use reflection bot Riff for deeper and more meaningful portfolio reflection
• Enikö Parrag: Portfolios create a learning culture

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Production information
Production: Catalyst IT
Host: Kristina Hoeppner
Artwork: Evonne Cheung
Music: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Artificial intelligence, in particular generative AI, can produce writing that - at first glance - looks polished. But does that indicate that a student has learned? That this is their own experience? Teaching Professor Dr Theresa Conefrey from Santa Clara University in California, U.S.A., is all for her students using AI to support their writing, to tweak it, and to find ways to express themselves better. However, she advocates for students to stay in control of their writing, reflect on the AI suggestions, and iterate over their texts, doing the learning themselves. Learning requires effort, and students should embrace that effort and also reflect on their learning to make it stick.

Theresa teaches in the English department and in others, including Engineering. She is also the Director of Santa Clara University’s Peer Educator Program. Theresa is passionate about all things ePortfolio and has been a member of the AAEEBL Task Force on Digital Ethics in ePortfolios since 2020. Her research interests include ePortfolios, student learning, particularly first-generation university students' learning, and artificial intelligence in eduction.

Resources

• Conefrey, T. (2026, June 17). AI on our side in learning ePortfolios. AAEEBL Symposium 2026, Online.
• Mize, M., & Tyson, E. (2026, June 17). Centering student voice in an AI-mediated world: ePortfolios as a site of agency. AAEEBL Symposium, Online.
• Mize, M., & Tyson, E. (2026, June 17). Inviting curiosity about AI, writing, and design through ePortfolios. AAEEBL Symposium, Online.
• Riff - the AI reflection partner by Dr Leticia Britos Cavagnaro at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) at Stanford University
• AAEEBL Digital Ethics in ePortfolios Task Force
• AAEEBL AI webinar series
• Scott, S. (n.d.). Martin Buber (1878-1965). Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: A Peer-Reviewed Academic Resource. Retrieved September 6, 2026.

Related episodes

• Leticia Britos Cavagnaro: Make learning visible
• Mike Altieri: Use reflection bot Riff for deeper and more meaningful portfolio reflection
• Mario A. Peraza: Use AI to help curate your digital presence
• Michael Sankey: The portfolio as the place of representation for emerging professionals

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Production information
Production: Catalyst IT
Host: Kristina Hoeppner
Artwork: Evonne Cheung
Music: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Dipl.-Lehrerin* Enikö Parrag sees portfolios as vital educational practice in schools, vocational education, and beyond, especially at present when artificial intelligence can produce content easily. Portfolios are much more than an educational technology tool. They foster reflection, collaboration, and tell the learning journey of a student.

Artificial intelligence can be used to augment portfolio work, for example by creating a first draft of templates and by supporting students in their reflections.

As Founder and Managing Director of EDUTECSOL GmbH in Switzerland, Enikö and her team provide educational consultancy services, in particular around educational technology and artificial intelligence. EDUTECSOL has been a Mahara Business Partner since 2024. 

* Enikö's academic degree is that of a 'Dipl.-Lehrerin', which is a teaching diploma roughly equivalent to a postgraduate teaching qualification.

Resources

• Enikoe's newsletter 'Portfoliopraxis mit Mahara'
• Riff
• Mahara Hui Schweiz
• Webinar recording of 'Mahara and AI: What are you interested in?'
• AAEEBL AI webinar series

Related episodes

• Leticia Britos Cavagnaro: Make learning visible
• Mike Altieri: Use reflection bot Riff for deeper and more meaningful portfolio reflection
• Mario A. Peraza: Use AI to help curate your digital presence
• Zala Volcic: Develop community, relationships, and compassion

Subscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.

Production information
Production: Catalyst IT
Host: Kristina Hoeppner
Artwork: Evonne Cheung
Music: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Relational marking, a variant of negotiated marking, is part of the ungrading movement. It emphasises learning, regular feedback, and taking all of a student's work during a term into consideration. Thus, it is in direct opposition to anonymous marking where only the final output counts. Portfolios are very well suited for relational marking, and students - as well as faculty - reap enormous benefits when taking this approach, as Cathy Elliott shares in this episode.

