Researching e-Portfolios

I’ve been working this week on the European funded MOSEP project, which is researching and piloting the use of e-Portfolios, primarily for vocational education and training for the 13 - 16 year old age group.
The project is undertaking initial research into existing, innovative and effective practice in the use of e-Portfolios. As part of this we want to undertake a series of case studies.
The case studies will provide us with material to explore the following research questions:

Using e-Portfolios
How are e-Portfolios being uses for the training of young adults (age 13-16) by whom, for what purpose and with what outcomes?
What experience do we have with use of portfolio with vocational learners /socially disadvantaged learners? Are there any country specific and/or cultural differences?
Frameworks and competences
How interrelated are the use of e-Portfolios with European initiatives for standardising the proof of competences (e.g. Europass Framework)?
What framework of standards is influencing the broader uptake of e-Portfolios in the educational and vocational training field?
What skills and knowledge are needed to be a “supportive and reflected” trainer in this process - both pedagogical and ICT skills

Pedagogic approaches
What are pedagogic processes of use of portfolio, how are they integrated with the curriculum and with the overall pedagogic approaches.
What is the relationship of portfolio to informal learning, work-based learning etc. How can a trainer support this developing process? What are the learning objectives for mentoring/coaching learners in the process of developing e-Portfolios
How does the use of portfolios encourage learner motivation
Critical success factors
What are the structural success factors of introducing e-Portfolios in a school environment.
What are the barriers and needs of the trainers and their related institutions while introducing a new teaching process enhanced by an e-Portfolio software (in combination with existing learning environment).
What is the added value of e-Portfolio software and what type of tools support reflective teaching and counselling process.

I would be very grateful if anyone could suggest possible case studies in this area, preferably form European countries.

Technorati Tags: e-portfolios, eportfolio, European_projects, MOSEP

Add comment August 30th, 2006

e-Portfolios come of age

Sometime in the spring - can’t remember quite when or who said it - there was a flurry of posts as to whether Personal Learning environments were the new e-Portfolio. The discussion has too slants. One strand questioned whether there was any real difference between e-Portfolios and PLEs. The second worried about the hype over PLEs and pointed to lack of evidence that the previous upsurge of interest in e-Portfolios had resulted in much real change.
Over the last few weeks I’ve been noticing a resurgence of interest in e-Portfolios. OK, maybe I’m being a little subjective. Last week I was at the launch of a new European project - site still under construction - on e-Portfolios, tomorrow I am traveling to Austria for a workshop on ELGG. But I think it goes beyond projects and workshops. The real driver of the recent discussions is simply the fast approaching new school and college term. e-Portfolios are moving beyond the first adopters, beyond the pedagogic researchers into mainstream use.
Coming back to the first question regarding the difference between e-Portfolios and PLEs, I am not sure of the answer. I don’t think my idea of an effective e-Portfolio is much different form my take on a PLE. But not everyone in the learning technology community shares my views (probably a good job). What we all seem to have agreed on at the e-Portfolios meet up in Manchester in June was that we needed more grounded and small scale experiments in how we might configure and develop PLEs. (for discussion on ideas from Manhester workshop see PLE wiki pages maintained by Marc van Harmelen). We did not need yet another monolithic system called a PLE ( and anyway some ***tards would only try to patent it).
The good news about e-Portfolios coming of age - if my suspicion is right - is it will provide us with a rich landscape to experiment and develop new pedagogic approaches to learning.

Technorati Tags: Personal Learning Environments, social software

1 comment August 22nd, 2006