E-portfolio Community of Practice Funded under the JISC Lifelong Learning & Workforce Development Programme

Led by University of WolverhamptonProject Manager: Alison Felce

Project Officer: Sarah Chesney, Freelance ConsultantDuration: Sep 10 – March 11

Led by the University of Wolverhampton and the ePPSME project

The aims of the ePPSME project were to develop an e-portfolio based pedagogy for work-based learners in small to medium sized enterprises.

The ePCoP funding was designed to share learning gained from all projects (like ePPSME) in the programme and encourage a wider audience to participate in e-portfolio based pedagogy discussions.

Background

Decided to use as open a platform as possible 1. for minimum administration 2. to encourage as wide an audience as

possible 3. so that at a future date visitors could use

(and maybe contribute to) the resources once funding had ended.

So we used Cloudworks

Strategies to create the ePCoP

Invited specific JISC projects/expert practitioners to share their learning via Cloudworks (six in total)

Wide publicity through existing communities with similar interests

Invited specific experts with experience to lead asynchronous activities for a time limited period

Strategies to create the ePCoP

Developed at the Open University with funding from JISC.

Resources & discussions can be viewed by anyone

Anyone can have an account. Comments are checked (not ‘moderated’) Spam Catcher Molom Not a repository but can embed files from

elsewhere

Some facts about Cloudworks

Cloudworks url http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloudscape/view/2201

But beyond this because Cloudworks doesn’t allow you to upload files we used the project Wordpress site url http://epcop.wordpress.com to host all our own generated content

Flickr for images url http://www.flickr.com Slideshare for Powerpoints url

http://www.slideshare.net/ because these files can be embedded in Cloudworks.

Tools to sustain the ePCoP

Cacoo to draw a visual concept of learning design

url http://cacoo.com/ Finally PB works – not used as intended.

Tools to sustain the ePCoP

Specifically our section of Cloudworks: Jan11-March 11 six activities led by practitioners

associated with e-portfolios & communities of practice Total of 1500 views (from different IP addresses) Most visitors came directly to the Cloudscape (browser

bookmarks, email links etc ) Second Netvibes and third a Google search. 48 followers from across the globe 31 opted to be ‘attendees’

Some more facts about Cloudworks

What is engagement? Use of other tools e.g. Elluminate produced

some additional engagers (who otherwise didn’t add to the Cloudworks discussions)

Engagement

We knew we were getting a large number of views but not many were joining in the discussions.

We had some inappropriate postings (nothing too bad but not in the spirit of the community)

This is a largely under-researched area and I wonder if the openness of the community meant that participants were cautious of revealing a lack of knowledge so publically. (no evidence for this!)

Timing of the community – is there ever a right time?

Challenges

Simply put if the ePCoP is to continue we need an agreed set of aims. Australian VET ePCoP has these aims: Provide assistance in embedding eportfolios Disseminate information about the process of

building eportfolios Mentor new users in the use of eportfolios

What next?

What next? The resources will continue to be hosted at

Cloudworks JISC infonet will host some of the resources http://jiscinfonet.ac.uk/JISCINFONET

Plans for maintaining the ePCoP

Sarah Chesney Email sarahchesney@me.com Freelance consultant

Thank you for listening