Abstract:

Traditionally the e-portfolio systems implemented to date have been designed to support the learning process of an institution, and too frequently the model is institutional centric rather than learner centric. We explore a new model that places the learner as owner in control of their own stuff, in their space, whilst enabling multiple organisations to concurrently engage with the individual with additional institutional layers of function that provide the institution with a method of satisying their specific objectives. So an individual may engage with their school or college/university and at the same time engage with their employer, their local sports club and their professional body. This approach offers a learner the ability to save their experiences from their learning programme or other learning activity in a form that is useful to them in later life, to curate and merge with other stuff once they have left their learning institution or current employer, and to be able to engage effectively with their social media tools of choice.

Our goal is to provide a shift change in the way that individuals can articulate their strengths, achievements, experience and abilities in ways that go beyond the simple certificate of achievement. This cloud based system is free for the individual - for life.

We illustrate with practical examples of how this radically new system, called Myshowcase.me, is being used in different educational and workplace contexts, including new methds of assessment and feedback.

We address issues of security and confidentiality of personal data, issues around how we handle sometimes conflicting requirements around ownership and placement of personal data, and also how we avoid an individual having all their personal data being locked into one particular system. we also explore how this type of system can and should be "open" to other services and the role of standards.

And we discuss the implications of this model, and some of the directions it could take us for education provision.

Keywords:

E-portfolio, assessment, evidence, lifelong learning, open badges, new models, personalized learning, social media, mobile learning.