Development of an electronic Portfolio system success model: An information systems approach Igor Balaban a, * , Enrique Mu b,1 , Blazenka Divjak a, 2 a University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organization and Informatics Vara zdin, Pavlinska 2, 42 000 Varazdin, Croatia b Carlow University, 3333 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA article info Article history: Received 11 January 2012 Received in revised form 4 June 2012 Accepted 10 June 2012 Keywords: Electronic portfolios ePortfolio success ePortfolio system success ePortfolio review process abstract This research has two main goals: to develop an instrument for assessing Electronic Portfolio (ePortfolio) success and to build a corresponding ePortfolio success model using DeLone and McLean’s information systems success model as the theoretical framework. For this purpose, we developed an ePortfolio success measurement instrument and structural model, at the individual level of analysis, using responses from 186 ePortfolio student users from higher education institutions worldwide. Academic institutions can use the results of this research to assess the success of their ePortfolio implementations from their students’ perspective. The ePortfolio success model can also help to improve the imple- mentation and use of ePortfolio systems through the analysis of the causal relationships of their different dimensions. Finally, initial guidelines about how to use the instrument as part of an ePortfolio system review process are also discussed. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Electronic Portfolios, or ePortfolios, constitute an extension to e-learning. They have become an important research topic in the last few years (Buzzetto-More & Alade, 2006; Fernández, 2008; Mu, Wormer, Foizey, Barkon, & Vehec, 2010; Stevenson, 2006). An extensive ePortfolio literature review reveals that ePortfolio systems are widely used but still not thoroughly studied in all their different dimensions. Furthermore, a model that describes successful implementation of an ePortfolio system does not exist yet. The European Institute for E-learning (EIfEL) (2009) defines ePortfolio as “a personal digital collection of information describing and illustrating a person’s learning, career, experience and achievements”. This definition suggests that in order to assess the success of the deployment of an ePortfolio in an academic institution, it is necessary to take into account the different possible dimensions: ePortfolio as a source of quality educational information that needs to be incorporated into the curriculum, ePortfolio as an information system archi- tecture that needs to satisfy the users’ needs and also be reliable, usable and seamlessly incorporated into the institutional ICT architecture, and ePortfolio as a new phenomenon that enhances learning by bringing the learner closer to the educational institution and potential employer while becoming a source of personal growth and development. The proposed study on ePortfolio success employs an information system approach that takes the above-mentioned aspects into consideration. The success of an ePortfolio can, therefore, be interpreted as equivalent to the success of a specific information system (IS). For this reason, the DeLone and McLean (2003) model (hereafter “D&M model”), which has been widely used to measure IS success, is used to assess the success of an ePortfolio system. According to this model, IS success consists of six interconnected constructs. The presence of ‘inner connections’ among the six dimensions (constructs) needs to be established to comprehend the exact structure and dependencies that constitute a successful ePortfolio implementation. The D&M model is well-known. Originally developed in 1992, it has been used and cited in more than 100 papers (DeLone & McLean, 1992; Petter, DeLone, & McLean, 2008). An updated version was developed ten years later and has also been widely used (DeLone & McLean, 2003; Petter et al., 2008). Given its acceptance in the IS research community, the D&M model constitutes a suitable theoretical * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ385 42 390 858; fax: þ385 42 213 413. E-mail addresses: igor.balaban@foi.hr (I. Balaban), emu@carlow.edu (E. Mu), blazenka.divjak@foi.hr (B. Divjak). 1 Tel.: þ1 412 578 8729. 2 Tel.: þ385 42 390 842. Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Computers & Education journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compedu 0360-1315/$ – see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.06.013 Computers & Education 60 (2013) 396–411