I think in this context we need to distinguish between the processes, the applications, the objects, and the services. What does an ePortfolio service actually do? Well, understanding what an ePortfolio is is a good start (thanks, Peter!)

The next step is to think about how this relates to a service model. Perhaps all an "ePortfolio" service does is allow applications to pick up the appropriate version of someone's portfolio; at its simplest, just a file hosted on a server, at its more complex, a complete system providing filtering, authorization, stylesheet selection etc.

The problem that the ePortfolio service needs to address is the potential complexity of the process.

An English 16 year old may already have many ePortfolios similtaneously, say an OCR GCSE assessed ePortfolio and a Nottingham Passport ePortfolio, whose focus is Personal Development. In future do we have a screen with tabs to flip from one ePortfolio to another, or an ePortfolio service that allows a learner to follow a theme seamlessly across both ePortfolios?

The UK is making a major investment in Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) in universities in which a major theme is ePortfolios which go beyond assessment to the learning that is being assessed. This requires ePortfolios to be integrated with the curriculum such that a joint honours student might have ePortfolios in 2 subjects together with an additional ePortfolio covering internships and work experience.

The UK ePortfolio reference model will have to go further than specififying thre interfaces required for services to interoperate with any one of these ePortfolios to integrate the separate ePortfolios in similtaneous use and this, I think, requires the definition of a genuine ePortfolio service.

There will be a consultation document on this theme published on 14 June 2005, with an updated version available for alt-i-lab the link for which I will publish on this site.

Peter Rees Jones

Dear Peter and Scott,

Thanks for your above contributions. Defining the eportfolio as a concept is difficult, as is that of elearning. Defining the eportfolio as a service is equally difficult.

I congratulate you on your ambitious goals.

Here are some of my thoughts that I hope will contribute to your work:
#The learner/user chooses the form/product/software for his eportfolio.
#The eportfolio is owned by the learner/user, not an organisation.
#The eportfolio is a life long learning tool, and there should be no need of using seperate eportfolio solutions if not for the user's personal preference.
#Content should be easily transfered by the user from one eportfolio to another when needed (thanks to standards and interoperability).
#The eportfolio is not a tool for teaching and training, but for learning. I mean by this that teaching and training are actions done by someone else (the teacher/trainer), while learning is done solely by the learner.
#The eportfolio has a reflective purpose -which gives the learner the means for metacognition and self-assessment.
#The learner must be able to give specific access/vision to his eportfolio for different purposes/people: accreditation (teacher's view), presentation (empoyer's view)...

In positive response to Phillipe:
-ePortfolio software and portfolio content should be owned by users versus organizations-the organizations that control access and permissions.
-A e-portfolio should show proof of an individual user's learning and performance, versus proof of an orgaization's goals.
-Content and inspiration should outweight standards. Standards are important, but mostly useful for the organizations that support the standards versus eportfolio. Portfolio software should be driven from user requirements analysis versus an organization's objectives.
-An example of this sort of thinking is at DigitallyU.com