This study is related to a study we presented at the ECER conference in 2008 on the perceptions and evaluations of students and tutors of electronic tutoring of electronic portfolios. (Deketelaere etal, 2008). It concerned an e-portfolio project that was established from 2002 to 2006 within the Medical School (K.U. Leuven, Belgium) for a group of students in the General Practice Program. Tutors, all of which were members of the teaching staff, were asked to provide electronic (e-mail) feedback on the portfolios at least three times a year. The conclusion of that study was that tutors found it hard to provide electronic feedback on a regular basis, although there was a significant difference in the perceptions of the portfolio by students who received frequent feedback comparing to those who didn’t receive any feedback at al. The importance of embedding portfolio learning in a support system is generally acknowledged (Driessen etal. 2007), as well as the time this involves for tutors (Ducque etal. 2006). So, in order to have a successful portfolio project it’s important to establish and maintain a group of motivated tutors. Therefore, we decided to investigate more thoroughly the interests of teachers to become and remain a portfolio tutor. The results of this analysis are central in the proposed paper. Considering the introduction of a tutorship as an educational innovation, theoretical concepts from the educational innovation literature were used to structure the analysis. In line with the theory on educational innovations (see e.g. Hopkins, 2001), the introduction of the tutorship is conceived of as a three- phase-process consisting of an initiation phase, implementation phase and institutionalization phase. Furthermore, this innovation process is considered to be not merely the application of a new procedure, but rather as a process of meaningful change, in which the perceptions and interpretations of the users determine whether and how the implement the reform (see e.g Fullan & Stiegelbauer, 1991). These interpretations are reflected in the tutors’ interests to start and continue the tutorship. With interests we mean the reasons tutors give for their motivation to become a tutor. Research Question This study aimed at analyzing the interests of teachers to be a portfolio tutor. More specifically, we wanted to know why they decided to become a tutor and which factors determined the (change in) these interests during their tutorship experience.

Methodology The 14 tutors accepted to participate in a semi-structured qualitative interview (30 to 45 minutes). The interview topics included the tutor’s perceptions and evaluation of the portfolio, his/her motivation to become a tutor, his/her role as a tutor and of his/her method of providing electronic feedback to their students. All interviews were transcribed and interpretatively analyzed. The analysis included a with-in case analysis (every single tutor) and an across-case-analysis (comparative analysis of all respondents) (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Member check by the tutors was used to control the quality of the analysis.

Four types of interests for becoming a tutor were distinguished. Tutors with a normative interest motivated their tutorship on their beliefs on good teaching. For teachers with a pedagogical-didactic interest, the tutorship is seen as solution for an existing pedagogical-didactic problem.. Tutors with a collegial interest accepted to participate in the project because they didn’t want to place more workload on their colleagues. For tutors with a pedagogical-strategic interest the e-portfolio project was a tool to promote the institution as didactic progressive and innovative. During the tutorship, teachers make a cost-benefit balance which determines their willingness to continue the tutorship. Structural and cultural workplace conditions affect this balance. Evidence on making a significant contribution to the students’ professional development was found to operate as an important benefit. Furthermore, tutors are more willing to continue the tutorship when the portfolio project is congruent with their beliefs on good education (Kelchtermans, 2004).