Professor Dr Cathy Elliott, SFHEA, is Vice Dean (Education) in the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences at University College London (UCL), UK. She teaches a political science class on nature and supports over 1,000 faculty and 7,000 students in the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences at UCL.

Resources

• Elliott, C. (2025). Against anonymity: Relational marking and awarding gaps. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (Special Issue 35: Liberating Learning).
• Blum, S. D. (Ed.). (2020). Ungrading: Why rating students undermines learning (and what to do instead). West Virginia University Press.
• National Union of Students. (2008). Mark my words, not my name: The campaign for anonymous marking.
• 'Freedom to learn' movement at UCL

Related episodes

• Cathy Elliott: Creativity and feedback in assessment portfolios
• Cathy Elliott: Have fun, be flexible, and encourage feedback in your portfolio
• Fergus Green: The portfolio is a bit like jazz
• Zala Volcic: Develop community, relationships, and compassion
• Debbie Oesch-Minor and Salsabil Qaddoura: Foster student ownership and empowerment through a portfolio

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Production information
Production: Catalyst IT
Host: Kristina Hoeppner
Artwork: Evonne Cheung
Music: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Professionals in the workplace can benefit greatly from portfolios. They can reflect on their practice, get feedback from colleagues, collaborate with others, and tell their whole learning story while also gaining a certification.

Tabitha Parker, GradDipl HE, is an Education Consultant, Learning Solutions Architect, and Technical Lead working on large-scale change projects in the space of learning management systems and portfolio solutions who has been supporting students and professionals for many years in their portfolio work, designing programmes that fit them and that also respect the people creating portfolios.

Additionally, she's active volunteering for education projects. For example, she was the lead volunteer in Aotearoa New Zealand for One Laptop Per Child and Sugar Labs for several years, and is co-founder of the Manaiakalani Education Trust Hackers where she meets fellow volunteers on a monthly basis to further the mission of the trust.

Resources

• Quiding, J., Laidlaw, M., Parker, T., & Hoeppner, K. (2020, February 20). Portfolios come full circle in the world of work. SoTEL, Auckland University of Technology.
• Laidlaw, M., Parker, T., & Quiding, J. (2022, March 31). PDRP at Waitematā DHB. HiNZ Conference, Online.
• Hoeppner, K. (2018, July 13). Who creates open source software? ITx, Wellington, NZ.

Related episodes

• Stephen Harlow: Tell your story through your portfolio
• David Hicks: The portfolio tells the story of growth
• Zala Volcic: Develop community, relationships, and compassion
• Jaye Ryan: Showcase yourself through your portfolio

Subscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.

Production information
Production: Catalyst IT
Host: Kristina Hoeppner
Artwork: Evonne Cheung
Music: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Portfolio work can start at the school level and foster digital resilience through supporting students' technological adaptability, self-directed learning and metacognition, and critical digital engagement, says Molebogeng Esther Thage, MEd. She and Amokelo Given Maweya, MEd, developed a conceptual model to draw these connections and illustrate why portfolios are important in teaching and learning and why students benefit from reflecting on their learning.

Molebogeng is a teacher and a departmental head at a high school in the Tshwane West District, in the Gauteng Province in South Africa. Currently, she is also pursuing her PhD in Educational Foundation at The Tshwane University of Technology. Together with Amokelo, she wrote the chapter 'Digital resilience in the 21st century: The role of ePortfolios in fostering adaptive and technological competencies'.

Resources

• Modise, M.-E., & Vaughan, N. (Eds.). (2025). Digital resilience of ePortfolios during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons for the future. Open Education Alberta
• SAERA Conference
• Data Driven Districts (DDD)
• ePortfolios South Africa YouTube channel

Related episodes

• Mpho-Entle Modise & Norm Vaughan: The portfolio as enabler of change
• Antje Koenen: Engage with your students as partners through a portfolio

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Production information
Production: Catalyst IT
Host: Kristina Hoeppner
Artwork: Evonne Cheung
Music: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Dr Heather Pate is a Lecturer in the Academic Practice Team, and Rebecca Scriven, SFHEA, is the Digital Learning Lead, both in the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Edith Cowan University (ECU). They are instrumental in supporting the curriculum shift to a programmatic approach to learning that centrally features portfolios.

