JISC

The new 14-19 Specialised Diplomas, to be introduced in the UK from 2008 and being piloted from September 2007, represent a major move towards opening access to Higher Education to a wider range of students following vocational pathways. Study programmes will require interaction across a range of institutions and providers and will call for new developments in Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) to support the needs of students. There is a consequent demand for cross-institutional working supported by ePortfolio technology that is learner-centred, supports the personalisation and integration of learning for individuals and is institution-free.

ePortfolios for transition have also been identified by recent UK Government reports as a priority for early implementation. The earlier University of Nottingham-led RIPPLL project established a network of partnerships in the Nottingham area and concentrated on interoperability and ePortfolio for transition between education and employment in both directions. JOSEPH will extend this work by building and implementing ePortfolio-enabled services for IAG in specific relation to the needs of learners taking the new Specialised Diploma in Engineering (one of the first to be introduced, and also identified as a priority area for the East Midlands) and using the Nottingham Passportfolio architecture and systems. This will also offer an instantiation of the ‘thin’ ePortfolio model as proposed by the JISC ePortfolio Reference Model project representing a flexible, affordable solution which can both be applied to institutional systems and to institution-free, learner-centred ePortfolio implementations which could provide ideal support for lifelong and lifewide learning.

Aims and objectives

JOSEPH will explore the use of ePortfolio and e-Portfolio-enabled services, specifically in the area of IAG, to support learners following Engineering pathways both during their course and at points of transition.

• Support providers and learners piloting the Specialised Diploma for Engineering in the region through use of ePortfolio
• Scope the interaction between ePortfolio and IAG services
• Conduct a baseline evaluation of how learners in Engineering begin to use an ePortfolio in combination with online and face-to-face IAG services to develop an ILP focused on progression to the next stage of learning
• Identify web services to enhance IAG for students following the new Engineering Specialised Diploma in local schools and colleges, taking account of the need to link to the new regional 14-19 online prospectus
• Examine how far web services for IAG for progression from a level 1 or level 2 Specialised Diploma prove to be reusable at other progression points, establishing a pattern of reusability where possible
• Through dialogue with stakeholders, identify changes to processes required for learners on vocational pathways to integrate cross-institutional learning (including work-based learning), develop ILPs and create Personal Statements for application to FE, HE and employment
• Explore the Specialised Diploma as a progression route into HE and enable central admissions staff and admissions tutors in Engineering in HE to establish how they would use the wider range of learner information provided from the Specialised Diploma to assess the achievements, aptitude and potential of WP applicants both within the admissions process and, for successful applicants, at induction
• Test the ‘thin’ ePortfolio model and web service definitions for developing a Personal Statement proposed by the ePortfolio Reference Model project
• Strengthen and extend the regional partnership established by RIPPLL
• Develop a key testbed activity for e-innovations planned by the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire Lifelong Learning Network

Project methodology

The first year will be an extended set up and development phase, accompanied by an exercise scoping existing provision and mapping existing technology, including a baseline evaluation of how learners in Engineering at all levels use, in dialogue with a variety of human advisers, both online and face-to-face IAG services to develop an ILP focussed on progression to the next phase of learning. Workshops with a full range of stakeholders including tutors, advisers and students, will be used as a basis for scenario and use case building. The project will produce use cases, develop specifications and commission development work to build ePortfolio-enabled web services for IAG processes in support of application and progression for school and college Engineering students, looking to repurpose existing technology where possible. Year 2 will be devoted to the pilot implementation of these web services in conjunction with the Nottinghamshire Passportfolio system. Building on a baseline evaluation conducted in Year 1, regular qualitative and quantitative evaluations and reviews will be carried out and the results of these used to inform IAG technology as well as leading to the provision of robust evidence for reports to policy makers and for formal research publications. As systems supporting IAG are not currently well-defined, the project will aim to use throwaway technologies that prove the concept of producing and consuming web services in a flexible environment allowing for rapid changes.

Anticipated impact

Specialised Diplomas are a new area for practitioners as well as learners; we will contribute to the growing body of knowledge about the needs of learners following this pathway and support their use as a route into HE, thereby supporting WP in the region. The work of this project will further support and inform work on the second phase of Specialised Diplomas in further subject areas, particular in relation to use of IAG and cross-platform delivery. We will show how ePortfolio can interoperate with a variety of online resources and online or face-to-face advice services. Through co-operation and co-ordination with the Lifelong Learning Network we will encourage further uptake of ePortfolio in schools and colleges in the region and contribute to the knowledge base of practitioners in this area, as well as raising awareness of and support for Engineering courses in the region. Furthermore, we will demonstrate how representative the technology required is for progression to HE on this route, in a vocational specialism governed by sector bodies, including not only transitions between educational institutions, but also between education, training and employment.  

Practical instantiations of the ‘thin’ ePortfolio model identified by the JISC ePortfolio Reference Model project are needed: by scoping and developing applications of an ‘ePortfolio engine’ using generic web services and data structures that can be re-used in other environments we will contribute to the e-Framework and support further work in this area.

Lead institution 
University of Nottingham Centre for International ePortfolio Development  

Project partners

• City of Nottingham Children’s Services
• Connexions Nottinghamshire
• Top Valley School & Engineering College
• Castle College Nottingham
• Nottingham Trent University School of Architecture, Design and Built Environment
• LEAP AHEAD (Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire Lifelong Learning Network)
• Toyota/Lexus Academy
• Edexcel

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