JISC

The programme area manager for Complementary Health and Beauty at Abingdon and Witney College researched the possibility of introducing e-portfolios. JISC publications and video case studies were useful in training staff and raising the awareness of senior management to the potential opportunities provided by e-portfolios.

Informing change 

'JISC e-Learning Programme publications are a rich source of information'

Abingdon and Witney College is a further education provider in Oxfordshire which offers a range of academic and vocational qualifications on three campuses. In 2008, the programme area manager for Complementary Health and Beauty researched the possibility of introducing e-portfolios with a small pilot project to highlight the potential resource and staff development implications if this were implemented throughout the department.

JISC e-Learning Programme publications were identified as key resource documents and have subsequently been used to plan, implement and evaluate the e-portfolio pilot project. The JISC publications and video case studies have also been used to train staff and raise awareness of senior management to the potential opportunities provided by e-portfolios.

About the JISC e-Learning programme

The aim of the JISC e-Learning programme is to enable UK further and higher education to create a better learning environment for all learners, wherever and however they study. The vision is of a world where learners, teachers, researchers and wider institutional stakeholders use technology to enhance the overall educational experience by improving flexibility and creativity and by encouraging comprehensive and diverse personal, high quality learning, teaching and research.

The e-Learning Programme provides guidance and support for practitioners to enable them to develop confidence and skills in designing and facilitating e-learning in different contexts and with different pedagogical approaches.

There are a number of important publications synthesising outcomes from the JISC e-Learning Programme including the successful Effective Practice guides which offer advice and guidance on effective uses of technology for example, e-portfolios, e-assessment and mobile learning.

Challenge

The programme area manager for Complementary Health and Beauty at Abingdon and Witney College asked staff member Frances Rippen to research into the benefits of e-portfolios and set up a pilot scheme to identify the resource and training implications.

The idea was to introduce e-portfolios to one group of learners, identify potential issues, benefits and resources and then roll this out to the rest of the department. The pilot was to start in February 2009 and run until July 2009 and focused on a group of twenty seven 16-19 year old Level 3 Beauty Therapy students, all of whom had a good level of ICT skills.

Solution

After a study regarding the use of e-portfolios, Frances identified the JISC e-Learning publications as a key source of information and support. Using the models, case studies, additional resources and contacts highlighted in the publications, Frances developed a bespoke pilot model for the department and identified the systems/procedures for its implementation and evaluation.

The pilot e-portfolios have been mainly text based but the initial findings from the pilot, and those of JISC, highlight the need for full multimedia capability that includes audio, digital video and photographs.

The JISC resources were also used to develop the awareness of members of staff to the potential of e-portfolios and identify any ICT training requirements prior to the pilot taking place. Three resources proved particularly useful:

• Effective Practice with e-Portfolios publication
• The Learner's Voices: Jenny & Emma's video (Quicktime)
• JISC InfoNet e-Portfolios InfoKit

The combination web-based and print documents with short video clips allowed busy managers and practitioners to gain a better understanding of some of the key benefits and barriers from a pedagogical, financial or IT services point of view before implementing the e-portfolio pilot.

Impact on the learning provider

The JISC publications and resources have raised the awareness of senior managers to the potential of e-portfolios and it is anticipated that the outcome of the pilot project will result in a model that could be implemented in other departments within the organisation.

However, the pilot project has already highlighted some issues such as:

• storage capacity
• accessibility
• the need to develop multimedia capability

On the plus side, the pilot has:

• increased the use of technology by both staff and students
• integrated e-portfolios into the teaching and learning of the pilot group
• achieved the support of examination bodies who are also keen to see the development of e-portfolios.

We anticipate that e-portfolios are an area of growth and the pilot will be used as a model for other departments.

Impact on the learner

Although the pilot is still ongoing in 2009, the ICT skills of the learners involved in the pilot project increased significantly and they are more confident in their use of technology, as evidenced by:

• Technology is used more frequently when delivering presentations and communicating with each other and with lecturers
• Information is easier to find as it is all stored in one central location and accessible wherever there is an internet connection
• Not everyone is able to communicate effectively using the written word and it is hoped that the multimedia aspect of e-portfolios will enhance the learning experience of those who, in the past, may not have been able to achieve the Level 3 Beauty Therapy qualification

Key messages

1. Keep the publications as they are, clear, simple and relevant
2. Ensure they are kept up-to-date, technology changes so fast and there is a need to ensure the publications and resources keep up with it
3. More multimedia case studies highlighting good practice

Further information

JISC e-Learning Programme 

e-Learning Publications

e-Portfolios - JISC Activity

Learner's Voices Video Case Studies

e-Portfolios infokit