The e-portfolio College owned Achievement MappingReflective Experience Student owned Private space Public space College data Student learning journey Ad litem Ad nauseum Warehouse & Stock Content Lifespan Capture Accessibility e-portfolio models Wriggle room

Thanet’s starting point The e-portfolio is the central and common point for the student experience. This is where the student (not the college) stores and reflects on experiences and links to activities and achievements recorded elsewhere. The line between the VLE and e-portfolio must be clear. As a rule, the VLE is used for communication, teaching and learning; the e-portfolio for reflection, storage of the learning journey and personal development. Don’t adopt a portfolio (or any ILT software) where the vendor does not offer free Moodle code as an option to allow it to be run from within the VLE. The e-portfolio is a reflection of the student as a person undergoing continuous personal development, not a college store of evidence. The College must own the choice of portfolio but the student must own the content. Assessment stays in the VLE, but the student reflection on assessment can go in the e-portfolio. The e-portfolio has a life and purpose outside the college. Host e-portfolios beyond the reach of firewalls and web security software to allow links to other social networking software. Good social software will reflect all aspects of humanity, so plan to fix, mend and support content and structure rather than manage out the possibility of poor use (which will lead to sterility).

Why are portfolios distinct from VLEs? One is owned by the college, the content of the other by the student. One is for communication and teaching; the other is for wider reflection and development One is capable of greater personalisation than the other (and should be!) One is a more public forum than the other and will therefore foster a different approach from the learner The take up and usages will be occurring at different speed. We fear that the technology/functionality/software that drives each may be compromised in order to accommodate the other. The College has a much clearer aim of what should end up in the VLE at the end of the course as opposed to what will end up in the e-portfolios that is under control of the learner In one the subject matter is always the author and is introspective, the other has any subject matter and is often written for the benefit of others One is an end in itself; the other is one part of a lifelong journey.

What can we use them for?

From one to many Geoff Rebbeck Thanet College Video of Thanet e-portfolios Detailed Case Study