Interface2006 ePortfolios

At Interface 2006, Patti Dyjur and D'Arcy Norman will be hosting a session called "e-Portfolios: Open Source Solution for Education at the U of C." The session will be on Thursday, May 11, 2006 (10:30-11:30am), at the University of Lethbridge Room E575.

Background Information
The Teaching & Learning Centre has been involved with some ePortfolio-related projects, most notably a pilot project conducted by the Faculty of Education's Master of Teaching Program. This pilot was designed to evaluate the technical and pedagogical implications of an online ePortfolio, as well as a community website, as part of the MT curriculum.

We have also been fortunate to play a lead role in the development of the Pachyderm interactive presentation authoring software, which was used to create the published ePortfolios in the MT pilot project.

Dossiers
Some traditional ePortfolio projects approach the ePort as a solution to an HR problem - to document capabilities of employees and students in order to streamline institutional business processes. That may be an important and valid goal, but it is not the sole (or even the primary) purpose of an ePortfolio.

http://static.flickr.com/21/24464901_47122e2bec.jpg Photograph by swanksalot

"Live Document" - dynamic stream/flow
If viewed separately from any institutional context, an ePortfolio is a live document that represents an individual (or, perhaps a group of individuals). A successful ePortfolio project may enable these individuals to document their practice of teaching and learning, and to record snapshots of personal and professional development. It is not a fill-in-the-blanks templated document, as each ePortfolio must be as unique as the individual it represents.

The most dynamic example of a "live document" ePortfolio is the "blogfolio" - using simple weblog publishing systems to allow individuals to easily document and share information, which is then categorized as belonging to the ongoing portfolio. This form of ePortfolio is the least rigid style, as it allows the individual to reuse bits of content already published to their weblog, in the context of an ePortfolio. As an example, all weblog posts tagged with "Noteworthy" on D'Arcy Norman's weblog

The structure of a live flow can be directed, but it is able to adjust to easily conditions (both internal and external) without arbitrary constraints (such as those imposed by an HR department).

http://static.flickr.com/6/8074781_5fc00f32cf.jpg Photograph by Mortalcoil

Presentational vs. Cognitive
ePortfolios have two primary components. The "presentational" component is the visible, shiny product of the ePortfolio process. It is a website, or a presentation, or a set of media produced to document and communicate a concept or event.

But, just as importantly, an ePortfolio has a cognitive component. The individual crafting their ePortfolio should be reflecting on their practice of teaching and learning, critiquing what they've done - what worked? what didn't work? what would they do differently? This cognitive or reflective component is crucial, as it allows the individual (and their peers) to learn from both success and failure.

Archival vs. Developmental
Because ePortfolios are used to document and record an individual's practice, they have an archival nature. They form a "permanent record" of a person's activities and progress.

ePortfolios can also have a developmental nature, when the individual (and their peers) review an ePortfolio to create personal development plans, and to adapt future strategies as a result of the documented case studies presented within an ePortfolio.

Boxes in the Basement
http://static.flickr.com/36/79451249_9ecc140210.jpg Photograph by Penumbra

Pros: Cons:
 * a personal content management system
 * capable of storing nearly any form of medium.
 * out of sight, out of mind
 * not exactly portable or sharable

Ongoing Notebook
http://static.flickr.com/46/134809086_67310e4c76.jpg Photograph by csb13

Pros: Cons:
 * portable
 * sharable (with small groups)
 * easy to use
 * limited media types
 * runs out of pages

Individual vs. Community
http://static.flickr.com/35/65551301_24280c9c10.jpg Photograph by D'Arcy Norman

ePortfolios are both individual and community activities. As individuals document their practice, they perform several internal processes to make sense of what they've done. But, these processes can be amplified if a community of peers (and/or mentors or "experts") is a key part of their ePortfolio process. By sharing reflection, and drawing on reflections and suggestions from a person's community of practice, it would be possible to more effectively understand what is being documented, and to better adapt as a result.

For the pilot project, we used Drupal to facilitate sharing of ePortfolios among members of the (small) community of practice. The software was configured such that individuals could determine who could see the content they published, so they could share personal reflections and comments without worrying about being exposed to the entire class (or the entire world, through Google).

http://static.flickr.com/25/65551345_363ba7aef4.jpg Photograph by D'Arcy Norman

Each student (and professor) had their own weblog within the Drupal environment, where they could post any content they wished. If they categorized content as belonging to the "ePortfolio" taxonomy, it would be displayed in a central "ePortfolio" page. This was intended to foster discussion, reflection, review and positive criticism about a student's ePortfolio.

Students could also post content to their weblog that did not pertain directly to their ePortfolio. They could document classroom experiences, share lesson plans, ask questions, or just rant about classroom management challenges. As students shared and commented on the various weblog posts, they would be able to incorporate items from that process into their own ePortfolios, with the ePortfolio becoming a snapshot product of the community process.

ePortfolio Software used in the Faculty of Education Master of Teaching ePortfolio pilot project

 * Pachyderm
 * Patti's sample ePortfolio authored in Pachyderm
 * D'Arcy's Pachyderm ePortfolio
 * Drupal - the software that runs the online community of practice

Other ePortfolio Software

 * Apple iWeb (an extremely easy and powerful website authoring and publishing program which could be an effective part of an ePortfolio authoring system)
 * Sample ePortfolio authored in Apple iWeb
 * D'Arcy's "live" ePortfolio (blog posts tagged with "Noteworthy" - a blogfolio)
 * Elgg (a combination of weblogging, e-portfolios, and social networking)

Related blog posts

 * BCEdOnline "Unkeynote" Debriefing - an example of reflecting on, and critiquing a conference session.
 * Portfolio vs. Dossier - a blog post describing the conceptional differences
 * On Teaching Dossiers - a blog post describing "Teaching Dossiers" and how they are different from ePortfolios

Associations and Articles

 * Open Source Portfolio Initiative The Open Source Portfolio Initiative is a group of individuals and organizations collaborating on the development of open source e-portfolio software.
 * Educause e-Portfolio Library An extensive collection of papers, articles, PowerPoint presentations, resources, and examples of e-portfolios.
 * The Electronic Portfolio Consortium The Electronic Portfolio Consortium is interested in the development of academic e-portfolio software systems and establishing standards for them.
 * e-Portfolio Resources from Future Ed. Inc. A series of white papers on digital learning portfolios.