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Chapter 3
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-9924-3.ch003
The Emergence of Cloud
Portfolio in Higher Education
ABSTRACT
Educating the digitally literate generation is a privilege and a challenge because this generation is ex-
posed to enormous proliferation of afordable computers, Internet and digital education content. With the
advancements in technology, there is a defnite improvement in learning methods; similarly performance
assessment, career preparation and credential documentation should also be driven by technology. An
e-portfolio is a tool for teaching, learning and assessment. The purpose of the e-portfolio is to highlight
the student’s best work. Current e-portfolio systems pose problems of scalability and sustainability, as
they provide limited user storage space in a centralized server. With the rapid use of multimedia, there is
a drastic increase in storage load imposed by any user on the e-portfolio system. Cloud computing can
provide e-portfolio service that can be delivered to a higher education community. An e-portfolio service
provided by cloud computing (c-portfolio) can be accessed from a standalone system. The c-portfolio can
also be accessed from local servers of an educational institute, or from a third-party service provider
that is accessed via the Internet. Such cloud computing services allow users to share their c-portfolios
with anyone, anywhere and at anytime. This chapter defnes and categorizes c-portfolio, addresses is-
sues and challenges faced by c-portfolio’s implementation in higher education.
INTRODUCTION
Technology has experienced its own series of
generations. Today’s generation has grown up
with technology. The Internet and smart phones
have had a major impact on today’s generation’s
culture and development. Students are more likely
to use Google for research than the library. Educa-
tion today is also becoming completely associated
with the information technology on the content
delivery, communication and collaboration. The
classroom is changing and students are demanding
more technology services from their education
system. It’s important not only to keep pace with
their evolving needs, but also to prepare them for
the demands of the workplace tomorrow. With
the advent of the digital age, the emergence of
electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) appeared as a
Pooja Gupta
Uttaranchal University, India