An afternoon with e-portfolios
with Adrienne Marrone, Framework Media Officer

Never used an e-portfolio before? Want to get started but aren’t sure how?

The Australian Flexible Learning Framework’s (Framework) E-portfolios Business Manager, Allison Miller, visited Brisbane in June to conduct a workshop for vocational education and training (VET) practitioners – so as an e-portfolios amateur, I went along to find out more.

My knowledge of e-portfolios was limited. I knew e-portfolios were an online repository, holding digital information demonstrating a person’s experience, achievements and evidence of learning. And when used as an online repository, e-portfolios can streamline the transition between education, training and the workplace by capturing evidence of a learner’s skills and experience.

But what does this mean in practice and how do e-portfolios achieve this?

During Allison’s workshop I discovered that e-portfolios are a great driver for professional development, especially within the VET sector. We explored how using e-portfolios in this capacity allows employees to gauge their progress and identify future goals; while employers can review progress, provide feedback and plan/set goals for their employee’s future development.

To demonstrate how this is achieved, Allison led the group through setting up our own e-portfolio using VETSA E-portfolios*. VETSA E-portfolios is a secure online environment (only accessible by approval) set up by the South Australian Framework team to help support the uptake of e-portfolios in VET.

Setting up your e-portfolio profile involves:

• uploading your CV and cover letter
   
• sharing your personal, professional and career goals
   
• including personal, academic and work skills
   
• establishing networks with ‘friends’ and ‘groups’ (eg as you would on Facebook).

I was also able to synchronise my personal blog to my profile using the external RSS tool. This functionality is a great example of how e-portfolios allow you to demonstrate your skills and experience in a practical, real-world way. If you don’t have an external blog of your own, you can always use the internal blog application within your e-portfolio.

As someone who had never seen an e-portfolio before, I was encouraged by how intuitive the system was to use. The level of help content available on the VETSA E-portfolio homepage provided ample guidance and the extensive privacy customisation provided peace of mind.

Allison also gave examples of organisations using e-portfolios to promote professional development and assist in the RPL (recognition of prior learning) process. In particular, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is leading the field in embedding e-portfolios. QUT has developed an Australian ePortfolio Toolkit for stakeholders including academics, institution employees and learners to maximise learning outcomes and encourage professional development.

Allison’s workshop showed me that e-portfolios really do encourage a holistic view of learning and experience in terms of academic attributes and employable skills. For learners, the connection between what has been learned and how they have learned it becomes clearer; while teachers are able to gain a unique insight into learners' progress, allowing individualised academic advice and guidance.

Visit Allison’s e-portfolio profile to learn more. If you are interested in trialling an e-portfolio profile you can register in the top right hand corner.  

The Framework has produced a national strategic plan, the VET E-portfolio Roadmap (Roadmap). The Roadmap supports the diverse requirements for e-portfolios in VET and aims to assist in the development of a national standards-based framework for e-portfolios.

Learn more about e-portfolios

* Teachers and trainers are encouraged to trial VETSA E-Portfolios for free with small groups of learners (<20).

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Published on 22/07/2010