Generic version of a presentation developed for a planning workshop.

1. ePortfolio
21st Century Employability Tool
for BC Immigrants
February 14, 2013

2. Learning Agents
Accelerated learning systems
E-learning resources & services
Learning community support
Consulting
http://bit.ly/DonPresant_ePortfolio

3. Why an ePortfolio?

4. Purpose: Summative or Formative?
Shop window or factory?
http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/e-portfolios

5. Multimodal, recursive
http://www.slideshare.net/4nitsirk/mahara-open-source-eportfolio-application

6. ePortfolio: product and process
• Digital archive
• Showcase: celebration & assessment of learning
– Education
• Acceptance/advanced standing, course requirement,
graduation requirement
– Workplace
• Hiring, HR development, professional development, project
team selection
FuturEd 2004

7. ePortfolio: product and process
• Assessment for learning (e.g. CLPA)
• Reflection, self-assessment
• Transferring skills, making transtions
• Coaching, collaborative learning
• Learning plans
• Knowledge Management

8. Credentials vs. ePortfolio
Credentials ePortfolio
• Reflect time spent in • Reflects time spent learning
class • Evidence-based proficiency
• Questionable proficiency • Statement of actual skills and
• Proxy for skills and knowledge
knowledge • “Living”
• Dated • Systematic
• Variable quality • All learning valued
• Formal learning only
(Courtesy FuturEd)

9. Benefits of “e”
• Information Management capabilities
– Collecting, archiving, sharing, making different versions
– Multimedia evidence
• Digital technology, Internet literacy
• Learning and collaboration integration
– Online research: documents, networks
– Easy to add comments, edit, mentor, coach
• Digital Identity
– Professional Profile, Personal network
• Measurement, alignment
– Link to frameworks, rubrics, track learning over time
• Systems integration and interoperability
– Moodle and other LMS, HRIS systems

10. Key elements
• Links individual’s skills/accomplishments to
skills frameworks
• A record of formal AND experiential learning
• Claims backed by digital evidence
• Learner ownership
• More than a showcase

11. Personal Planning and Learning
Online Locker, Interactive Workbook
• Online archive
– Personal & downloaded documents, links
• Resources for self-directed learning
– Webinars, videos, self-assessment surveys
• Learning plans and tracking tools
– Set goals and track progress to them (Learning Plans)
– Keep records of learning activities over time (CPD)
• Personal journal
– Reflect on goals and alternative futures
– Keep ad hoc “notes to self”, prepare agendas, etc.
• Ongoing Personal Learning Environment (PLE)
– “Continuous Learning Environment”

12. Learning Example
English as an Additional Language
• Products of language courses
– e.g. Collaborative Language Portfolio
Assessment
• Authentic artefacts of speaking, listening,
reading and writing
• Formative/summative
– Snapshots of progress
– Holistic employability
• (e.g. demonstrate comm & technical skills)

13. Employment & related purposes
Demonstrate, assess & improve Human Capital
• Qualification Recognition
– Initial, formative, summative assessment
• Academic recognition
– PLAR/RPL for courses and programs
• Career Development
– Gap analysis, exploration of alternatives, building pathways
• Employment (Web CV)
– Hiring, career advancement, team building tool for employers
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
– Tracking ongoing learning activities and reflection on practice
– Recertification

14. Lifelong, lifewide
Before AND after getting the job
• Pre-employment
– Becoming employable, getting hired
• Workplace development
– Skills development, performance management,
career advancement
• Recognition of Prior Learning
– Challenge for credit
• Continuing Professional Development
– Regulated occupations
• Knowledge portfolios
• Life portfolios

15. ePortfolios and Immigrant
Employability

16. @timbuckteeth http://scoop.intel.com/what-happens-in-an-internet-minute/ 20120313

17. LinkedIn statistics: Jan 2012
• Started 2003
• Currently 200m+
• 2 new members per second
• 7m+ in Canada (+39.5% 2011->2012)
• 2m+ companies have LinkedIn pages
• Includes executives from 100% of Fortune 500
• 85% of Fortune 100 use its hiring solutions
• Acquired Slideshare in May 2012

