E-Portfolios and digital credentials

Hello, Career Pathways Group Members -

I am interested in your thoughts about electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) and digital credentials - also sometimes referred to as digital badges or micro-credentials.  Have you heard of these items? 

If you have, what do you know about them, and what else would you like to know?  Do you know programs that are using either one of these tools with learners? 

If you haven't heard of either e-portfolios or digital credentials, are you interested in learning about how they can be used to support career pathways?

Thanks for your time and feedback.

Best,

Mike

michaelcruse74@gmail.com

Comments

I'd be interested in learning more. Do you mean something beyond a LinkedIn profile?

And would they be more beneficial in some professional fields rather than others? For example, mine is a basic culinary training. We have our students create portfolios. But though more and more chain restaurants have applications on line (perhaps a good use for e-portfolio) - most students apply in person - with artifacts in hand.

And can they be created on smartphones? so many of my students are mobile - and have a hard time with finding a computer  to build their resume - so I'm not sure how adept they would be at e-portfolio. And we're all still learning how to manage a web-based resume that can be used in multiple ways.

Curious and forwarding moving idea, though.

Mev

Hi, Mev -

Thanks for your comments on e-portfolios.  While LinkedIn has value, there are other ways to create e-portfolios, and I think there may be a lot to learn from across different applications/platforms. 

You raise an interesting question about whether they carry more value in certain professional fields.  I'd be interested in hearing what your culinary students include in their portfolios.  I think that part of their value in certain professional fields may have to do with what is included in them, and what the employer is looking for in their employees.  Do you think that part of why your learners are applying in person is because the restaurant industry prefers to meet job candidates face-to-face, in order to determine their fit for a position?

I agree with your comment that many learners have access to a smartphone, but not all have access to a laptop or desktop outside of school.  It may be worth exploring what mobile technologies are being used by learners to demonstrate their academic and career competencies.  What do others think about the access issue between smart phones and computers?  Do you see value in one format over the other?  Do you know of any mobile technologies being used (or developed) to create portfolios?

Mike

 

Good afternoon!  I'm the HS Completion Director at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  We are working on a student e-portfolio project with our adult diploma students.  We're currently in pilot phase and will move into our next phase of implementation in July.  In our portfolio, we're asking students to demonstrate college and career readiness skills through a variety of methods.  Dan Bubon, one of our instructors, along with Kelly Scanlon, our career counselor/transition specialist, are leading this effort for us.  I have asked them to share more information and details about our project with all of you and they should be posting in the next few days.  You can take a peek at the portfolio at https://sites.google.com/site/hscompletionprogram/