Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint,
as a replacement for Progress File

The context for developing e-Profiles

You’ve heard of Progress File and Records of
Achievement? What about e-Portfolios?

Edited key messages from a recent survey

Outcomes

Hampshire’s approach

Key issues for consideration

Sources of evidence in secondary schools

Summary

Sample KS3 and KS4 templates
Whilst the Progress File material has been discontinued by
the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), they did this
in the knowledge that the good practice that had developed
across the country during the life of the materials had
overtaken the materials, and they needed to be reviewed and
changed considerably if they were to continue to be useful.
However, the wide range of ideas that had developed and
that would need to be addressed provided a considerable
challenge if new materials were to be introduced to meet a
new need.
Different things are happening in different parts of the UK
and there are some excellent examples of continuing
practice with products retaining the name. One example is an
online version called myprogressfile.com1, whilst others are
maintaining the Progress File but looking to resource folders,
etc, from other local manufacturers. Some key messages
were produced nationally in support of e-Portfolios.2
June 2007
1
Find this at www.myprogressfile.com
2
Produced by The Centre for Recording Achievement, Warwick University
e-Profiles – Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint, replacing Progress Files
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The context for developing
e-Profiles
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s (QCA’s)
Blueprint for e-Assessment (2004) envisages that:
“Within five years ... all awarding bodies should be set up to
accept and assess e-Portfolios”.
See: www.qca.org.uk/2586_6997.html .
Plus, as part of Priority 2 within their e-strategy, the DfES is
seeking to:
“… encourage every institution to offer a personal online
learning space to store coursework, course resources,
results and achievements. We will work towards developing
a personal identifier for each learner, so that organizations
can support an individual’s progression more effectively.
Together, these facilities will become an electronic portfolio,
making it simpler for learners to build their record of
achievement throughout their lifelong learning.”
(Towards a unified e-learning strategy, DfES, 2005, page 5,
paragraph 10)
2
e-Profiles – Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint, replacing Progress Files
June 2007
You’ve heard of Progress File
and Records of Achievement?
What about e-Portfolios?
The term e-Portfolio has a range of meanings. We use it to
describe a collection of reflective writing and associated
information which provides evidence of learning, which a
learner may draw upon for a variety of presentational
purposes, and on the basis of which is able to plan and set
targets.
Many institutions are now choosing to develop and support
individual learning plans (ILP), records of achievement and
personal, course or career development plans through
electronic means, often linking this to the term e-Portfolio.
While an e-Portfolio does not consist solely of any one of
these, it might include some or all of them.
June 2007
e-Profiles – Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint, replacing Progress Files
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Edited key messages from a
recent survey
The study by Warwick University explored a sample of
e-Portfolio products. It reported that:

most e-Portfolio products have been developed for a
particular age or stage of learning rather than to support
lifelong learning

the main purpose of most was to support personal
development planning type activities, usually alongside a
tutorial programme

two products were more appropriately described as
assessment management tools, and three provided a
means for creating a presentational portfolio

all products allowed learners to create and edit text

most supported file upload and/or linked files.
(The Centre for Recording Achievement,
Warwick University)
4
e-Profiles – Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint, replacing Progress Files
June 2007
Hampshire’s approach
In Hampshire, it was decided to consider an alternative
approach that captured the issues of a student-centred
approach to recording, reviewing and celebrating
achievement and progress and action planning through using
Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT). The rationale behind the PPT
approach is based on the idea of developing e-Profiles with
all the IT power and motivation that ICT (information and
communication technology) can bring to the process.
The term e-Profile was chosen as the idea differs slightly to a
fully blown e-Portfolio, and profiling is something that has a
ring of familiarity with schools. With the many changes taking
place in education and work with children and young people,
it is an optimum time to review an alternative model for
providing them with support as they experience transition
into, through and out of their current education experience.
The Hampshire model, which uses a suite of PPT templates
available for Early Years through to Key Stage 4, promotes
the involvement of children and young people in taking
responsibility for planning their own learning and recording
their progress and achievement, enabling them to become
more independent learners able to recognise what is needed
to improve and realise their potential.
PPT is an excellent vehicle for this as it allows a wide range
of ideas to be included and a variety of media to be used
including video, sound and still images. The only limits are
the creative ideas of the student or teacher as to what is
recorded and the facilities available within a school. It not
only promotes personal development learning, but also links
effectively with the ICT curriculum.
It can also be used to promote home/school communication
as the materials can be accessed on a home computer. The
way this could happen will vary, depending on the facilities
provided within a school intranet and the extent to which any
virtual learning environment is developing that allows student
access through the Internet. It overcomes the problems of
storage of folders and materials, as well as allowing access
to information without having to search for bits of paper.
Materials can be printed as and when required, but there is
the additional facility of being able to choose elements from
the PPT to use in a presentation. Each student’s information
can also be password protected.
June 2007
e-Profiles – Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint, replacing Progress Files
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Outcomes
Through the use of this approach it is possible to:

