Enhancing the effectiveness of e-learning through the combination of personal learning portfolios and social networks

Abstract

This paper reports about an empirical research project that was set to investigate the pedagogical effect of the use of personalised learning portfolios (PLP) in combination with social networks to personalise the eLearning experience. The study reported investigates the notion of PLP as they subscribe to socio-constructivist pedagogies where the students are conceptualised as active agents involved in constructing knowledge, refining their understanding, and learning socially through sharing with peers and teachers. In this sense PLPs intersect with notions of independent learning that occurs through the use of social networks where users create, contribute, comment, tag, rate, remix, and share resources. The grounding of the theory of this investigation lies in the critical discussion of theories of adaptive learning, connectivism, and self-determination that together bring the two aspects of personal learning portfolios and social networks to form an interesting educational phenomenon that is worth investigating from an academic and pedagogical point of view.