'E-Portfolio is essential to support learning to qualify'
How do you develop a flexible, learning qualification training pathway for lateral entrants in logistics? Three ROCs, an examination supplier, an examination consultancy and a software developer joined forces. They co-created a modular training path based on learning to qualify, supported by an e-portfolio. How did they do it?
Quality committee and working groups
It was a firmly established co-creation process, says Ellen. Besides a quality committee, there were three working groups: didactics, educational development and examination. The working groups also included subject teachers and students from the ROCs MBO Amersfoort, Zadkine and Noorderpoort. In addition, certified examination supplier Technicom and examination consultancy ExTrack were involved from the start. According to Ellen, this provided additional quality control. 'ExTrack designs and develops tailor-made learning and examination pathways to suit professional practice and education.'
Digital modular education programme
The two-year pilot resulted in a digital modular educational programme based on learning to qualify. Each module concludes with a certificate, allowing students to obtain an MBO diploma. Students can enter all kinds of evidence from different contexts and have it assessed. 'The validation requirements must cover the qualification requirements for the programme,' Ellen explains. 'For this reason, it was important to involve a certified examination provider from the start. All the content material for the completion of the logistics employee training based on learning to qualify was determined by the certified exam supplier Technicom.'
Setting criteria in advance
Learning to qualify allows students to submit their own assignments and evidence. This can take many forms: from an assignment to a report, vlog, blog or video. The evidence must come from different contexts and can, for example, also come from a side job or hobby. It is important that the education team sets clear criteria for this evidence in advance, Ellen stresses. 'For the pilot, we also prepared sample assignments from which students and practical trainers could choose.'
Ellen Hoegen Dijkhof of MBO Amersfoort took part in the Learning Network pilot in which the 'Logistics Employee JijPlus' course was developed. Ellen is a policy advisor and head of exam organisation, and she likes 'making people grow and develop new things'. So this project suited her perfectly and she is enthusiastic about the result. What she learned from the pilot she is now applying in MBO Amersfoort's 'Eigentijds Onderwijs (ETO)' programme, which takes programmatic testing as its starting point. The aim of ETO is modular, flexible and personalised education. Its mission is to 'guide students on their journey to the mbo diploma and also afterwards through unfunded education.'
It is important for the training team to set clear criteria for this evidence beforehand, Ellen stresses. 'For the pilot, we also prepared sample assignments from which students and practical trainers could choose.
E-portfolio essential
For a learning to qualify training pathway, digital support with an e-portfolio is essential, Ellen argues. Students place their evidence for assessment in the e-portfolio. When Ellen (who succeeded a colleague) joined the pilot project, MijnPortfolio from software developer Paragin had already been chosen. The e-portfolio was set up in co-creation with all stakeholders. Lecturers and students are positive about MijnPortfolio, says Ellen. 'For the course 'Logistics employee JijPlus', MijnPortfolio was modified very little. It was developed for practical exams. Paragin is now developing it in such a way that you can use it even better for learning qualifications. You can switch application modules on and off. It is very important that programmes carefully consider and determine in advance what requirements they make of the evidence, students and their assessors, and what process needs to be followed. This determines how you set up the system.'
Requirements for the e-portfolio
The pilot set a number of requirements for the e-portfolio. Ellen lists them. 'Students must be able to upload different types of files, for example also GoPro videos. They must be able to invite practice trainers and other assessors to give feedback in the e-portfolio. Furthermore, students and lecturers should be able to see their progress. In MijnPortfolio, red squares colour green when you have completed an assignment at the novice practitioner level. The programme can set up MijnPortfolio so that, as a student, you decide which pieces of evidence you want to submit for the "exam", the mid- or high-stake assessment. Part of the e-portfolio can even be frozen. This is determined by the programme in the criteria for the evidence.'
E-portfolios for learning to qualify compare
MBO Amersfoort finds MijnPortfolio as it is now well usable, intuitive and user-friendly, says Ellen. 'The supplier employs educationalists who look on carefully and it is tested in schools. You only see the menu buttons that are relevant to your role as student, subject teacher or practice trainer. For example, the practical trainer only sees a button for formulating assignments and giving feedback.' However, this does not mean that MijnPortfolio will now be rolled out throughout MBO Amersfoort, says Ellen, 'because we are in the process of tendering for a new SIS as well as for a new LMS. We are now first mapping the application landscape and determining where we want to go with education. We are mainly looking at what we need to support learning to qualify and Contemporary Education. There are other e-portfolios for learning to qualify other than MijnPortfolio. We are going to compare those.'
Increase in portfolio exams
Ellen sees many ROCs moving towards more contemporary education with new forms of conclusion. Exam suppliers are therefore making more and more Portfolio Exams, she says. 'These Portfolio Exams are the prelude to learning to qualify. They contain a set of fixed assignments and the programme is usually concluded with a criterion-based interview.' Ellen thinks that more and more MBO programmes will switch to learning to qualify and that exam suppliers could thus lose their sales market. She therefore expects exam suppliers to share their knowledge with schools more and to help schools set up learning qualifications properly.
Standard interface for good and safe data exchange
Together with SURF, Kennisnet, platform builders and CEM, the supplier of mbo maths exams, Mbo institutions have recently developed a standard interface between SIS and the mbo maths exam platform. This is now being tested in schools. The next step is to see whether, with a small adjustment, this can also be used for the practical exams, says Ellen. 'A standard interface enables good and secure data exchange. This is also a key focus for e-portfolios if we are going to implement learning to qualify. With IT, we recently mapped out how learning to qualify works; and which ICT architecture is needed to properly support both exams and learning to qualify.'
Education and examination regulations
Using the lessons learned from the pilot, Ellen made a format for a development and qualification plan for learning to qualify last year. She had this provided with feedback by: the Network Learning to Qualify; a professional learning community of a number of ROCs; and the secretaries of the internal examination committees. Based on this format, she and a colleague drew up an Education and Examination Regulations (OER). 'This OER gives direction. Based on it, programme teams can think about how they want to educate, assess and conclude. It is important that they do this with the professional field and preferably also with students. With this OER, conclusion can be achieved either through an exam or through learning to qualify. I am not in favour of making learning to qualify compulsory. It should really fit the vision of the programme!'