18. Research
Information Practices of Immigrants
Nadia Caidi, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, 2009
http://www.slideshare.net/settlementatwork/information-practices-of-immigrants

19. RESEARCH PROJECT
ePortfolio for Skilled
Immigrants and Employers
Pan Canadian
Employer Focus Groups
Jan-Feb 2006

20. Employer feedback
ePortfolio as a tool to describe skills and knowledge
• Majority in favour
– “digital matching service, living document, screening tool,
digital evidence of credentials and experience”
• Benefits:
– Accessible documents of work accomplishments vs. credentials
– Pre-employment bridging tool, linked to LMI
– Help standardize the language of competencies
• Acceptance Factors
– Accuracy, consistency, ease of use
• Potential Issues
– Time for creation and processing, privacy, content
maintenance, system integrity, overall responsibility...

21. Employer feedback
On the advisability of a broad ePortfolio system
• Good timing
– Rising skills shortages, immigration levels
• Current examples
– Job Banks and PSC system
• Benefits
– Good potential: niche sectors, skill sets, countries
– Transparent tool for diversity and equity
– Early adopters could have hiring advantage
– Ease/improve recruitment, reduce wrong hires
• Potential Barriers
– Cost, regulatory body acceptance/validation, privacy,
ownership, process inertia, consistency

22. Employer feedback
On the advisability of a broad ePortfolio system
• Acceptance Factors
– Simplicity, accessibility, usefulness as a screening tool, trust,
confidentiality, standards, integration, flexibility, extensibility,
government support, marketing, training
• Solutions
– Fit eP into existing interviewing and hiring practices
– Incremental approach with action research to measure benefits
– Make eP mandatory (!) with allowed exceptions for
inclusiveness

23. Human Capital Management
A competitive marketplace

24. Human Capital Technology
• eSourcing/eRecruitment tools
– Résumé Importing/Exporting/Searching
– Assessments & Applicant Screening
– Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
• Onboarding (orientation) tools
• Performance/Talent Management Systems
• Human Resource Management Systems
(HRMS/HRIS)
Adapted from http://www.recruitersnetwork.com/software/index.htm

25. Which ePortfolio?

26. ePortfolios for learning
AAEEBL
• Association for Authentic, Experiential and
Evidence-Based Learning
• “a non-profit, professional organization for the
world eportfolio community”
• 106 Institutional Members in 5 countries
• Harvard, Notre Dame, Columbia, Purdue,
Washington, Stanford, Tufts…
• Publish International Journal of ePortfolio
• Annual conference, regional conferences

27. AAEEBL Member Survey 2011
Platforms
http://www.aaeebl.org/Resources/Documents/TAL/TAL_v3n3_2013_06.pdf
Lists, demos and comparison s:
AAEEBL website
EPAC website
Helen Barrett 1 | Helen Barrett 2

28. Technology Alternatives
• Web 2.0 purpose-built
– LinkedIn, about.me
• Web 2.0 “roll your own”
– Google sites, Weebly, Evernote, Prezi
• Dedicated FOSS
– Mahara, Sakai, ZenPortfolio (WP)
• Adapted FOSS
– Wordpress.com, Wordpress.org
• Dedicated Proprietary
– PebblePad, Digication, myeFolio, Pathbrite

29. Five solutions to consider
• WordPress
– WordPress.com, Zen Portfolios or download
– Free, or?
• PebblePad
– 20 GBP/year/person
• myeFolio
– $20/year
• Digication
– $20-35/year
• Mahara
– Free, or?

