Description

This package will define the storage, or portfolio, stage of the methodology. The main task of the package will be to determine the portfolio model to be used. The project proposes the harvesting and tagging of the different informal learning experiences of the user (done by the ILC developed in WP3), once this has been done these experiences need to be stored and organised in such a way that they are visible and accessible to the user, and manageable, especially with regard to defining which of them are to be made accessible to others (colleagues, employer, public etc). Making that information accessible to others will facilitate the dialogue between institutions and learners and between learners, providing feedback on user experiences. This will be done by the portfolio.

In order to do the above during this package the leader will select an existing portfolio initiative (such as Mahara, IMS portfolio, e-scape, or elgg) and adapt it to the purposes of the project. The portfolio component will show the informal learning instances identified previously by the user and permit the identification of instances or groups of instances that indicate the acquisition or development of skills and competences. Also the portfolio component will be a publishing and storage tool for these instances and identified competences. It will be a publishing tool because by using it the learner will define which of the instances or groups of instances she will make visible to her tutor/employer. The portfolio will enable the storage of the information and (taking into account permissions, learner decisions regarding visibility, and existing data user protection laws) this will be used by the institution to evaluate the instances of informal learning that the user wishes to present, generate reports and analysis the learner’s situation on the basis of what is visible. The portfolio component will provide interfaces to connect with institutional environments. The portfolio will also include tools to help learners locate others with the same interests in order to provide further opportunities for informal and peer learning, to do this a recommendation system will be incorporated.

This work package will depends on WP3 because the way in which experiences are going to be tagged will be defined in that package and WP5 because the institutional environment and its features will be established there.

Deliverable 11. Personal Portfolio Component

This deliverable will consist in the integration of an e-portfolio and the implementation of a component that will allow the user to visualize and manage their tagged instances of informal learning. The first step will be the evaluation of previously existing e-portfolio initiatives and selection of one of these, as the basis for the portfolio component. The portfolio selected will be able to: 1) import information from other portfolio models, for example those that are IMS ePortfolio compliant, in other to guarantee wider support for existing experiences; 2) publish selected instances in order to make them visible to the institution; and 3) storage of information to be used by the institution and the user for reports generation and its use by decision making tools defined in WP5.
The portfolio component will include a communication interface based on web services that is going to be used by the institutional environment.

Deliverable 12. Peer finder to support user competence development

This functionality of the system will allow the user to find suitable peers either to support her in developing her individual competences in line with institutional needs or for other kinds of informal peer learning. On the basis of the evidences in the published competences of the user, the system will locate suitable peers on the basis of their proficiency in a particular competence. With this feedback from the system, the user can, on own initiative, make contact with the identified peer for further peer support.

Deliverable 13. Portfolio Mobile Client

To define more portable solutions in this deliverable a mobile client will be developed. This client allows the user access to the portfolio component, adapting it to mobile device characteristics. In order to guarantee mobile portability we are going to define a solution based on HTML5 technology because it will be accessible independently of mobile platform and the mobile device used. The client will be integrated with the other related to communication layer so that there will be one interface for the user.
Not all functionality of the system is going to be adapted because the nature of this project is to define a proof of concept and as a proof the mobile client will show how portability will be guaranteed.