PRESSBOOKS AROUND THE WORLD

Collaboration

Across Borders

Digital Resilience of ePortfolios During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for the Future

​

Norm Vaughan & Mpho-Entle Modise

June 10 · 10am Eastern / 4pm CEST / 4pm SAST

Overview

ePortfolios in education.

Why bother?

Our story

• Commonwealth of Learning ODL Practitioner Mentorship Program 2023.
• Mutual research interest in the use of ePortfolios in teacher education.
• Collaboration on international research projects, including webinars and conference co-presentations.

• Modise, M.P., & Vaughan, N. (2025). Digital Resilience of ePortfolios During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for the Future. Mount Royal University, Alberta, Canada. https://doi.org/10.60770/a2xe-fv33
• Modise, M.P., & Vaughan, N.D. (2024). ePortfolios: A 360-Degree Approach to Assessment in Teacher Education. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 50(4). https://cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/view/28579/21133

Building A Shared Vision Across Borders

Meetings, Webinars, Conferences and Podcast…

Featured: COL newsletter, Connections (vol. 29, no. 2) October 2024

Challenges of Academic Book Publishing

• Manuscript preparation
• Copy-editing & proofreading
• Indexing & typesetting
• Book production & printing
• Marketing & distribution

• Peer review delays
• Revisions & resubmissions
• Editorial workflows
• Copy-editing & production time
• Navigating bureaucracy

• High book prices
• Library budget constraints
• Access for readers & researchers
• Global reach challenges
• Digital & open access issues

All three pressures are deeply interconnected and compound one another.

Our Pressbook Team

It takes a village to create an edited International Pressbook

Paula MacDowell �Assistant Professor, Curriculum Studies (ETAD)

Erik Christiansen

Assistant Professor/Librarian

Taylor McPeak Copyright Advisor

Crash Training on Pressbooks

www.pressbooks.com

Phase 1: Call for Chapters & Curation

January – February 2025

January 2025

• Call for chapters announced (Nov 2024); deadline Jan 17
• Book aim: Explore transformative role of ePortfolios during & after COVID-19
• 73 abstracts submitted via Google Forms
• MRU Pressbooks accounts created for editors

February 2025

• Abstracts reviewed and sorted into 9 themes via Google Docs
• Initial themes sorted: Assessment, Teacher Education, Reflective Practice, Higher Education, Digital Resilience, Challenges, Self-Directed Learning, Academic Disciplines
• MRU Pressbooks orientation and training delivered

Phase 2: Chapter Development & Peer Review

March – June 2025

March

47 abstracts invited for full chapters. Re-sorted into 8 refined themes.

​

Book framework created in Pressbooks.

April

Authors worked on full chapter drafts.

​

Continued development of book framework in Pressbooks.

May

First draft chapters submitted via email (MS Word).

Each manuscript numbered (e.g., EP01), uploaded to individual Google folders as Google Docs.

June

Peer review launched – full chapters.

Template created in Google Docs.

Each author assigned one chapter; minimum two peer reviewers per chapter.

Phase 3: Revision, Finalisation & Publication

July – October 2025

July

Peer review completed. 43 chapters selected for publication. �Authors began revisions based on peer feedback via Google Folders.

August

The authors submitted revised chapters with a table documenting how peer review feedback was addressed. Final 7 themes confirmed.

September

Editors reviewed revised chapters, suggested final edits, and obtained preprints approval. Book layout completed in Pressbooks.

October

Publication, copyright and accessibility criteria finalised with Mount Royal University Library. Book published at pressbooks.openeducationalberta.ca.

