With so many different types of educational software products on the market, it can be difficult to keep up.

We've brought it back to basics and summed up everything you need to know in this simple guide.

Dictionary definition: A collection of electronic evidence gathered and managed by a user as an alternative to paper-based portfolios.

Our definition: A lifelong electronic evidence record built to host multimedia files and used against specific criteria. A tool for showing off your skills and successes.

For over a decade, UK colleges and training providers have been using eportfolio software to assess and track learner progress, in a bid to increase assessor caseloads and improve learner engagement.

But let’s rewind 10 years…

It’s the early noughties, the battery on your Nokia lasts 3 days and you know at least 14 people starting a Harry Potter fan club. It’s also a world where only paper portfolios exist…

For the forgetful learner, paper is a huge burden. They have to complete lengthy write-ups for each practical activity to prove every competence, and lug it all around in a hefty folder. There could be up to 8 weeks between visits from their assessor, so they had to wait a long time for any feedback or sign-offs. Mobile phones were a luxury, so assessors relied on learners remembering appointments… and their portfolio.

Usually, for assessors, these visits were spent battling through the backlog of work, leaving the unenthused learner twiddling their thumbs. But since the birth of the smartphone and the development of the eportfolio these frustrations are now a thing of the past.

So what’s changed?

Everything. 

With an eportfolio, you can manage all of your training and assessment needs in one paperless system. Learners can collect evidence using their smartphone, submit assessments online, and assessors can feedback instantly - making the entire assessment process incredibly slick.

Both learners and assessors have the flexibility to access their work anytime, anywhere, increasing learner engagement, improving achievement rates and cutting course completion times.

There's no more paper, no more printing, no more travelling and no more fuss - all users can access their entire account and communicate online. You'll never need a single sheet of A4 again - but it does mean you'll have to ditch that fancy little trolley you've been lugging around for years!

But that's not all - Ofsted loves eportfolios too. They can monitor the performance of your centre, managers, assessors and learners in just a few clicks. And they can easily generate the reports they need for your inspections - perfect for securing your SFA funding!

So now that's all cleared up, it's time for you to choose the perfect system for your centre. This can be a challenge, but luckily the experts here at OneFile have done all the work for you. Download our free guide to find out what to look for in an eportfolio.