Digital Portfolios in Open and Distance Education

This book examines the role of digital portfolios in documenting, supporting, assessing, and recognizing learning across open and distance education and other technology-mediated educational contexts. Rather than treating digital portfolios simply as repositories of student work or technological tools, it approaches them as learning infrastructures through which learners can demonstrate competence, engage in reflection, construct professional identities, and carry evidence of learning across academic, professional, and lifelong contexts. Bringing together international perspectives, the book connects theoretical foundations with the design and implementation of digital portfolios, portfolio-based assessment and recognition, equity and inclusion, employability and professional identity, institutional and policy frameworks, and emerging directions for educational practice. Particular attention is given to the conditions under which digital portfolios can support meaningful learning, as well as the challenges that may arise from unequal access, differences in digital participation, assessment practices, and institutional implementation. Situated within open and distance education while extending to blended, hybrid, flexible, and technology-mediated learning environments, the book offers a comprehensive examination of how evidence of learning can be created, interpreted, assessed, shared, and sustained. It provides a scholarly and practical resource for educators, researchers, instructional designers, institutional leaders, policymakers, and learners interested in developing more meaningful approaches to representing learning, recognizing diverse educational pathways, and supporting learning across academic, professional, and lifelong contexts.