In the context of education and learning an ePortfolio is a portfolio based on electronic media and services. It consists of a personal digital record containing information such as personal profile and collection of achievements, information on which different services can be provided to the owner of the ePortfolio and the people and organisations to whom the owner has granted access.
What gives ePortfolios the edge over traditional portfolios is the considerable increase in the number and quality of services that can be provided to individuals and the community. In order to make these services widely accessible, ePortfolios must comply with interoperability standards .
Today ePortfolios are widely used in
- the academic sector -- especially in the US
- teacher training -- US, Scandinavia, UK
- medical education and continuing professional development -- Canada, UK, Netherlands
It would seem that Europe would be more advanced in the use of the ePortfolio in the continuing professional development sector. One example is the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the largest professional body in the UK (350,000 members) who uses ePortfolio for reaccrediation of nurses.
The ePortfolio worldwide
Organizations: Learning Innovations Forum d'Innovations d'Apprentissage (LIFIA) www.lifia.org Interactive Workshop CANREP 4/19/2005