EPNET Europortfolio: a European Network of Eportfolio Experts and Practitioners Website: http://www.eportfolio.eu Runtime: 01.2013 – 12.2015 Supported / co-funded by: LLP / KA3-ICT Partners: University of Zagreb, (coordinator), HR; ADPIOS, FR; Centre for Recording Achievement, UK; AGH University of Science and Technology Centre of e-Learning, PL; Danube University Krems, AT; University of Southern Denmark, DK; Open University of Catalonia, ES; TLT Group, US. Project representative to be contacted for further info: Igor Balaban, Assistant Professor (igor.balaban@foi.hr) EPortfolio related work is patchy across institutions, regions and sectors. This reflects several factors: • Leadership: while European practice is recognised worldwide, a shared practice and infrastructure has not emerged. • Fragmentation of initiatives: Most occur at individual, local and organisational levels, few at regional, national and international levels. • Fragmentation of technologies: despite work on interoperability (e.g. IMS and LEAP 2A standards) ePortfolios are not interoperable across ePortfolio platforms and information systems in education, human resource development and employment. • Fragmentation of actors: distance, language and cultural barriers affect the ability to share information and build knowledge. • Fragmentation of information: there is no single point from which it is possible to find all relevant information on ePortfolios initiatives, technologies, practice and actors. Main goal of the initiative is to establish a European Cooperation Network of experts and practitioners from four sectors in the field of ePortfolios: Further and Higher Education; Vocational Education and Training; Employment (human resources management, career counsellors, etc.); and Lifelong Learning (all the actors of non-formal and informal learning) in order to address the problems mentioned above. This will be achieved by main outcomes: (i) Establishment of a wide network of committed stakeholders across nations and sectors, including ePortfolio experts, researchers, practitioners, educational institutions and leaders, employers, policy experts and policy makers as well as interested communities such as school networks; (ii) Development of a fully self-sustainable Europortfolio Learning Community Portal that will support the work of the Europortfolio community and will contain EPNET initiative aims at: • Defining a framework for the integration of ePortfolios in all 4 targeted sectors. • Transfering crucial knowledge from early adopters of ePortfolio initiatives to new ePortfolio initiatives. • Contributing to the definition and implementation of ePortfolio policies, based upon evidence-informed practice, and a shared European perspective. • Raising awareness among educators, end-users and employers/ enterprises to promote technological innovation in education as well as practices of reflective learning. • Developing an agenda for further action, in particular encourage the emergence of new ePortfolio initiatives to contribute to innovative learning practices, transparency and quality assurance of educational systems, formal and informal. • Developing the Europortfolio Learning Community Portal as a self-sustainable European ePortfolio information platform and social community of actors with live stream of current practices. • Enhancing the dialogue with international research networks, policy makers and educational leaders with the creation of an international network of experts and practitioners.
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