Building an ePortfolio
for vocational learning in
a Scottish Context
John Gordon
www.ex-el.org
mail@john-gordon.com
eportfolio
for
Modern Apprenticeship,
A project developed by
Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire
Modern Apprenticeship?
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A system of industrial training
Two components
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Knowledge and understanding based
learning
Practical training
The Actors in the System
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The candidate
Their Employer
The Training Provider
The awarding body
The local
tutor/supervisor/guide
The source of payment
(Scottish Enterprise)
The Drivers
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A Smart Successful Scotland
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Objective- 25,000 Candidates
Information Technologists, plumbers,
construction workers, cooks, etc
Building a Learning Industry
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Using the results of eLearning
Construct content in Scotland localised to
Scottish Needs
How the Actors Interact
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The following slide shows how the
system works without a technological
infrastructure
Apprentice
Employer
Training
Provider
•e-skills UK
Portfolio
•City & Guilds
•CTS
Workplace Training
Assessor
Next
The Portfolio
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Very Much Paper
Distributed over various organisations
The candidate is enrolled by
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The Employer
The Training Company
The Awarding Body, and
Scottish Enterprise, who subsidise training via grants.
There are many people checking the various
documents and there is much travel between sites for
verification purposes.
Barriers to take up of Modern
Apprenticeship
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Bureaucracy
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Choice
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Multiple registrations
Multiple payment claims
Limited by local provision
Flexibility
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Inflexible delivery of underpinning knowledge
Resource limitations
Business demands
No of assessor visits required
What are the goals of the
project
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To develop a model for the online delivery of
Modern Apprenticeships
To inform further development work in this
area.
To address the barrier of Bureaucracy
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One point registration
Automated payment claims
Automated notification of completion
To Provide Choice
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Online provision extends reach
The ePortfolio Project
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One registration
One ePortfolio
Interfaces to all of the other systems
Less paper, less travel
Using Internet, using email
The candidate owns their own portfolio
Project model…...
Underpinning Knowledge
Workbased Training
Portfolio
Internet Technology
Online tutor
•E-Skills UK
•City & Guilds
Assessor
•CTS
Internal Verifier
•Training Provider
External Verifier
next
What do we need from a
traditional ePortfolio System
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Academic ePortfolio e.g.
ePortfolio for Lifelong Learning from
Nottingham – a Jisc eFramework
Reference Model
Defined by Sector
Skills Council
Thin Portfolio
Assessment Service
ePortfolio
Exam Board
Repository
Assessment
Results &
comments
1.
2.
Personal Development Service
3.
4.
Learner
Goals
College
Repository
Pathway Information Service
7.
Learner
Reflections
IAG planning Service
8.
University
Repository
Dialogues
Learning
Plans
10.
9.
Content
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/epreferencemodel/keydocuments/06%2003%2023%20RM.ppt#7
Enrolment Service
Web Services
Not Implemented
The SEL eP
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Competence Based Evidence Gathering
Engine
Communications Infrastructure
Interfaces to all actors
Single point of entry
Adapts to SE business rules (regulations
for grant payments)
Modern Apprenticeships Online
Candidate
Uploads Evidence
Assessor
Auto E-Mail
Auto E-Mail
Assesses Evidence
Auto E-Mail
Web Browser
Registers Candidate
Candidate
Auto E-Mail
Internal Verifier
Centre Coordinator
next
Deployment Model
Scottish
Enterprise
Awarding Body
The
paymaster
eLearning Systems
Portfolio
Server
Portfolio
Candidate
s and
Verifiers
Modern Apprenticeships Online
Candidates’ View
• Uploading Evidence & Mapping it to the standards
Modern Apprenticeships Online
Assessors’ View
eLearning System
• Online Course Content (Underpinning Knowledge)
Modern Apprenticeships Online
Internal Verifiers’ View
Architecture
Project Status April 2006
Theresa to update
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Many candidates in various sites
3 subjects
eSkills UK, City and Guilds, Scottish
Enterprise, IT4All and Cumbernauld
College
2 MLEs – SABA and Learnwise
key lessons learned:
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Breaking new ground, therefore an uncertain and
difficult process
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There were major difficulties of integration
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Technical issues around implementing the system
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Issues for Employers – is it easier/harder for them to
release candidates for training
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Future work and overall implications for the future of
this at national level
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Further integration will be required for other actors in
any new environment
The way forward
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The project is now proven, exploitation
is required
We have made the decision to go
opensource
We wish to develop a community based
on these technologies
The source code will be released
subject to appropriate licence
Integration to Professional
Development
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We would wish to integrate the SELeP
to Professional Development Schemes
such as the British Computer Society
To link to HR systems in SMEs and large
organisations
Economic Development Tools
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To develop the SELeP as an economic
Development Tool – to manage skills
development in an economic region
To investigate hoe labour need statistics
can be integrated to HR and vocational
learning statistics
The SELeP Community
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We wish to establish the SELeP open
source community
Please contact us if you wish to join
We need further pilots for new
interfaces with other bodies
We need developments in the portfolio
to integrate with mainstream academic
approaches.
End
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Contact persons
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mail@john-gordon.com
Theresa.Correia@scotent.co.uk
alan.hughes@scotent.co.uk