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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 7