RAPPORT
WWW.RECORDINGACHIEVEMENT.ORG
Issue 1 (2015)
or ought to have a significant influence on the
configuration of the tool.
Thinking of an eportfolio as a presentation
appears to preclude the concept of a
developmental or working portfolio i.e. one that is
not yet ready for sharing. The reality is that all
eportfolios tend to pass through various stages of
development, indeed not all evolve to a finished
state, but throughout they are still created to
present ideas and evidence to an audience. Whilst
not immediately obvious this view also
accommodates Strivens’ privately composed,
Type A eportfolio; it is just that the author and the
audience are one and the same.
Although this paper concentrates on defining
eportfolios as presentations, to the general
exclusion of defining systems, it is perhaps worth
dwelling briefly on the concept of eportfoliothinking; or eportfolio based learning (Jisc, 2008).
These practices of purposefully reflecting on
experience, connecting different aspects of one’s
learning, relating old learning to new events etc.
are in actuality characteristics of effective,
integrated learning (or teaching) and can be
witnessed without eportfolios ever being part of
the process. However, aligning good eportfolio
practices with a suitable eportfolio system will
almost inevitably lead to outstanding eportfolio
presentations.
So, to return to the complex but essential matter
of defining purpose. Within an organisation the
‘purpose’ of the portfolio will typically vary
according to the scale and maturity of use. Where
the eportfolio is used for a single, well-defined
activity the purpose is often easily described, and
easily communicated. However, as ‘institutional’
use broadens and deepens a user may be called
upon to create multiple portfolios to attend to
various aspects of their core-, co- and extracurricula learning and experience. Perhaps there
then is the first characteristic of how we define an
eportfolio; is it to be a single-use, single-purpose
portfolio conveying everything its author intends
to its anticipated audience? Or, will the eportfolio
be one of many different presentations charting
growth, achievement and aspiration from diverse
areas of the author’s life? It is clear that a system
designed to support the former might not be able
to deliver against the requirements of the latter –
and vice versa.
This
‘enterprise’
purpose
demands
an
understanding of the portfolio presentation(s)
required but the question of single- or multiplicity
of uses itself is really only relevant when defining
or designing an eportfolio system to deliver that
output. Other considerations also come into play
when defining a system including its assessment
capability, the range of access permissions, its
integration with other tools etc. Whilst these
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