Saturday, April 8, 2023 1EPIC 2012, London

Into the Void: Change as a Catalyst, presenting new opportunities to embed e-Portfolios into Community and Lifelong LearningKirstie CoolinCentre for International ePortfolio Development, (CIePD) Research and Learning Resources

www.nottingham.ac.uk/eportfolio

Introduction

• Where are e-Portfolios now?• What is the common vision?• How can we articulate this?• Can opportunities be realised in the challenge

space?

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A Journey...

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With possibly no answers...

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From Gartner

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• E-Portfolios are Web-accessible repositories for student work, both graded and ungraded, which may be shared with authorized parties.

• Adoption is still hampered by interoperability issues• Problem of who owns and supports the portfolio• Until megavendors (Google/Facebook) enter the

market and offer lifelong srevices in the form of cloud e-Portfolios this issue is not likely to be solved..and e-Portfolios will experience a limited uptake

Extracts/summary from Gartner Hype Cycle for Education report, 2011

What questions does this raise?

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1. Are we all talking about the same thing?

2. Are e-Portfolios actually mainstream? what is the evidence?

3. Are these the only drivers? What about individual drivers?

4. How can they be used most effectively?

5. Do students use them willingly? Are they empowered to take responsibility for their own self-directed and lifelong learning?

6. Where are the challenges and opportunities for transformational change?

Shoebox/file store vs. assessment Portfolio vs. Personal learning space ?

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Are e-Portfolios mainstream?

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• What is a successful implementation?• A lot of e-Portfolio activity still occurs in

pockets – represents siloed activities• Name “e-Portfolio” is still problematic –

has baggage• Need to redefine and describe its core

processes, in accessible language

What would motivate senior managers and decision makers to decide on a transformative role for e-Portfolio within their organisation?

What would motivate learners to take ownership of their learning?

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Current challenges for education

• Employability• Global competiveness• Impact of higher fees (greater

expectations)• Savings and efficiency• Student experience

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Frank Hurley

Move e-Portfolio processes into the challenge space

These present educators and implementers with an opportunity to promote the process benefits of e-Portfolios to decision makers

E-Portfolio can respond to new challenges – more relevant than ever? The need for self-directed, professional and lifelong learners – who can argue with that?

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Ride the change• Easier to ‘sell’ to senior management, students,

services and careers – decision makers open to new technologies and approaches to e.g. Assessment/employability

• Demand for work experience/placements• Professionalism and reflective practice• Learning communities – e.g. mentors, tutors,

employers, careers advisers• Integrative learning – recognition of wider

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How can learners be motivated?

“Employability can be enhanced through personal development planning, but success will depend upon the extent to which students see a ‘pay-off’ for the effort that they put in.” (Embedding employability into the curriculum, HEA)

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/employability/id460_embedding_employability_into_the_curriculum_338.pdf

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Some student viewpoints (CIePD SHED project 2012)

• “We come to University and assume that employability is getting the degree but are starting to learn that it’s the degree plus other stuff” (engineering student at Nottingham)

• “Students would be motivated to use their e-Portfolio if they could have it when they leave to help them find a job” (Student, Nottingham)

• “a tool for marketing to differentiate ourselves to employers” (Construction students at Derby College)

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www.nottingham.ac.uk/eportfolio/shed

E-Portfolios and other technologiesWhere do student, employer and institutional

drivers meet, and what would this look like in terms of processes and tools? – transformation through evolution?

• Couch the language for the audience?• Integrate into day-to-day activity/platforms• Use communities around learning activity• Join up learning activities with e.g. Useful

information, Employment search, access to placements, mentoring etc.04/08/2023 Event Name and Venue 16

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Institution

Tools

Learner

Educator

What goes into the

void?

Government

Policy

Individual

concerns

Current Technologies

Communities

Assessment

Professional

competence

Competition

Thank you

Some Acknowledgements:• ePortfolio Implementation Study (Gordon Joyes, https://

epip.pbworks.com)

• E-Portfolios: Go Big or Go Home (Darren Cambridge, http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/e-portfolios-go-big-or-go-home

• Blurring the Boundaries: Social Networking and E-Portfolios (Helen Barratt, http://www.maclearning.org/articles/48/blurring-the-boundaries-social-networking-e-portfolio-development)