Uploaded byDon Presant
ePortfolios for Immigrants
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.
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ePortfolios for Immigrants
- 1. ePortfolio 21st Century EmployabilityTool for BC Immigrants February 14, 2013
- 2. Learning Agents Accelerated learningsystems E-learning resources & services Learning community support Consulting http://bit.ly/DonPresant_ePortfolio
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- 4. Purpose: Summative orFormative? Shop window or factory? http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/e-portfolios
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- 6. ePortfolio: product andprocess • 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 andprocess • 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 • Linksindividual’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 andLearning 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 asan 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 & relatedpurposes 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 ANDafter 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
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- 17. LinkedIn statistics: Jan2012 • 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 ofImmigrants 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 asa 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 theadvisability 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 theadvisability 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 Acompetitive 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
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- 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 Survey2011 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 • Web2.0 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 toconsider • 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 • FromNZ 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 thehood • 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 ePortfoliousing 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 Programoverview • 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 EssentialSkills • 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 CareerPortfolio 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, Onthe 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 BadgesInitiative Accessibility and transparency Richard Wyles, Totara LMS at MaharaUK12 http://maharauk.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=117
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- 43. Benefits for newcomers PersonalLearning 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 Electronicrecruitment 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 • Integratewith 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
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- 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
Editor's Notes
- #3 Federal corporation, HQ in ManitobaMultimedia learning resources for career development, workplace learning and professional developmentSpecialty: facilitating, packaging & disseminating insights of learners, practitioners and subject matter expertsProducer of “Career Destination” solutions through community partnerships since 2001Opened Learning Agents eStudiosin 2007multimedia & video facility for learning resource production, ePortfolio development and webcastingActive voluntary role in communityCareer Trek and “Let’s Get to Work” conferenceDon Presant: Chair of Manitoba PLA Network (MPLAN) Community Telecentre COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT: technology literacy, engagement, expression, workVideo-conference (in development)job interviews , online learning e.g. classes for prospective immigrants overseas, workplace trainingOther community learning events (subscribe to other networks)Collaborative Workshop EnvironmentHands-On ePortfolio and related workshopsDigital Production StudiosPhotos, objects, actions, interviews, simulationsImages, audio, video, textQuick set-up, quick turnaround (photo vs. scan, permanent lighting setup, direct to disk recording, etc.)Multimedia Post Production Facility :career profiles, ePortfolio resources, training videosProduction and Facilitation Support Services: staff, freelance & partners
- #19 …therefore good potential early adopters for ePortfolio…
- #36 ePortfolio can be a PLE for Essential Skills, ACROSS THE BOARD, but especially for these highlighted skillsThinking Skills:How do I get a job, Cdn work experience?Should I change occupations?How do I organize my job-hunting activities?What have I done in my life and what does it mean?What is the labour market information, who are the employers, where are the jobs?
- #46 Frame of Reference: Matt Elliot and Jennifer TurnsSimple tasks to begin: enter profile information, annotate artefactPrompts for reflection, structured reflection