Beyond the E-portfolio: Supporting Connectivity and Communities of Learning in a Virtual Environment

Abstract

With the emphasis of higher education shifting beyond the physical boundaries of the university, it is important to have a means for students to feel connected when they are geographically distant and to connect with their disparate learning experiences in order to make meaning of these experiences beyond individual, solitary reflection. Thus we introduce connect*ed, a project to facilitate on-the-move communication, social learning and collaboration that exploits the potential of the virtual world. This will serve the dual purpose of building student communities of learning while also providing psychosocial support for students who are away from their home environs.