Education professionals continuously seek ways to enhance student engagement and streamline academic processes. One tool steadily gaining attention across the education sector is the digital portfolio. As we look ahead to events like CanvasCon Barcelona, where innovative solutions take center stage, there’s no better time to explore the benefits of integrating portfolios into your institution’s learning management system (LMS).

Frank Kupers, Program Lead Education and IT, and his team faced a common challenge at Thomas More University, a small but rapidly growing institution in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. With roughly 1,200 students, most of whom are in teacher training programs, the need for an efficient system to track student progress became paramount. Like many institutions, they had relied on outdated methods such as email to collect student work. However, with the university’s expansion came the need for a streamlined, integrated solution. This is where Portflow came in—a portfolio solution designed to complement and seamlessly integrate with Canvas LMS.

Why Digital Portfolios Matter

Portfolios (or e-portfolios, digital portfolios) have become essential in today’s education landscape. They enable students to reflect on and showcase their learning journey, allowing for better tracking of outcomes and goals. For institutions like Thomas More University, the shift towards competency-based education meant that students could prove their knowledge and skills independently, without always following traditional courses or assessments. However, this shift also required a digital platform where students could store, organize, and showcase their achievements—a need that Portflow addressed perfectly.

Frank’s Story: The Journey to Portflow

Thomas More University’s journey began two years ago when they implemented Canvas. After rolling it out successfully to all new students in 2022, the university shifted focus to pilots with Portflow. Change management became crucial, and the team realized that gradual adoption was the best approach.

Thomas More ensured the platform’s success by starting small—with targeted group pilots — before expanding it further. This year, they took significant steps toward integrating Portflow university-wide, aiming for a full rollout in 2024.

The Benefits of Portflow

Seamless Integration with Canvas LMS

A critical factor for Thomas More’s decision was Portflow’s seamless integration with Canvas. Frank emphasizes that without this integration, Portflow wouldn’t have been an option, nor any other portfolio for that matter either. Educators and students at the university appreciated how effortlessly they could create and submit a snapshot of the students’ work directly within Canvas. This streamlined workflow helped students and staff alike, ensuring that all work was trackable and easily accessible.
Collaboration and Feedback

Portflow’s ability to facilitate collaboration between students, educators, and external stakeholders is invaluable. For teacher trainees at Thomas More University, it meant that students could share their portfolios with not only university staff, but also the primary schools they work with. This expanded the feedback loop, allowing students to receive constructive insights from multiple perspectives, including peers and on-the-job mentors.
Customization and Goal Tracking

Frank and his team found that Portflow allowed students to create goals and connect their work to specific learning outcomes. This goal-oriented structure ensured that each piece of evidence a student gathered was linked to broader educational objectives, providing a clear, organized view of their progress.

Looking Forward: A Full Rollout in 2024

With raving reviews from students and educators alike from students and educators, Thomas More University is now gearing up for a full university-wide rollout of Portflow. As more program leads take ownership of the project, the integration is no longer driven by one department but embraced across the institution. This collaborative approach is essential to sustaining long-term success.

Portflow by Drieam: Your Partner in E-Portfolio Excellence

Whether you’re navigating similar challenges or just beginning to explore portfolios, Portflow by Drieam offers a solution built to integrate seamlessly with Canvas LMS.

Are you curious about the portfolio tool by Drieam?

About the Author: Mieke Ridderhof

Mieke has been in the EdTech space for over a decade and has had the pleasure of working with Higher Ed and Continuing Education institutions all over the world. Her passion lies with making a difference through education with EdTech that makes sense and enhances the learning journey which in turn aids in employability of learners. She absolutely loves hearing stories about how EdTech is being used worldwide to form a well educated opinion on trends, challenges and possibilities.