A Strategy for Improved Student Success and Learning with E-Portfolios in Economics: A Case Study from the University of South Africa

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, more education will be conducted online worldwide. Problem-solving initiates alternative assessments such as e-portfolios and continuous assessments. The Public Economics module for third-year students at the University of South Africa has gone fully online with e-portfolios from 2021. This strategy has been implemented as a follow-up to the research findings of Robinson. The findings suggest that the final marks of Microeconomics have a significant impact on the results of the final-year students in Economics. Other factors such as assignment marks and module repeats played a role. The results reaffirm the importance and influence of Microeconomics as base knowledge for undergraduate and future postgraduate work. In addition, the findings indicate that the more the students tend to repeat or qualify for supplementary examinations, the higher the probability of them not progressing. The conclusion reaffirms the importance and influence of microeconomics as base knowledge for undergraduate and future post-graduate work. The importance of assignments emphasises the use of continuous assessment and thus e-portfolios in Economics. Future research entails further econometric and empirical work on the impact of the e-portfolios on third-year student success in Economics. E-portfolios are beneficial; if kept simple, they can provide students with continuous learning. However, e-portfolios need more lecturer feedback and self-directed learning for students to succeed.