Case Study: OneFile

Centre: Myerscough College
Qualifications supported:

• Sports Turf Levels 2, 3, 4
• NPTC Aboriculture Levels 2 and 3

Photo credit: Jim Brown

Myerscough College is one of the largest land-based colleges in the UK and has a dedicated Skills & Enterprise directorate focusing on Work-Based Learning. They currently deliver 16 apprenticeship schemes and over 40 NVQs.

Paul McGrail, Skills & Enterprise Quality Manager, talks about his decision to implement an e-portfolio and gives advice on getting the most from it.

Making a choice

'I looked at 12 systems in total but instinctively knew from experience that OneFile met the most important criteria - accessibility. If a system isn't appealing and easy to access from both the learners and assessors perspective then it is unlikely to be used. Other key aspects included the frequent back-up of data, approachability and support of staff, plus the access to a training server so the in-house training sessions could be fully supported.

The support has been second to none and the online help facility is quick and efficient to use. OneFile staff are always willing to work with new qualifications - which we have plenty of in the land-based sector.

We have found the internal verification of portfolios quick and effective and the video evidence puts more authenticity on the evidence. It negates the need for weighty paper portfolios and also speeds up the mapping of evidence to the standards. Some schemes/NVQs have moved over entirely and at the same time External Verifiers have welcomed the system especially to improve remote visits.

Cost and time effective

The cost of the learner licenses is easily recouped by our peripatetic assessors, even by replacing just one face-to-face visit with an e-assessment.

One example of a peripatetic assessor using this system resulted in the reduction of visits by four. Each visit would have cost us £100 for mileage and assessor time, so the total saved was £400. Using OneFile saves us over thirty hours per candidate. We no longer spend time mapping evidence to standards or waiting for portfolios to get handed in.

Assessors have found they can visit additional learners because other visit times have been reduced. This allows assessors to focus more on the quality and training side and give them scope to keep their admin more up-to-date. Internal Verifier time can be cut by a significant margin - sampling alone can be reduced by 50%. The struggle to get portfolios in on a national basis is totally reduced.

Engaging colleagues

Training needs depends whether you are focussing on assessor or learner led portfolios.  The bare minimum a learner needs to do if the assessor is capturing and uploading the evidence, is to check the assessment, write some feedback to the assessor and click a box - we have had no barriers in this area and in fact have seem learners take more ownership of the e-portfolio as they can closely monitor percentage performance.

In terms of assessors the fundamental need is to create e-portfolio 'champions' who are keen and motivated and lead from the top. You can then build on this with training days run by these champions.  We have also tapped into programmes like 'E-guides' to send staff away on training days which ultimately enabled the college to draw down LSC funding to finance technology purchases. This has enabled us to fully equip all our assessors with innovative technology, future funding will be utilised to pilot different new technology.

Capturing Evidence

All evidence is captured in the workplace. Our assessors are equipped with laptops (some with tablet PCs) and mobile devices such as video cameras, digital dictaphones etc - even smart chargers for power.  Devices are lightweight and easy to use.  Learners are also proactive in using video and pictures from their mobile phones or even getting their work colleagues to capture evidence. 

Advice on technology

The main challenges we faced in the use of video technology for assessments were not actually capturing the evidence but ensuring the overall footage was less than 30MB - the limit per file upload.  We experimented with several devices and programmes for compression, in the end we opted for the more expensive 'Busbi' video camera which compresses the movie by up to 75%. It also has a pause button - an absolute must for observing practicals and capturing the important sections as you are self-stitching the video as you go along. 

Seeing the learner at work

Our learners found it a more enjoyable way to learn and collect evidence. We have used some video footage in a training capacity to show learners where they have gone wrong or to show best practice. Learners have less writing to do, as do assessors, so we find we are spending more quality time with the learners.  Learners going for job interviews can export their portfolio to disc and let potential employers view it - employers can then actually see the learner at work.

Paul McGrail's advice to other centres, 'take the leap of faith'. In the future, most young people entering work will be fully familiar with virtual learning environments and electronic portfolios, so centres and colleges must move into this area as soon as possible.'

The OneFile e-portfolio has been endorsed by City & Guilds since 2006.
For more information visit http://www.onefile.co.uk/
More information about City & Guilds e-portfolio policy