FEATURED PROJECT

OEA | PRESSBOOKS | Mount Royal University Library| https://doi.org/10.60770/a2xe-fv33

43

Chapters

85

Authors

7

Themes

OER

Open Access �(CC BY-NC 4.0)

Seven Interconnected Themes

I

Building Digital Resilience

Chs 1–6 • ePortfolios in times of crisis

II

Navigating Challenges

Chs 7–9 • Barriers to ePortfolio Implementation & Strategies for Sustainable ePortfolio Use

​

III

Rethinking Assessment

Chs 10–15 • ePortfolios as Tools for Authentic Assessment

IV

Design for Impact

Chs 16–20 • Innovation in ePortfolio Structure and Function

V

Empowering Educators

Chs 21–29 • ePortfolios in teacher education

VI

Lifelong Learning

Chs 30–38 • Professional development through ePortfolios

VII

Looking Ahead

Chs 39–43 • Future directions & AI in Education

▼ Crisis → Innovation ▼

October 2025 - Soft Launch in Alberta, Canada

Soft Launch in Alberta, Canada.

International Open Education Week, October 2025

International Congress on Open and Distance Education (ICDE), Wellington, NZ, November 2025

Global Reach with a Strong African Anchor

A truly international volume — with the Global South at its centre

🌍 African Institutions

▸ University of South Africa (UNISA)

▸ University of the Witwatersrand

▸ Cape Peninsula University of Technology

▸ North-West University

▸ University of KwaZulu-Natal

▸ Tshwane University of Technology

▸ Two Oceans Graduate Institute

▸ Bindura University of Science Education (Zimbabwe)

▸ Reformed Church University (Zimbabwe)

▸ National University of Lesotho

▸ University of Eswatini

▸ Varsity College / STADIO (SA)

🌐 International Institutions

Canada, Mount Royal University, Brock University

USA, Old Dominion University, Univ. of Central Florida, San Francisco State Univ., Dominican Univ. of California, Appalachian State Univ.

Australia, University of Queensland, Macquarie University,

New Zealand, University of Canterbury, Catalyst IT

AUE, Abu Dhabi University

Featured Chapters

A global collection — 85 stories across 12 countries and 5 continents

Ch. 2

Digital Resilience in the 21st Century: The Role of ePortfolios in Fostering Adaptive & Technological Competencies

Molebogeng Esther Thage & Maweya Amokelo Given — University of South Africa

Ch. 3

Demonstrating the Resilience of ePortfolios in Times of Disruption: Two International Case Studies

Bowker, Cicchino, Kelly, Hoeppner, Mayes, Mize, Slade, Schibeci, Zurhellen — Australia, USA, New Zealand

Ch. 35

Critical Reflection and ePortfolio Practice as a Journey Towards Transformative Learning

Kate Mitchell, Kashmira Dave, Asli McCarthy — University of Melbourne & University of New England, Australia

📖 pressbooks.openeducationalberta.ca/digital-resilience-eportfolios/

Lessons Learnt

Editorial & Review Reflections

✉

Clarity &

Communication

• Fully inform all authors on peer review expectations and timelines
• Provide clear, detailed submission instructions
• Establish unambiguous submission guidelines from the outset

🗓

Planning &

Timelines

• Plan ahead for peer review and production stages
• Record and track key editorial dates consistently
• Limit submissions to two chapters per author to ensure diversity of voices

🔄

Review Process

Integrity

• Assign submissions from a vetted reviewer database
• Provide clear review guidelines; ensure consistent compliance
• Maintain double-blind review for objectivity and fairness
• Peer review is critical to research quality and credibility

1 / 2

Lessons Learnt

Operational Challenges & Solutions

⚠ The Challenge

✅ The Solution

Reliance on manual systems for managing submissions

Adopt collaborative platforms (e.g., Google Drive, OJS) for shared access

Use of personal email accounts for editorial correspondence

Use dedicated editorial or institutional email accounts

Lack of shared visibility across the editorial team

Implement a manuscript management tool for full process transparency

Inconsistent tracking of reviewer assignments and decisions

Maintain a structured reviewer log with status, deadlines, and outcomes

2 / 2

Re ya leboga

Thank you

Mpho-Entle Modise

University of South Africa

modismp@unisa.ac.za

Norm Vaughan

Mount Royal University

nvaughan@mtroyal.ca

https://pressbooks.openeducationalberta.ca/digital-resilience-eportfolios/

www.pressbooks.com