E-portfolio information:the case for

standardization

Simon Grant

JISC CETIS UK

CEN Workshop – Learning Technologies

Brussels 2011-01-17

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History – older 2001: IMS LIP

“Learner Information Package” sort of extended CV; not widely adopted

2004: UKLeaP: tied to IMS LIP allowed for Personal Development Planning was to have been a British Standard; but not adopted

2005: IMS ePortfolio (eP): added extra features to IMS LIP; more complex took on PDP structures

Other initiatives did not take hold

History – more recent NL adopted their own profile of IMS ePortfolio (2009?) On basis of UKLeaP failure, UK e-portfolio community

believed IMS ePortfolio was too compromised (2006) In UK, JISC/CETIS PIOP projects from 2007

Retained the useful insights from IMS LIP Aimed at simpler, Atom-based specification Soundly based on existing e-portfolio practice Fully agreed with current e-portfolio system developers

Leap2A output by PIOP projects first full version 2009-04 current version 2010-07

Related work to bear in mind Well-established Europass CV

and mapping to HR-XML

Learners may want to record courses in portfolios should coordinate with MLO

Learners may want results provided by institutions should coordinate with EuroLMAI

already coordinated with MLO envisaged new “Qualification Supplement”

to supersede Diploma and Certificate Supplements Implies interest in all Europass instruments

Key motivation ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 WG3

2010-08-03 “e-Portfolio Reference Model”

Need to have European common model established to place clear marker on this global scene

MedBiquitous (American based, ANSI connected) Educational Trajectory is being based on Leap2A

With increasing personal international mobility, more important than ever to support transferring personal information

Need to inform other current and emerging initiatives, including CEDEFOP's current Europass work

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Relational model

course(activity)

outcome(ability)

achievement(good grade)

assertion(entry)

is evidence of

has outcome

supports

claims

personallydefined

resource(essay)

has evidence

a small example...

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Based on established usage within partner portfolio systems

Includes requirements from the MedBiquitous “Educational Trajectory”

Atom's “entry” is used for general pieces of writing

Leap2A's refinements to “entry” (can degrade gracefully)

Attached files are “resources”

Types of information in Leap2A entry

ability achievement activity

meeting affiliation

person organization resource

publication selection

plan

Portfolio information → Leap2A

Blogs, logs, diaries → plain entry Record of anything useful → resource

publication as special case Can be linked to attached files

Record of skill, competence etc. → ability Things that took time (jobs, courses) → activity

meeting as special case Things that will take time → plan Good things that have come about → achievement Structured presentations, CVs etc. → selection Also person, organization to hold information

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Relationships (as in Leap2A) relation

reflects on has part supports has evidence has agenda has outcome attended by has reply Atom link relations

self enclosure related, etc.

(inverse ones) reflected on by is part of supported by is evidence of is agenda of is outcome of attends in reply to

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About entries Entries have authors

Atom allows plain text name, e-mail, URI in Leap2A, URI can relate to separate person entry personal details go in that “person” entry item

Records created, modified at certain times Achievements each have one date of achievement Plans each have a target date of completion Activities, meetings have start and end dates Some things may have locations This “metadata” is recorded “literally”

rather than by a relationship to another item “blob”

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Abilities are of great interest (skill, competence, learning outcome, etc.)

People aim to acquire them through learning They may be assessed People claim to have them Qualifications may be evidence of them

There need to be impersonal definitions, that can be subject of goals can be subject of claims or assertions can be built up into skills frameworks

Ability is representable in Leap2A possible to define within the portfolio information itself but better as a linked external definition with separate spec

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Wider requirements Same ideas could apply to any systems with learner-

owned information Not information gathered about learners by others What are the potentially relevant systems?

Many possibilities, not fully explored yet

Need to create a model that brings together different usage and established specifications May have several bindings; respect existing IP by avoiding other

established bindings

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Unifying Leap2A & IMS eP (etc.) Could keep separate, and do (XSLT) transforms Coordination – several options:

IMS could allow Leap2A as alternative to IMS LIP in IMS eP Maybe a complete mapping between IMS eP and Leap2A

this may involve extending or modifying either then define full transforms both ways at which point which is used no longer matters

Work towards a common model of Leap2A & NL IMS eP which would imply harmony at the RDF level even if not

complete mapping Collaborate with mapping both to HR-XML

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Finally... Thanks for your attention If there is time, questions and discussion? Leap2A is at http://www.leapspecs.org/2A/