An electronic portfolio , also known as an e-portfolio or digital portfolio , is a collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by a user, usually on the Web. Such electronic evidence may include inputted text, electronic files, images, multimedia, blog entries, and hyperlinks. E-portfolios are both demonstrations of the user's abilities and platforms for self-expression, and, if they are online, they can be maintained dynamically over time. Some e-portfolio applications permit varying degrees of audience access, so the same portfolio might be used for multiple purposes.
An e-portfolio can be seen as a type of learning record that provides actual evidence of achievement. Learning records are closely related to the Learning Plan, an emerging tool that is being used to manage learning by individuals, teams, communities of interest, and organizations. To the extent that a Personal Learning Environment captures and displays a learning record, it also might be understood to be an electronic portfolio.
Students have been taught to create digital identities using presentation software or tools to create web pages. Such technologies, however, are not easily utilized by children or elderly people who lack web authoring skills or a hosted site. More recently the use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in schools and universities has led to an increased activity in the creation of e-portfolios for a variety of reasons. Most of these e-portfolios, however, are retained within the VLE and are not easily accessed outside the VLE. This results in problems of exporting data and related interoperability issues. An alternative approach is to use a system externally hosted to any institution. This permits transition through the various stages of education and employments and even into retirement.
E-portfolios, like traditional portfolios, can facilitate students' reflection on their own learning, leading to more awareness of learning strategies and needs. Results of a comparative research between paper based portfolios and electronic portfolios in the same setting, suggest use of an electronic portfolio leads to better learning outcomes.
Types
There are three main types of e-portfolios, although they may be referred to using different terms:
- developmental (e.g., working),
- reflective (e.g., learning), and
- representational (e.g., showcase).
A developmental e-portfolio is a record of things that the owner has done over a period of time, and may be directly tied to learner outcomes or rubrics. A reflective e-portfolio includes personal reflection on the content and what it means for the owner's development. A representational e-portfolio shows the owner's achievements in relation to particular work or developmental goals and is, therefore, selective. When it is used for job application it is sometimes called Career portfolio.
The three main types may be mixed to achieve different learning, personal, or work-related outcomes with the e-portfolio owner usually being the person who determines access levels.
Usage
Today, electronic portfolios are gaining popularity in:
- Schools ( see also Technology Integration)
- Higher education
- Continuing professional development
- Job applications/professional advertisements
- Therapy groups
- Assessment
- Accreditation
- Recognition of Prior Learning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_of_prior_learning)
Some E-portfolios can be used for presentations, a number of different assignments and most popularly, class studies. Others may be used within an education setting for assessment and accreditation, such as an institutional electronic portfolio.
An Institutional ePortfolio is a multimedia Web site designed to help document and organize a college or university's story, goals, and standards. It can foster a depth and breadth of connections among other institutions as well as within the institution itself, its programs, and its constituents and can provide an efficient means to reinforce shared visions and commitments to its mission.
A major use of e-portfolios is for the assessment of National Vocational Qualifications . A number of providers such as www.nvqonline.co.uk and www.nvqs-direct.co.uk enable candidates to build portfolios which can be accessed by nominated assessors and verifiers from any internet access point. The e-portfolio does not make the gaining of the internationally recognised qualification easier, but it does make the whole process much more cost-effective.
ePortfolios are supporting all components of good RPL practice through effective evidence capture and validation; by establishing linkages to existing forms of evidence, and by complimenting the conversational style of good RPL process through regular asynchronous dialogue.
In the context of the RPL assessment process, the ePortfolio is able to streamline evidence identification and validation, and enable assessors to effectively make judgments about the authenticity of evidence when it is verified through existing legitimised sources, such as Student Management Systems (SMS) or Learning Management Systems (LMS).
See also
- ANGEL ePortfolio
- Desire2Learn
- Elgg, an open source social networking platform primarily designed to be a Personal Learning Environment (PLE) and an Eportfolio tool.
- Mahara, an open source ePortfolio system
- Career portfolio
- PebblePAD (software)
- Pass-port is a commercial assessment management system that uses electronic portfolios to present information to evaluators and the public.
