This document discusses the use of ePortfolios to help improve immigrant employability. It provides an overview of research that found ePortfolios can help immigrants showcase their skills and experiences. Employers saw potential benefits but also barriers to adoption. The document then describes a program in Manitoba that uses the open-source Mahara platform to help immigrants develop ePortfolios around essential skills. The portfolios allow skills assessment, network building, and providing evidence to employers. Overall, ePortfolios were seen as a way for immigrants to tell their career story and demonstrate their abilities and qualifications to employers.

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