Abstract:

The teacher education programme needs to accede to the call of preparing the prospective teachers for the world of work through digital learning. The aim is to ensure that student teachers have the 21st century graduate attributes to prepare for the world of work. The integration of e-portfolio in teacher education serves as a conduit for nurturing digital learning as student teachers reflect on their practices and experiences through constructing e-portfolios. Interpretive qualitative research method was adopted and the 32 research participants were purposively sampled from both Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) and Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Student teachers’ reflective journals and focus group interviews were used as tools to collect data. The findings revealed that the participants felt empowered as they became creative and critical thinkers in constructing their e-portfolios. Refresher course on computer literacy skills is necessary to integrate e-portfolio successfully. Lack of access to computers and network connectivity are identified as the barriers to integrating e-portfolio. This paper recommends reintroduction of compulsory basic computer literacy course for all student teachers. Student access to computers and network connections / Wi-Fi should be prioritized.

Keywords:

21st century skills, Digital literacy, e-portfolio, Integration, Teacher education, Work integrated learning.