From the students' perspective, ePortfolios are beneficial because they give students an outlet to display their skills and provides them with something tangible to point to at the end of a course. That is, many classes consist of lectures and exams, neither of which provide a student with something tangible to show, other than a grade. Furthermore, students can reflect on their own work with ePortfolios. They can see a collection of the work they completed in a semester and see a progression throughout the semester. Finally, from the students' perspective, ePortfolios allow a student to share their work with peers, teachers and future employers.
For teachers, ePortfolios provide a tangible expression of learning. That is, it much easier for a teacher to determine the knowledge a student gained over the course of a semester when the teacher can view the end-product of student work. The portfolios also provide teachers with a means to motivate students. When students have access to other students' work, they may put forth more effort on their own work. Finally, ePortfolios allow for a level of transparency in the entire grading process. With tangible evidence in the form of an ePortfolio, grades can be given in an unbiased and fair manner.
College students often lack work experience. Therefore, it can be difficult for employers to gauge a student's aptitude for a certain job. However, if a student has produced some tangible work product that is displayed in an ePortfolio, an employer is able to see what a student can produce. Furthermore, a prospective employer can also see the amount of work and care a student put into an ePortfolio and how that might transfer to the workplace.