Standards
ePortfolio Standards Development
ePortfolio California is interested in the development and "establishment of interoperability standards and data sharing capabilities that would allow today’s typically mobile learners – including the growing segment of online learners across the country with more options than ever – to easily take their Academic e-Portfolio with them wherever they happen to enroll and learn," as described by the Board of Directors of the Postsecondary Electronics Standards Council (PESC) announcing the launch of an Academic ePortfolio Workgroup initiative this past April 2010. Click here for more information about the PESC Academic ePortfolio Workgroup.
National & International Standards 
NEW! Interview with John Ittelson, Co-Chair, PESC Academic ePortfolio Workgroup
Fresh from the PESC Spring 2011 meeting on ePortfolio standards design, John Ittelson speaks about his work on the Academic ePortfolio Workgroup.
PESC Academic ePortfolio Workgroup
The Academic ePortfolio Workgroup - an initiative of the Post-secondary Electronics Standards Council (PESC) - proposes an academic record that goes beyond the traditional transcript and that the term Academic ePortfolio be adopted to represent an ePortfolio that incorporates "Folio Thinking" and that reveals the knowledge and skills attained by a student throughout his or her academic career. It essentially becomes a person's "eTranscript" that reveals a much more detailed level of what a student actually knows and can accomplish. (Learn more about "folio thinking" in the Letter of Intent to Create an Academic ePortfolio Workgroup).
To learn more about the Academic ePortfolio Workgroup initiative, visit the AWP wiki.
(From the PESC Academic ePortfolio Workgroup – Scope for ePortfolio Standards - April, 2011)
Academic ePortfolio:
- A record of artifacts that the owner has produced over a period of time. Content may be directly tied to learner outcomes or rubrics.
- Includes personal reflection on the content and what it means for the owner's development.
- Can include reflections and comments by faculty and other involved academics.
- ePortfolio software allows users to share their artifacts and reflections with friends, colleagues, teachers, prospective institutions, and prospective employers. The administrative controls for sharing artifacts are given to the creator of the ePortfolio.
- Can be used for counseling and advising students, for building individual learning plans, and for career development purposes.
- Includes both process and product.
About PESC * Definition of Academic ePortfolio * Letter of Intent to Create an Academic ePortfolio Workgroup (PESC)
ePortfolio California's Focus
As standards start to emerge for academic ePortfolios, ePortfolio California will look to the greater academic community for input and support on the following efforts:
* Functional needs and requirements for successful implementations
* Strategic planning for broader acceptance and adoption across California
* Student-centric vs. institutional needs overlap
* Articulation between institutions and workforce development
* Portability and interoperability
* Strategies for developing Communities of Practice
ePortfolios as Powerful "eTranscipts"
According to Dr. John Ittelson, Professor Emeritus of Information Technology and Communications Design at California State University, Monterey Bay, "Most colleges and universities today depend on transcripts that identify courses and grades as the record of a students’ academic achievement. Many of these postsecondary institutions are interested in integrating academic electronic portfolio software (ePortfolios), which would include information useful to registrars and those that make the decisions for student admittance, as well as to organizations charged with institutional accreditation." Ittelson serves as Director of Communication, Collaboration and Outreach for the California Virtual Campus and ePortfolio California. He is also co-chair of PESC's national Academic ePortfolio Workgroup.
Participate in the conversation. Tell us your Top 3 Needs functional needs relative to electronic portfolio technical development.