100 likes | 118 Views
Explore the opportunities and challenges of e-portfolio information strategy, including information reuse, reflection, lifelong learning, interoperability, stewardship, and knowledge, skills, and attributes. Discover how e-portfolio technology can facilitate these processes and improve accessibility and portability.
E N D
E-portfolio technical challenges and opportunities Simon Grant Information strategy consultant to CRA and CETIS LIPSIG
Outline • Opportunities • information • reuse; reflection • joining up and lifelong learning • Challenges • interoperability • stewardship and responsibility • knowledge skills and attributes
Information in e-portfolios • Information often includes • activities (educational, work etc.) • achievements of several kinds • and other information • “knowledge, skills, attributes” etc. • Products of learning, as evidence • artists’ and writers’ portfolios (originally) • other digital products or works …
Reuse • Electronic format allows reuse instead of needless re-writing • e.g. word-processed documents • Databases are potentially even better • categorisation • linking • different views of same database • Stored in one place only = consistent
Reflection • What is recorded can be brought back for reflection by the learner • Reflections themselves can be stored • Reflection promotes independence • Reflection aids decision processes • Having past records easily accessible aids reflection
Joining up lifelong learning • Potential for large amounts of information to be stored electronically over time • Learners should be able not to lose it when moving between organisations • Lifelong learning processes could benefit from availability of records from previous places of education and work • But how to do this is a challenge…
Interoperability • Standard language needed for transfer • We have started with IMS’s LIP • “information model” expressed in XML • For UK, we have extended it slightly and made many recommendations for use • But it is far from perfect, and needs more work (being taken forward by LIPSIG) • Also need to define “Web Services”
Stewardship and responsibility • Remember the information stored • who should look after which parts? • some should be kept by • universities/colleges: marks, grades etc. • businesses: staff records, formal appraisals etc.? • professional bodies: membership, certifications? • but they may all be needed for reflection by the individual and for presentation to others • There are people on the case…
Knowledge skills attributes • Different bodies have different interests in these, and different terms, or frameworks • Evidence for competence in one framework can’t be assumed to transfer to a different one • We need a way of relating these so that e-portfolios are more portable • Again, there are people on the case
Conclusion • ICT, the e in e-portfolio, brings new potential similarly to e-learning • E-portfolio technology is ready for use, and will be greatly developed • Interoperability needs more work, but is getting there • Keep in touch!