The ePortfolio Field Coming of Age: Knowledge, Research and Practice

Call for proposals for the 2013 AAEEBL Annual ePortfolio Conference
July 29 – August 1, 2013
Boston, MA, USA – Hynes Convention Center

The 2013 Conference will feature a change in venue from the first three AAEEBL Annual Conferences. In 2013, for the first time, we will gather in the heart of Boston at the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Hotel. This location offers proximity to many of Boston’s attractions and provides a wide array of more options in terms of lodging and dining.
Background and Context
AAEEBL is about learning, about deepened learning within a new paradigm. AAEEBL is also identified with eportfolios since AAEEBL sees eportfolios as a primary enabler of this new learning paradigm.
Culturally, within the world of education, we are now experiencing a profound shift from a teacher-centered learning paradigm that emphasizes information delivery and learner receptivity to learning models that acknowledge ever-evolving knowledge structures and innovation. While a traditional classroom structure made sense when knowledge was relatively stable and when the economy was largely a production (industrial) economy, there is a need to rethink ways in which knowledge is both constructed and conveyed to learners. AAEEBL advocates for a learning culture that supports deeper and more adaptable learning.
Since 21st century knowledge is not static, and our economy is increasingly dependent on innovative learners who can adapt to change, individuals must become active participants in their own learning. To succeed in life, they must constantly apply what they’ve learned to develop novel solutions that address challenges and solve problems. It is essential that they fundamentally understand how to continue their learning and relearning throughout their lives. Therefore it is a requirement today that learners from all entry points – schools and workplaces — acquire deeper engagement in their own learning as well as a heightened sense of responsibility for their own role as active learners preparing to constructively advance the future.
We need learning paradigms that encourage reflection and connection-making, that lead beyond traditional factual surface-learning to deeper nuances that are relevant and meaningful to individual learners’ lives, relationships and careers. AAEEBL’s purpose is to advance the movement from information-delivery, teaching-centered practices to learning methodologies that promote personal and social engagement. AAEEBL works to shepherd both classroom and life-long learning transitions and emphasizes greater learner agency. AAEEBL’s commitment is to deepen learning and to transform institutions with eportfolios.
The eportfolio community is a major global learning movement. The use of electronic portfolios, as learning spaces, is roughly in its tenth year and, in honor of this anniversary, the 2013 Annual AAEEBL Conference in Boston highlights the phrase “Coming of Age.” Therefore, this CFP invites proposals about using eportfolios to encourage deeper and more learner-centered practices. Six conference tracks represent a wide array of possibilities for sharing and discussing a multiplicity of eportfolio topics from start-ups to the latest innovations:
Practice: Teaching and Learning with ePortfolios
Transitions: ePortfolios, Employability and Support of Change
Research and Scholarship: Evaluating and Documenting the Effectiveness of ePortfolios
Assessment: Using ePortfolios to Learn about Student Learning
Portfolio Start-Ups: First Steps and Beyond
What’s New? Open Learning and Alternative Credentialing for ePortfolios
(Note: Each track is described thoroughly with topic suggestions — read more.)
Our 2013 conference will serve as a gathering place for shared collective knowledge about how we, as a scholarly community and as a community of practice, answer questions posed through roughly 10 years of experience. What do we know about eportfolios? What do we know about eportfolio research? What do we know about best practices with eportfolios? What do we know about the integration of technology into teaching and learning? What have we learned about assessment and the role eportfolios play? How do we know what we know about eportfolios? What documentation do we have to validate what we know? Where do we need to go from here with both research and practice to further the implementation of eportfolios in the service of learners? What has eportfolio use taught us about learning?
Dates to Note
AAEEBL invites proposals for The ePortfolio Field Coming of Age: Knowledge, Research and Practice from October 18, 2012 through February 18, 2013. Proposers may expect to receive notifications of session acceptance by March 25, 2013.

Online registration is expected to open in March, 2013 — Registration fees for the conference include an early-bird discount applicable to all registrants plus a substantial discount of $200 per person for the first three registrants from AAEEBL member institutions, up to a total discount of $600. (Wondering if your institution is a member of AAEEBL? Find out.)
Helpful Quick Links
Download the full CFP for the AAEEBL 2013 Annual ePortfolio Conference (PDF) — This document contains detailed track and session format descriptions, proposal submission instructions, full explanations about session leader roles and other important conference information.
Online Submission Form — We are offering the proposal submission form for 2013 in a new format to streamline the proposal process. While we believe this form will be substantially easier to fill out than CFPs in previous years, we encourage you to be familiar with the full guidelines and descriptions found either at the conference landing pages or in the downloadable full CFP.
2013 AAEEBL Annual ePortfolio Conference landing page at the AAEEBL Web site — Visit the conference pages often for updates.
Steps for Submitting Your Proposal
1. Indicate the role you plan to assume for your session. Read more about roles.

