19112009 Slide 1

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e-Portfolios an overview of JISC activity
Lisa Gray
JISC Programme Manager
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Context

• Why e-portfolios?
• Policy context
• DfES e-Strategy - 2005
• HEFCE strategy for e-learning - 2005
• DfES review of fair admissions to HE 2004
• Burgess Scoping Report 2004
• QCA Blueprint for e-Assessment 2004
• Leitch Review of Skills 2006

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Context

• Why e-portfolios?
• Institutional drivers
• Widening participation agenda in HE
• Retention of students
• Reflective learning developing independent and
  autonomous learners
• Commitment to personal development planning
  processes in HE
• Lifelong learning and CPD
• And.
• Web 2.0 and digital natives how user-owned
  technologies are interfacing with institutional
  systems

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Some definitions

• The research team worked from an understanding
  of e-portfolios that incorporates both process
  and product, and includes a range of tools within
  a system that links with other systems. Broadly,
  the product (e-portfolio) is a purposeful
  selection of items (evidence) chosen at a point
  in time from a repository or archive, with a
  particular audience in mind. The processes that
  are required to create e-portfolios for any
  purpose include capturing and ongoing storage of
  material, selection, reflection and
  presentation.
• Elizabeth Hartnell-Young (2007), Learning
  Sciences Research Institute, University of
  Nottingham

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Some definitions

• Definitions of an e-portfolio tend to include
  the following elements
• A collection of digital resources
• That provide evidence of an individuals progress
  and achievements
• Drawn from both formal and informal learning
  activities
• That are personally managed and owned by the
  learner
• That can be used for review, reflection and
  personal development planning
• That can be selectively accessed by other
  interested parties e.g. teachers, peers,
  assessors, awarding bodies, prospective
  employers
• Helen Beetham (2005) http//www.jisc.ac.uk/upload
  ed_documents/eportfolio_ped.dochttp//www.jisc.ac.
  uk/uploaded_documents/eportfolio_ped.doc

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Some definitions

• e-Portfolio tools and concepts can mean a
  number of things to different people, and it is
  useful to break down these concepts further.
  e-Portfolio can be used to refer to a system,
  or a collection of tools that support e-portfolio
  related processes (such as collection,
  reflection, annotation etc.). The term
  e-Portfolio can also refer to the products
  emerging through using these systems or tools,
  and it is helpful to think about the purposes to
  which learners might put their e-portfolios (for
  example presentation for assessment, to support
  transition, or to support and guide learning).'
• JISC overview paper
• http//www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/publications/pu
  b_eportfolio_overview.aspx

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Purposes Tools

• Celebrating learning
• Personal planning
• Transition/entry to courses
• Employment applications
• Professional registration

Capturing storing evidence Reflecting Giving
feedback Collaborating Presenting to an audience
From Elizabeth Hartnell-Young (2007), Developing
an ePortfolio culture from the early years
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Overview of JISC work

• Learners create different kinds of presentational
  portfolio, for a range of purposes, e.g.
• Application to study or job
• Induction or appraisal
• Assessment
• Self-presentation
• e-Portfolio tools can support a number of
  processes including reflective learning and
  personal development planning
• Guiding and developing learning over time, in
  formal education, training and employment
• and support the representation of identity
  (persona), development of self-esteem,
  self-awareness and self-confidence

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Presentational portfolios

• Presenting to others
• A number of projects are investigating issues
  around application to university and supporting
  transition
• Direct entry from local schools and colleges
• Supporting the development of key skills and
  study skills on transfer to HE
• Link with taster and preparatory mini-courses
• National UCAS entry system
• Portfolios for use in applying for jobs or work
  placements including a CV builder
• Presentation of work for professional
  accreditation
• Use in traditionally reflective/evidence-based
  disciplines such as education and healthcare

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Supporting learning and planning

• Supporting learning
• Reflection on previous educational experience
  when starting new courses
• Reflection on skills with respect to career or
  educational aspirations
• Supporting development planning and reflection
  often through sharing with mentors, peers and
  employers
• Use with a wide range of learners in different
  situations, including implementation of the IMS
  ACCLIP specification for screen display
  preferences

