Each academic year more and more students launch their own e-portfolios in European universities. Although there is still not an agreed framework for such developments, authorities, tutors, career counsellors and students themselves recognise the potential of e-portfolio for their personal, professional and academic developments.

The pedagogical and functional value of the e-portfolio as a tool which supports reflective learning and empowers learners to participate actively in the knowledge economy is being increasingly recognized. The potential of the e-portfolio process to increase learner self-esteem and support self-directed learning is attracting the attention of HE institutions as they move to embrace e-learning.

Benefits for learners:

• Support for independent learning, which is crucial for the development of academic research skills. It puts the student in the centre of the learning process and equips him/her with a powerful tool for personal development, enhancing critical thinking, writing and communication skills.
• Facilitation of the presentation of achievements for various audiences, such as examination boards, tutors, peers or potential employers, in an attractive and portable way.
• Presentation of various on-line activities and enhancement of their educational and professional value with different media and formats
• Support for personal knowledge management and personal development planning as a unique opportunity for reflecting over one‘s learning and, at the same time, encouragement of progress by demonstrating achievements
• Benefits for academics
• Easy access to students’ records and evidence.
• Enhancement of the teaching strategies, enabling to focus on the individual learner and incorporate alternative assessment methods.
• Sharing contents and reflections.
• Support for professional development planning.

• Facilitation of data flow and transparency, allowing quick access to students’ records. It is especially important with the view to cross-faculty, cross-university or multinational programs, where the mobility of both academics and students is high.
• Support for the outcome-based accreditation and certification process
• Support for building a learning community of academics