promote the skills and understanding required for
students to be an active participant in the process of
recording achievement and action planning, taking into
account their age and ability

provide the basis for recording progress, achievement
and action planning, which will form a personal record
that may be shared with advisers, offering information,
advice, guidance and advocacy during transition.
Materials in the form of starter templates have been
developed that will be of interest to those working from Early
Years through Key Stages 1 to 4, as well as having an
application for use with students with special needs who find
it difficult to communicate about their achievements and
interests, especially at times of transition.
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e-Profiles – Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint, replacing Progress Files
June 2007
Key issues for consideration
June 2007

Training for those involved – students and tutors.

Involvement of parents throughout.

Keeping momentum going and linking into other review
opportunities, such as mentoring days.

Liaison with feeders/Post-16 providers.

Effective use of ICT and the protocols for confidentiality
of information.
e-Profiles – Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint, replacing Progress Files
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Sources of evidence in
secondary schools
There are a range of sources of evidence that may be used
in developing the e-Profile in secondary schools, including:
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 4
Year 7
Year 10
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Transitional e-Profile to sit alongside SIMS
data – cross-curricular activity recording
through the use of ICT.
Best work samples.
Personal achievement evidence.
Citizenship log.
Awards, copies of reports and reviews.
Target setting.
Year 8
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Updated e-Profile.
Best work samples.
Personal achievement evidence.
Citizenship log.
Awards, copies of reports and reviews.
Target setting.
Copy of initial options for subject choice.
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Updated ILP.
Hard copy of record of
career interview feedback/
Connexions questionnaire.
Work-related learning (WRL)
evidence, including
log-books.
Work from Education
Business Partnership (EBP)
workplace days.
Best work samples.
Personal achievement
evidence, Duke of
Edinburgh (D of E) Award.
Trident Award, etc.
Citizenship log.
Awards, copies of reports
and reviews.
Target setting.
Year 9

Year 11
 Updated ILP.
 Hard copies of career
interview feedback.
 Copies of application forms.
 WRL evidence, including
log-books.
 Work from EBP workplace
days.
 Best work samples.
 Personal achievement
evidence, D of E, Trident
Award, etc.
 Citizenship log.
 Awards, copies of reports
and reviews.
 Target setting.

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Individual learning plan (ILP) using school
selected resources including: S-cool, Plan-it,
Kudos, www.myprogressfile.com, etc.
Options work.
Evidence of enterprise work/skills for
employability record.
Best work samples.
Personal achievement evidence.
Awards, copies of reports and reviews.
Citizenship log.
Target setting.
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e-Profiles – Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint, replacing Progress Files
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June 2007
Summary
The starter templates may be used by schools as a means to
introduce the idea of a PPT e-Profile. These templates are in
no way meant to limit schools or students, as to what is
possible. Slides may be edited, deleted and new ones
inserted. Backgrounds may be changed and an e-Profile may
be used on an individual basis or with groups who wish to
share their progress and achievement on a special project.
It is possible to add documents as hyperlinks or by using a
scanner so that the e-Profile becomes a one-stop shop for all
information that children and young people wish to keep as
part of their portfolio, in addition to any slides used as a
presentation tool or to support transition between Years 6
and 7. Materials may also be printed and used as hard copy
evidence in a presentation folder for specific activities such
as an interview.
June 2007
e-Profiles – Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint, replacing Progress Files
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Sample KS3 and KS4 templates
The front slides for the two templates developed for KS3 and
KS4 are shown below.
Key Stage 3
This PPT approach provides students with the
knowledge, skills and understanding they need to
make curriculum choices at the end of KS3. It will
help them make choices that reflect their potential,
in terms of ability and interests, and enable them to
keep as many options open as possible for any
career choices they may have in mind.
It offers the opportunity for students to reflect on
the outcomes they should expect in relation to
Every child matters and the assessment levels that
they achieve during KS3.
Key Stage 4
This PPT approach provides students with the
knowledge, skills and understanding to
demonstrate their achievements during KS4 which
reflects their potential, in terms of ability and
interests. It will further support their transition into
Post-16 learning or work.
Within a context of 14 to 19 development, this
provides a coherent approach, across institutions,
to reflect, record achievement and action plan for
career and learning choices where students are
learning in different locations in KS4 and
transferring to a Post-16 college to continue their
learning programme at 16.
10 e-Profiles – Developing e-Profiles using PowerPoint, replacing Progress Files
June 2007