In this episode, they talk about how portfolios were used at ECU in the past and why the shift to programmatic learning is imperative. They also touch on the absolute need for the support from the whole institution, in particular the leadership to bring everybody along.

Resources

• ePortfolios Australia community of practice
• Eportfolio Forum 2026, 23-24 September 2026 in Sydney and online
• Pate, H., & Scriven, R. (2025, November 12). Finding the sweet spot: Portfolios, programmatic learning, and student belonging [Presentation]. Eportfolio Forum, Launceston. Recording.
• Beck, E., Scriven, R., & Coleman, K. (2026, June 2). Differences in opinion: Portfolio definitions, practices and approaches [Webinar]. 2026 Eportfolio Webinar Series, Online.
• Dollinger, M., Dawson, P., Ford, A., Liu, D., & Rekhari, S. (2026, June 4). Assuring online degrees in the age of gen AI [Panel conversation]. TEQSA Talks, Online. Recording to be published on the TEQSA Talks page.
• TEQSA Generative AI knowledge hub
• Coleman, K. (2017). An a/r/tist in wonderland Exploring identity, creativity and digital portfolios as a/r/tographer [PhD Thesis, University of Melbourne].
• ECU Newsroom. (2026, June 15). Programmatic learning delivers early results.

Related episodes

• Kate Mitchell: Deliberate and programmatic design
• Mark Glynn: Take a programmatic approach to assessment with portfolios

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Production information
Production: Catalyst IT
Host: Kristina Hoeppner
Artwork: Evonne Cheung
Music: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward

Prof Dr Candyce Reynolds (Boise State University), Prof Dr Debbie Oesch-Minor (Indiana University Indianapolis), and Dr Helen L. Chen (Stanford University) were on the organising teams of the AAEEBL Annual Meeting and / or AAEEBL Symposium, held in June 2026.

In this episode, we look back at these two events, what we are taking away from them, and share what some of the plans are for the Association for Authentic, Experiential, and Evidence-Based Learning in the coming months.

Resources

• AAEEBL Annual Meeting and Symposium 2026 website
• AAEEBL Symposium 2026 recordings
• AAEEBL Annual Meeting 2026 recording
• Integrative Learning Portfolio Lab at Stanford University
• ePortfolio Studio at Indiana University Indianapolis
• Taxonomy of Reflective Inquiry (TORI)
• International Journal of ePortfolio (IJeP)
• AAEEBL ePortfolio Review (AePR)
• Modise, M.-E., & Vaughan, N. (Eds.). (2025). Digital resilience of ePortfolios during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons for the future. Mount Royal University Library.
• Yancey, K. (2023). The value of purposeful design: A case study of an ePortfolio reflective prompt. Across the Disciplines, 20(3/4), 31-49.
• Riff - Reflection partner
• AAEEBL Digital Ethics in ePortfolios Task Force application; deadline: 15 September 2026
• AAEEBL newsletter

Upcoming events

• Follow AAEEBL events to receive notifications about upcoming events
• AAEEBL Shark Tank, August 2026; pitch submission deadline: 31 July 2026
• Eportfolio Forum in Sydney, Australia, and online, 23-24 September 2026
• FLANZ conference 'He Tāngata' in Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, 7-9 October 2026
• Assessment Institute in Indianapolis, IN, USA, 18-20 October 2026

Related episodes

• Candyce Reynolds & Sonja Taylor: Hashtags, social media, and portfolios
• Debbie Oesch-Minor and Salsabil Qaddoura: Foster student ownership and empowerment through a portfolio
• Helen L. Chen: Reflect through conversation to tell your story

Subscribe to the monthly newsletter about Mahara and portfolios.

Production information
Production: Catalyst IT
Host: Kristina Hoeppner
Artwork: Evonne Cheung
Music: The Mahara tune by Josh Woodward