Linking research & learning technologies through standards

The Technical standards for digital education project’s e-portfolio (electronic portfolio) activity is now complete and a final report has been published. There has been a growing interest in Australian schools and beyond in the potential for e-portfolios to support learning and teaching aims. The work of this particular project was defined by these initial aims:

• Develop a clearer understanding of current e-portfolio use in Australian schools
• Identify the key technical challenges for supporting e-portfolios in the Australian schools sector
• Inform future technical support requirements and activities.

The focus group that presided over this activity comprised a number of experienced and enthusiastic people, and also included representatives from tertiary education. The group identified a range of common uses for e-portfolios in Australian schools, including reflection on achievements and planning, supporting transitioning and pathways, and assessment.

The report illustrates this usage with examples of current e-portfolio usage in jurisdictions, including the Smart Classrooms initiative (QLD), the Future SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) and the Digital portfolio resources developed by the Victorian government. A number of technical challenges were identified based on focus group input. These challenges broadly fell into the following four categories:

• Usage: how e-portfolios are used (their purpose), and how this usage can change over time
• Portability: enabling e-portfolios to follow learners through learning pathways and transition points
• Longevity: ensuring the e-portfolio and associated content has longevity
• Access: controlling and managing appropriate access to learner information.

The report makes recommendations for further action based around these key technical challenges, including the need for national collaboration to identify solutions. Thanks to all the focus group members for the time and expertise they contributed to this work.