ISO/IEC TS 20013:2015

TECHNICAL ISO/IEC TS
SPECIFICATION 20013
First edition
2015-07-15
Information technology for learning,
education and training — A reference
framework of e-Portfolio information
Techonologies de l’information pour l’apprentissage, l’éducation et la
formation — Un cadre de référence pour l’information des e-Portfolios
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2015
© ISO/IEC 2015, Published in Switzerland
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ii © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Terms and definitions . 2
3 Symbols and abbreviated terms . 4
4 e-Portfolios and e-learning . 4
4.1 Role of e-Portfolios . 4
4.2 Classifying e-Portfolios . 5
4.3 Benefits of e-Portfolios . 6
5 Reference Framework of e-Portfolio Information . 7
5.1 Introduction . 7
5.2 Conceptual representation of e-Portfolio information . 7
5.3 Common categories found in e-Portfolio Use cases . 8
5.4 Content component structure .10
5.4.1 Identification category . .11
5.4.2 Overview category . . .12
5.4.3 Education category .12
5.4.4 Career category .12
5.4.5 Outcomes category.12
5.4.6 Capability category .13
5.4.7 Experience category .13
5.5 Functional Component of e-Portfolio systems .14
Annex A (informative) Use cases of e-Portfolio .17
Annex B (informative) Study cases of e-Portfolio interoperability .35
Bibliography .38
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction
and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee SC
36, Information technology for learning, education and training.
iv © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

Introduction
e-Portfolios have been deployed in many contexts that span educational, employment, artistic, and social
contexts. In education, they have demonstrated their potential to enhance the development of learners
and to support the work of educators, administrators, and others, through streamlining information
management processes, developing learner autonomy and metacognition, and fostering the personal
and professional development of individuals. However, this broad implementation has also brought with
it issues related to interoperability, accessibility, and usability of both systems and content.
This Technical Specification has been developed to support the creation and use of e-Portfolios to
support learning, education and training. It can be used to develop more responsive, flexible and modular
systems and services that will support learners, instructors, e-learning service providers and other
stakeholders in their activities related to e-Portfolio creation and use across various ITLET contexts
(such as K-12 education, higher education training, career planning and professional development). With
on-going developments in ICT learners have access to an increasing diversity of learning, education,
and training opportunities. Production of educational content and services as a consequence of
developments in ICT extends the scope of opportunities for learning, providing potential for learners to
experience personalized and adaptive opportunities that also may enhance their learning and improve
their abilities. Content and services are delivered to or accessed by learners – as well as produced and
managed by them. ITLET systems therefore need to be designed to accommodate this. For example, a
common feature of most e-Portfolio systems is that their owners not only author the content but also
control selection and presentation of it. In some jurisdictions this key function is seen as integral to
personal development planning (PDP).
A key characteristic of e-Portfolio systems for ITLET stakeholders is the data or information that is
utilized for e-Portfolios can provide instructors, trainers, administrators, and employers with an
efficient means of appraisal, management, and decision making. This key characteristic also benefits
learners through providing opportunities to reflect on their own learning and career development.
e-Portfolios thus provide an opportunity to monitor the development of an individual’s achievements,
skills and competencies within and beyond formal education and training contexts.
One means of delivering such functionality is via a management system, such as an integrated Learning
Management system (LMS) or Human Resource management System (HRMS) that can be used to monitor
and organize learners’ learning; however, unbundled applications and services can also provide such
functionality and components of e-Portfolio system functionality can exist in a highly distributed manner.
For these reasons, implementing e-Portfolios has the potential to be an efficient method for tracking
learning history, documenting activities within learning, education, and training, supporting peer and self-
assessment as well as professional development in the workplace. Consideration of how e-Portfolios may
be used within teaching and learning environments has therefore been central to shaping this document.
In order to encourage streamlined management and exchange of participant information and associated
data, such as the evidentiary information contained in an e-Portfolio, a standardized approach is
necessary. Through the standardization of e-Portfolio system components (that is, IT systems and
services that enable e-Portfolios), common underlying structures will provide the potential to share
data across and among different applications, thus improving interoperability.
This Technical Specification provides a reference framework for the use of e-Portfolios within ITLET
contexts where there are requirements for importing, exporting, and aggregating data. The reference
framework has been developed with the aim of supporting interoperability and transfer of information
among ICT systems and services where data interchange is required for e-Portfolio systems. It is intended
to be used by learners, instructors, software developers, implementers, instructional designers, and others
within learning, education, and training environments that are supported by information technology.
This Technical Specification includes six clauses and two annexes. The first clause provides the scope,
exclusions, and aspects not currently addressed. The second and third clauses include the normative
references and terms and definitions respectively. The fourth clause provides background information
regarding e-Portfolios. The fifth clause describes various types of e-Portfolios used in learning, education,
and training contexts and provides an approach to classifying them. The e-Portfolio reference framework
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved v

is then detailed in clause six. The annexes include use case information that has been submitted by
national bodies (Annex A) and study cases of e-Portfolio interoperability (Annex B).
vi © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION ISO/IEC TS 20013:2015(E)
Information technology for learning, education and
training — A reference framework of e-Portfolio information
1 Scope
This Technical Specification details a reference framework of e-Portfolio implementation that can be
used to inform and support development of ITLET systems that meet the requirements of learners,
instructors, e-learning service providers and others in contexts such as K-12 education, higher education,
training and development.
The reference framework identifies content and functional components that support e-Portfolio systems
and interoperability issues that need to be addressed in data exchange between these components and
interoperability issues that need to be addressed in data exchange between the two component types
(content and functional) and among the various categories.
This Technical Specification:
— provides an e-Portfolio reference framework;
— provides descriptions of e-Portfolios in terms of components, categories, and elements;
— provides descriptions of e-Portfolios in terms of component types (content or functional), categories,
elements, and items;
— identifies commonalities of current implementations of e-Portfolios; and,
— represents the n
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