Virtual Booth

The Water and Environment for Sustainability Transformative (WEST) project advances a transformative, action-oriented pedagogy designed to foster environmentally conscious learners through structured modules, community engagement, field immersions, and expert-led seminars. To consolidate these experiential components, participants submitted reflective portfolios via the Mahara e-portfolio platform. Mahara was selected for its pedagogical affordances, including a user-friendly interface, flexible structuring of diverse content, and capacity to integrate multimedia evidence. Participants shared experiences and observations from activities, documented their acquired knowledge and skills, and critically discussed challenges such as sustainability trade-offs and theory–practice gaps. They also proposed future sustainability projects, thereby extending the impact of their learning beyond the immediate programme. Participant reflections revealed that Mahara strengthened memory retention, enhanced critical thinking, and facilitated alignment of experiential insights with long-term sustainability goals. Furthermore, the portfolio process promoted self-directed learning, leadership development, and the articulation of actionable strategies for water and environmental sustainability. Feedback underscored Mahara’s role in reinforcing lessons, guiding goal-setting, and empowering students to translate knowledge into tangible initiatives. The integration of Mahara within WEST demonstrates the value of e-portfolio platforms in evidencing learning outcomes, advancing reflective practice, and preparing students to address complex environmental challenges with ethical insight and practical competence