Where am I at with ePFs

I have been very interested in the benefits of e-Portfolios (ePF) for the Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector after reading the E-standards for Training ‘Developing e-portfolios for VET: Policy issues and interoperability’ report in June 2007.

I have been involved in raising the awareness of ePF in South Australia through:

- discussions with the SA COAG RPL team regarding the potential of ePFs as an effective (pro-active) RPL tool

- building cross-border partnerships between TAFE SA and Charles Darwin University through a joint Reframing the Future project application to develop a Community of Practice to investigate innovative ways ePFs can help in the delivery and assessment of Employability Skills

- developing cross-sector connections with High School and Higher Education stakeholders

- nominating to participate in a reference group to investigate an appropriate ePF tool for TAFE SA

- organizing an ePF presentation by Clint Smith, e-Works, for 2007 Learnscope Project Leaders

- sharing links related to ePFs via a social bookmarking site

My professional development in the area of ePF includes:

- attendance at the 2008 Australian e-Portfolio Symposium and e-Portfolio Showcase

- attendance of a PebblePad ePF presentation and hands-on workshop

- reading the Allen Consulting Group’s “Development of a Strategy to Support the Universal Recognition and Recording of Employability Skills - A Skills Portfolio Approach” (December 2004) recommending the use of student ePFs to assists the assessment of Employability Skills

- participating in a recorded online discussion with other VET practitioners regards the purpose of ePFs in the VET sector

- aware of the work currently being done by e-Framework, DEEWR and JISC, the use of ePFs in the Australia, UK and USA.

I have also publicly written and reflected about the uses/purposes of ePF via my blog, Connecting in a Connected World.

I understand the issues of accessibility, interoperability and longevity of ePFs to allow users to transfer or ‘carry’ their ePF data throughout their working and learning lives, as well as the need for a cross-sector collaborative approach to the adoption of ePFs in Australia.