e-Portfolio ScenariosMonday, 26 Apr 2004 I EPICC partners: Jan van Tartwijk, Erik DriessenTypes of e-portfoliosWhen talking about the use of e-portfolios, it has become extremely important tomention the type and the purpose that the portfolio is used for, otherwise thediscussion might start with wrong premises. Find here explanations of four mostcommon types of portfolios, these are also used to classify the e-portfolioscenarios.The concept of portfolio has its origins in art and architecture. Artists andarchitects use portfolios to assemble samples and evaluations of their work. Theaim is to convince potential customers of their quality and competence. About twodecades ago, portfolios were adopted by educationalists searching for instrumentsthat would enable them to assess the quality of teaching in schools. Since thenthey have been used for other goals as well, resulting in various types ofportfolios. Four common ones are distinguished below.Assessment portfoliosPortfolios used for assessment purposes only are usually organized around itemssuch as the candidates’ products, evaluations, photographs and video-recordings.Assessments in which portfolios are used differ from other assessments becausecandidates are not tested but are asked to prove their competence. To beconvincing they must include information such as employers’ or supervisors’evaluations and certain key products. To guarantee that candidates provideassessors with all the necessary information, a list may be supplied containingitems required for inclusion in the portfolio. Occasionally, students even receivedirections about how to present these items.Showcase portfoliosWhen persons compiling a portfolio are free to determine the content of theirportfolios, they most often tend to display examples of their best work orevaluations of that work. Such portfolios are usually referred to as showcaseportfolios and resemble those compiled by artists and architects. The owner of theportfolio sometimes uses captions to indicate the provenance of items and thereasons for their inclusion. A logical portfolio structure is one that emulatesthat of a curriculum vitae. Showcase portfolios may be used for a number ofpurposes, such as introducing one selves to potential employers, presenting to areview committee or sponsor, etc.Development portfoliosA portfolio may also be designed as an instrument to keep track of and plan theowner’s development. In such a case it is referred to as a development portfolio.The term Personal Development Plan is also frequently used. The point of departurehere could be a summary of what the owner should master in order to be certified.Such a portfolio might be formatted in a table with columns. The owner can thenuse rows to note work done on specific competences, the results of such work, andthe planned nature and direction of further development. Obviously the use ofdevelopment portfolios only makes sense where there is room for individualdevelopment. If for instance students all take the same courses, try to achievethe same goals and are tested in the same way, more efficient systems than adevelopment portfolio are available for tracking and planning their development.Reflective portfoliosWhen portfolios are used for the purposes of monitoring the owners’ development,it is important to know how he evaluates and analyses himself. Therefore it is
Leave a Comment