Critical Reflection and ePortfolio Practice as a Journey Towards Transformative Learning

Higher education is at a critical juncture, requiring a re-evaluation of its purpose and approaches to assessment in a post-pandemic, digitally and AI-driven world (Lodge et al., 2023). Researchers (Bearman, Tai, et al., 2024; Lodge et al., 2023) emphasise the need for teaching and assessment practices that foster evaluative judgment, reflection, and critical thinking. We argue that critical reflection is a key practice needed to enable transformative learning (Mezirow, 1981), supporting identity reconstruction, well-being, and the development of a resilient “symphonic self” (Cambridge, 2008) for this modern context.

Despite its significance, both students and educators often struggle to engage in deep reflective practice, and the shift from reflective to transformative learning is particularly challenging. Existing literature on transformative learning and critical reflection tends to focus on theoretical or conceptual perspectives rather than offering practical guidance that educators can use. This gap highlights the need for actionable models that support critical reflection in discipline-specific, cross-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary contexts, particularly in health sciences, where reflective practices and ePortfolios are industry requirements.

This chapter reviews common themes in the literature and presents a step-based model to support teaching staff to embed critical reflection as a crucial step both towards ePortfolio high impact practice and transformative learning. Building on Mezirow (1981) and Fook and Gardner (2007), our model integrates ePortfolio and dialogic feedback practices to support transformative learning and identity development in the post-pandemic era. While developed with health professions education in mind, the model is adaptable to other disciplines, offering educators practical tools to foster critical reflective practices and drive transformative change in higher education.