Success Factors
What are the key outcomes of the initiative?
Engagement & Capacity Building
- The project provided regional forum events during the project and a national event after it had ended
- Added value to and collaborated with other initiatives (e.g. JISC COMPORT project, NTFS NARN project)
e-Portfolios, blogs & community publishing
- New subject areas were recruited beyond those identified in the proposal to pilot e-portfolios/blogs (namely PGCE, Clinical Skills & Employability)
- Extension of ePET portfolio to include personalised blogs and community publishing and design to link unstructured blogs to evidence structured outcomes/skills
Personalised Learning
- Developed 'proof of concept' regional hub to share workshop information to better support personal learning pathways for PG researchers (using the XCRI-CAP standard)
- Added greater personalisation to the ePET portfolio / blog
Work-based Learning
- Case studies include use of e-portfolios in work-based settings (PGCE, Speech Therapy, Employability placements, clinical skills)
- Captured information on technologies to support WBL in region
Lifelong Learning - Interoperability
- Work with lifelong learning standards significantly expanded with more emphasis on contributing to emerging specifications in conjunction with JISC-funded PIOP (Portfolio InterOperability Prototyping) and LEAP2A projects. Helped shape emerging national standards
- Transferred real portfolio data using latest version of LEAP2A
Mobile Technologies
- Direction of work on mobile technologies changed from support for asynchronous processes linked to e-portfolio to integration of JANETxt (texting to blogs)
Authentication
- Successfully implemented CAS authentication in a version of the ePET portfolio
Evaluation
- Evaluation of specific case studies including new pedagogies for use of unstructured blogs to evidence structured outcomes
- 3 additional case studies (with existing but not new partners)
- Evaluation extended to provide insights into use of external social networking sites in education and factors influencing engagement with e-portfolios/PDP
Dissemination
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6 related conference papers written and presented at national and international conferences
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Dissemination to FE via JISC RSC Northern Work-Based Learning event
Software
What follow-up activity will be/has been carried out as a result of the project?
Continuation includes:
- Project helped lay some of the foundations for other initiatives, ELLI in HE project, JISC initiatives including PIOP, LEAP2A and Dynamic Learning Maps
- Broader implementation of the ePET blog beyond the pilot subject areas at Newcastle
- Ongoing interest in regional support for postgraduate training
- Implementation of JANET text to support the MBBS programme and potentially other systems at Newcastle