References
- Haag, S., Cummings, M., McCubbrey, D., Pinsonneault, A., Donovan, R. (2006). Management Information Systems for the Information Age. Building an E-portfolio (XLM-J). Toronto: Mcgraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-095569-7.
- Hebert, Elizabeth A., (2001) The Power of Portfolios - What children can teach us about Learning and Assessment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. ISBN 0-7879-5871-9.
- Mendoza-Calderón, Marco A.; Ramirez-Buentello, Joaquin. (2006). Handbook of Research on ePortfolios. Facilitating Reflection Through ePortfolio at Tecnológico de Monterrey . Hershey, USA. Ali Jafari (Ed). pp: 484-493 ISBN 1-59140-890-3. http://www.personeel.unimaas.nl/maarten.wesel/Documenten/The%20influence%20of%20portfolio%20media%20on%20student%20perceptions%20and%20learning%20outcomes.PDF
- ^ Moon, Jenny. "Guide for Busy Academics No. 4: Learning through reflection" (MSWord). The Higher Education Academy . http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id69_guide_for_busy_academics_no4.doc .
- ^ M. van Wesel & A. Prop (2008) The influence of Portfolio media on student perceptions and learning outcomes . Paper to be presented at the Student Mobility and ICT: Can E-LEARNING overcome barriers of Life-Long learning Conference, Maastricht (http://www.fdewb.unimaas.nl/EDUC/MASTER/Documents/Proceedings_S_ICT2008_Final.pdf#page=73)
- ePortfolios and RPL; ePortfolio How To; http://www.eportfolios.net.au/ (2009)
External links
ePortfolio Organizations & International Conference Presentations
- EIfEL
- Europortfolio Consortium
- Danish Consortium for E-portfolio
- ePortConsortium
- Europass European Commission initiative promoting the transparency of qualifications and competences in Europe ( see also Europass)
- ePortfolio Initiative Austria
- Institute for Learning IfL The professional body for teachers in further education in England, promoting the use of ePortfolios through its PebblePad powered RE f LECT CPD tool.
- Folio Spaces: Australian provider of electronic portfolios
- eFolioWorld Summit
ePortfolio Research
- A Review Of The Literature On Portfolios And Electronic Portfolios
- ePortfolios for Learning WSU CTLT
Related Events and events proceedings
- ePortfolio 2009, 22-24th June 2009, London This year's event main theme is "Innovation, Creativity and Accountability."
Design Portfolio
Below you will find samples of my blog design work. Please click on the images or their titles to see before-and-after screenshots and read more about each project.
Our people | The Design Portfolio Marketing Services
Design Portfolio helps companies manage their print and online corporate communications. For investors, corporate annual reports and investor relations (IR) websites are the most ...
Emily P. Lewis | Design Portfolio
Design portfolio of Emily P. Lewis. I specialize in hand-coding semantic XHTML and CSS, designing and architecting accessible UIs, and writing and optimizing content for SEO.
Web and logo design portfolio
Newcastle web design agency Peacock Carter's website design and corporate identity (logo design) portfolio. Call 0191 423 6208.
Design Portfolio Blog
Welcome to the Design Portfolio Blog. In the coming weeks we will be posting discussions on Design Issues & other matters of interest. Please return then.
Design Portfolio Sydney. Retail & Brand Designers specialising in Cafe ...
Design Portfolio is a specialist retail design and identity design company with an emphasis on chain store design, restaurant design, cafe design & pharmacy design. Their expertise ...
Ryan Gantz - Sixfoot6 Design Portfolio
The portfolio of sixfoot6 design, showcasing the web sites, print work, graphics, photography and personal projects of Ryan Gantz.
Design Portfolio
Recent Posts. 06-05-2009 Blockie Icon Set Released at IconDock; 04-24-2009 Speaking at WordCamp Toronto 2009; 02-21-2009 New Icon Shop Launched; 01-16-2009
Design Portfolio | Blue Water Media
“Our current success is in no small part due to Blue Water Media's services and expertise. Blue Water Media has developed a completely new web- and marketing presence for all our ...
The Design Portfolio Marketing Services – Print & online corporate ...
Design Portfolio helps companies manage their print and online corporate communications. For investors, corporate annual reports and investor relations (IR) websites are the most ...