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Interoperability

• e-Portfolio systems and tools interface with a
  range of systems for a number of reasons at
  various points in the lifelong learning journey
• MIS systems, VLEs, personnel databases,
  repositories, Web 2.0..
• Issues
• Interoperability and data transfer
• Development of middleware to enable transfer of
  data between otherwise incompatible systems
• Development of technical standards for describing
  learner data IMS LIP, IMS ePortfolio, HR-XML,
  UKLeaP, LEAP 2.0, eeeek!
• Authentication permissions and identity
• Exploration of Shibboleth-based authentication
  for e-portfolio systems

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Interoperability

• Issues
• Verification
• LIPID project worked to provide verified data
  from the student record system into the
  e-portfolio
• Legal issues
• Guidance produced
• Modular approach
• JISC e-Framework - working towards a
  service-oriented approach
• e-Portfolio domain map mapping the processes
  involved in transition

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Guidance

• Guidance for institutions on questions to ask
  when looking at e-portfolio systems
• Purpose who is it for? What is it for? What do
  we want it to do?
• Information managed, functionality, support and
  guidance, form and feel.
• EPICS Toolkit
• Helps to think through the main issues in
  planning, implementing and planning an
  e-portfolio project
• Learner voices video
• Learners experiences of using an e-portfolio
• JISC infoNet infoKit

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Partnerships

• Working with others
• JISC-CETIS
• Portfolio SIG
• Becta
• HE Academy / Centre for Recording Achievement
• Survey of e-portfolio use http//www.recordingachi
  evement.org/downloads/KD-HEAe-portfoliosurvey.pdf
• Subject centre projects working with
  professional bodies

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Lessons so far.

• e-Portfolios have the potential to be a powerful
  learner-owned application
• if learners buy into and trust this idea.
• Benefits
• Better choices, helping students make better
  decisions
• Better applications, more confidence for students
  to sell themselves better
• Communicating and mentoring, e-portfolio tools
  often have tools that allow mentors to view and
  feedback
• Tracking progress, development of competencies,
  identifying gaps in skills
• It can be difficult to engage learners in
  planning and reflection
• Some respond well to using blogs and social
  software as well/instead
• Students need to feel they get something for
  their investment
• Mature learners are often more receptive to the
  potential benefits
• Learners are concerned about taking their
  portfolio with them when they leave
• System-system transfer alumni offerings
  user-owned technologies

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Lessons so far.

• Institutional e-portfolio provision has issues
  around
• Connection speed and data storage capacity
• Security, privacy, data ownership, and
  authentication
• Use of e-portfolios for transition requires
  standards and specifications to support
  interoperability and data transfer.
• However, the standards arent there yet
• Learners value person to person contact, and are
  not ready for technology to replace people
  completely
• Integration with major institutional systems is a
  big challenge, but weve had successes
• e-Portfolios can only help widen participation if
  learners have access to technology and
  appropriate skills for reflection and
  presentation
• Usability is important

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Issues

• Guidance needed on effective implementation
• User engagement and motivation, tutor workload,
  embedding processes into the curriculum
• Building up the evidence for how the use of
  e-portfolio tools supports learning
• Employer engagement
• e-Portfolios for assessment
• Institutional systems and learner technologies
• Issues of post-institutional use of e-portfolios
  to support lifelong learning
• Technical issues standards, repositories and
  identity management

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Further information

• Overview of JISC work around e-portfolios
  www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/publications/pub_eport
  folio_overview.aspx
• Guidance for institutions www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo
  /programmes/programme_buildmle_hefe/project_0103_s
  upport.aspx
• Learner voices, Jenny and Emmas video
  www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning_pedag
  ogy/elp_learneroutcomes/elp_learnervoices.aspx
• JISC e-Learning programme www.jisc.ac.uk/programm
  e_elearning.html
• JISC InfoNet e-Portfolios InfoKit
  www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/InfoKits/effective-use-of-VL
  Es/e-portfolios
• Centre for Recording Achievement
  www.recordingachievement.org
• JISC-CETIS Portfolio SIG wiki.cetis.ac.uk/Portfol
  io
• Contact l.gray_at_jisc.ac.uk