30. Mahara ePortfolio
Overview
• From NZ to the world
• Free Open Source Software (FOSS)
– Free (like a puppy)
– Controllable, predictable
– Extendable, “clusterable” (Moodle, Google Apps…)
• Flexible
– Digital storytelling machine, not a “tick box”

31. Mahara ePortfolio
Under the hood
• Content Archive
– Profile, Resume, Files, Notes, Journals (blogs), Plans
• Pages, Collections
– Different content for different audiences
• Embed external content (Web 2.0)
– LinkedIn, Slideshare, YouTube, Google Apps, etc.
• Groups and collaboration
– Shared files, pages, collections
• Multi-layered sharing/privacy

32. An Essential Skills
ePortfolio using Mahara

33. Workplace Education Manitoba
& WPLAR
• Nonprofit partnerships of Government,
Business and Labour
• WEM: workplace education in Essential
Skills
• WPLAR: workplace Recognition of Prior
Learning
wem.mb.ca
wplar.ca

34. Essential Skills ePortfolio
Program overview
• For Adults in Transition
• Leverage the “e” factor
• Accessible and authentic ICT
– Free software
– Accessible multimedia hardware
• Provide ongoing learning support
– Gap training / PD for SMART goals using Moodle

35. Immigrants and Essential Skills
• Reading Text
• Document Use
• Numeracy
• Writing
• Oral Communication
• Working with Others
• Continuous Learning
• Thinking Skills
– Problem Solving, Decision Making, Job Task Planning and
Organizing, Significant Use of Memory, Finding Information
• Computer Use

36. Vision for Career Portfolio Manitoba
Lifelong career development
• All Manitobans
• Learner owned
• Personal and public purposes
• Lifewide: home, community, school, work...
• Based on (not restricted to) Essential Skills
• Built through partnerships of stakeholders, with
WEM and WPLAR as “anchor tenants”
• Globally aware, locally relevant

37. Career Portfolio Manitoba
Demonstration
• Portfolio building course
– Video tutorials, support
• Templates
– Pages (soon collections)
• Job Match Summary
• Extensive use of Web 2.0
– YouTube, Screenr, LinkedIn…
– Embed.ly as the glue
• Fictional exemplar
• Growing gallery of real examples

38. Next Steps, On the Horizon
• Self-directed online course
• Google Apps
• Encourage Mobile
– MaharaDroid, PortfolioUp
• Encourage learning journals
• Self assessment tools
• Open Badges
• Mahoodle
– Learning loops
• Skills marketplace

39. The Open Badges Initiative
Accessibility and transparency
Richard Wyles, Totara LMS at MaharaUK12
http://maharauk.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=117

40. Open Badges

41. Skills marketplace
“Finnishing School”

42. Conclusion

43. Benefits for newcomers
Personal Learning Environment
• Developing Essential Skills
• Self-assessment, building confidence
• Building necessary knowledge
– Customized LMI, informational interview logs
• Building your Network
• Performance support
– “Digital evidence bank” for cold calling, etc.
• Personal space for learning

44. Benefits for employers
Electronic recruitment tool
• Scaffolded solution for the workplace
– Works with LinkedIn, job boards & other solutions
already used for electronic recruitment
• Professional Page = quick, easy dashboard
– Links to further detail and downloadable resume
• Deeper, richer “Web CV” rewards closer study
– More complete picture of the candidate
– Authentic demonstrations of skills and knowledge
• Job Match Summary simplifies assessment
– Rubric aligns with employer’s job description

45. Success Strategies
• Integrate with other learning programs
• Take small steps with lots of scaffolding
– Simple tasks, examples, templates, tutorials
– Technical and content support and feedback
• Adult learning principles
– Content over technology
– Telling your career story – past, present, future
• More than an online résumé
– Take it to the next level: videos, LinkedIn, etc.
– Personal web site; private, shared and public space
• Socialize the process and the product
– Peer/coach review, portfolio buddies, presenting portfolios, etc.

46. Learn from others
http://www.slideshare.net/JISCNetskills/lisa-gray-jisc-eportfolios-october-2012

47. “Failure strategies”
http://www.slideshare.net/JISCNetskills/lisa-gray-jisc-eportfolios-october-2012

48. Suggested steps – high level
• Steering group
• Establish purpose(s) & criteria, business model
– Program linkage
– Workflow and quality criteria
• Learner ownership vs ISSBC reputation
– “End game”: portfolio life, client ownership/support
• Implement in phases, evolve
– Pilot for staff
– One location, etc.

49. careerportfolio.mb.ca
don@learningagents.ca
Twitter: @donpresant
PRESENTATION SUPPORT PAGE
bit.ly/ep4imm