RSC South West e-portfolios event

Reflections on the RSC South West e-portfolios event held at Bicton College on 1st July 2008

Currently there is not yet an institutional e-portfolio system at the University of Bath, but several different parties with particular needs have expressed interest and the e-learning team is investigating possible e-portfolio tools for piloting. By attending this event I was hoping to get some ideas about which systems it might be worth exploring, any tools which we have not come across so far, as well as to find out more about issues people have experienced and lessons they have learnt.

Travelling down to Exmouth on the train in the morning I reflected on contexts in which an e-portfolio might be used and requirements of such a system, bearing in mind previous discussions with colleagues at Bath. The fact that I produced quite a long list in a short space of time reflects the wide possible applications of such a tool as well as the variety of requirements users might have.

During the first session of the event, led by Helen Richardson of CETIS, we spent some time discussing what e-portfolios might be used for in different participants’ contexts, e.g. HE, FE, ACL & commercial training. From my earlier reflections and the group discussion here’s a flavour :

• Personal learning space
• Assessment (diagnostic / summative / formative)
• Self-assessment
• Personal development planning
• Appraisal
• Accreditation
• Reflective practice
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Social networking
• Action planning
• Record-keeping
• Job seeking
• CPD
• Placements
• Shaping / presenting identity
• Work-based learning
• Raising learner self-esteem
• Showcasing
• Promoting and sharing good practice

Following on from this discussion was further exploration of the requirements of an e-portfolio system. Again it was clear that these could vary considerably in different contexts, but some of the commonly expressed requirements were:

• User-centred and owned
• Secure
• Providing content storage
• Searchable
• Able to integrate with other systems
• User controlled permissions
• Ability to (selectively) publish electronically or printed e.g CV
• Transportable / transferable (Interoperability)
• Enabling learner reflection
• Open to peer comment/interaction if/when desired
• Open to institutional / tutor assessment / comment if / when required
• Providing scaffolding (if required)  e.g. customisable pro-formas
• Usable and accessible
• Flexible / customisable
• Compatible with handheld / mobile devices and / or offline capability
• Age appropriate language / activities

One of the conclusions from the discussion sessions and indeed a consistent message throughout the day was that there is no “one size fits all” solution. This was very much reflected in the range of demonstrations of tools during the day, from Cornwall Adult and Community Learning’s Moodle EZE portfolio and Learning Records Block, through PF Global’s vocational e-portfolios for use in the retail sector, to the Institute for Learning’s Reflect system (built on Pebblepad).

Dave Croot from the University of Plymouth gave a useful overview of the issues and approach taken by this HEI to developing their e-portfolio system, including some results from his user needs analysis of academic staff, placement officers and alumni (student feedback not yet available). He outlined their diverse requirements including the need for any tool to be compatible not only with University systems but also those of their many partner colleges. He also emphasised the challenges of raising staff and student awareness of the potential value of e-portfolios and also addressing perceptions (occasionally misconceptions) around lack of security of data, in view of recent news stories of the government or its agencies losing personal data.

Penny Leach from Catalyst gave a brief overview and demo of the open source Mahara e-portfolio system. This, though promising, is in its early stages and Penny outlined some of the future plans in their roadmap, such as import/export functionality, further group/social functionality including group artefacts (assets) and views, and further Moodle integration.

Lastly Helen Richardson gave an overview of a range of surveys of e-portfolio tools which have been carried out, focussing particularly on the Becta e-portfolio landscape study (2007). Bearing in mind the wide variety of requirements discussed and the fact that there are at leat 90 e-portfolio tools available in the UK, Helen’s key message was for institutions to establish the learning outcomes that the e-portfolio should be supporting and use those as criteria for deciding which tool to use. To aid in this process JISC have developed an e-portfolios infokit.

In conclusion,  though it wasn’t actually demonstrated during the day, talking to various other participants, Pebblebad was often mentioned as one of the most developed and flexible systems.  Mahara is clearly also of interest and we will monitor its development closely. Moving forward, it is possible that awareness-raising activity might be required to prompt colleagues to think about how they and their students might use such a tool. A detailed and wide-ranging user needs analysis is necessary to determine if there is a system which meets all or most requirements of university colleagues, or if in-house adaptation or development might be required. Some small-scale pilots will also be useful to start to bring out benefits and issues.