2. Choose a track from one of the six featured tracks that focuses on what we know or what we have learned about eportfolios. Tracks are listed above.
3. Determine which session format best suits your presentation topic and goals. You have six choices for session formats — read full explanation of session formats. (Regardless of session format, all presenters are expected to register for the conference.)
50-minute interactive sessions
50-minute “Conversations with…”
25-minute “snapshot” presentations
100-minute workshop session
Poster sessions
NEW for 2012 — Pecha Kucha sessions
4. Complete the proposal form online to include all the necessary information — We suggest drafting and editing your proposal in a word processing document prior to pasting your final submission text into the online form. Read more.

5. Indicate, in the online proposal submission form, if you are willing to serve as a session convener at the conference. Service to the eportfolio community in this role is open to all proposers, institutional members and AAEEBL Corporate Affiliates.
Our volunteer conveners play an important role in sessions: They introduce the session and the presenters, serve as timekeepers, and make sure evaluations are distributed and collected. Many conveners will also take notes at presentations in order to share brief session reports in The AAEEBL Learner. All invited 50- and 25-minute session leaders will be asked to provide a 50-word bio for volunteer conveners to use in making session introductions.
Proposal Review Process
The AAEEBL Program Committee will review all proposals based on a rubric that scores how sessions align with conference themes and tracks in addition to the proposer’s suggestions for the interactive aspect of the session. At least two Program Committee members will review each proposal. Given the number of proposals we receive and the number of sessions open for presenters, you may receive an invitation that suggests a change in the format from which you originally proposed, such as reducing a 50-minute proposal to a snapshot session (25 minutes) or to a poster session in order for us to include as many proposers as possible.
Need-to-Know Information
For information about technology available for conference presenters and other important conference details, please refer to notes provided on the conference landing page.
Belonging to AAEEBL
AAEEBL offers two ways to actively participate in and support the eportfolio community. As an organization we promote deep learning and institutional transformation with eportfolios, and we invite both academic institutions and corporate entities to share that mission with us. As a non-profit, we rely on participation from both constituencies.

Membership benefits for educational institutions include hefty conference discounts including the Annual ePortfolio Conference as well as eportfolio conferences offered at a variety of institutions during the year. Conference discounts help institutions gain back most, if not all, of the cost of membership, but we don’t think that’s the primary reason to join AAEEBL. When your institution joins AAEEBL, you become an active part of the eportfolio community and can also join AAEEBL committees and professional activities from conference-planning to eportfolio research. If you are not already an institutional member of AAEEBL, we invite you to join us.

AAEEBL partners with corporate entities who are engaged in eportfolio platform development and deployment as well as other corporate learning organizations that advocate for the use of technologies to deepen learning. We include our Corporate Affiliates in the wider conversation about learning and about educational transformation because, as a community, we hope to share our input for technological innovations that have an impact on learning. We offer opportunities to Corporate Affiliate donors including the flexibility of choosing from three circles of support in order to more fully participate in the eportfolio community. Grateful for their generosity, we acknowledge their essential support for AAEEBL services to the eportfolio community.

(Please note: AAEEBL institutional member benefits differ from the philanthropic participation of AAEEBL Corporate Affiliates who gain opportunities.)
Questions
Contact: [email protected].

The ePortfolio Field Coming of Age: Knowledge, Research and Practice

Call for proposals for the 2013 AAEEBL Annual ePortfolio Conference
July 29 – August 1, 2013
Boston, MA, USA – Hynes Convention Center

The 2013 Conference will feature a change in venue from the first three AAEEBL Annual Conferences. In 2013, for the first time, we will gather in the heart of Boston at the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Hotel. This location offers proximity to many of Boston’s attractions and provides a wide array of more options in terms of lodging and dining.
Background and Context
AAEEBL is about learning, about deepened learning within a new paradigm. AAEEBL is also identified with eportfolios since AAEEBL sees eportfolios as a primary enabler of this new learning paradigm.
Culturally, within the world of education, we are now experiencing a profound shift from a teacher-centered learning paradigm that emphasizes information delivery and learner receptivity to learning models that acknowledge ever-evolving knowledge structures and innovation. While a traditional classroom structure made sense when knowledge was relatively stable and when the economy was largely a production (industrial) economy, there is a need to rethink ways in which knowledge is both constructed and conveyed to learners. AAEEBL advocates for a learning culture that supports deeper and more adaptable learning.
Since 21st century knowledge is not static, and our economy is increasingly dependent on innovative learners who can adapt to change, individuals must become active participants in their own learning. To succeed in life, they must constantly apply what they’ve learned to develop novel solutions that address challenges and solve problems. It is essential that they fundamentally understand how to continue their learning and relearning throughout their lives. Therefore it is a requirement today that learners from all entry points – schools and workplaces — acquire deeper engagement in their own learning as well as a heightened sense of responsibility for their own role as active learners preparing to constructively advance the future.
We need learning paradigms that encourage reflection and connection-making, that lead beyond traditional factual surface-learning to deeper nuances that are relevant and meaningful to individual learners’ lives, relationships and careers. AAEEBL’s purpose is to advance the movement from information-delivery, teaching-centered practices to learning methodologies that promote personal and social engagement. AAEEBL works to shepherd both classroom and life-long learning transitions and emphasizes greater learner agency. AAEEBL’s commitment is to deepen learning and to transform institutions with eportfolios.
The eportfolio community is a major global learning movement. The use of electronic portfolios, as learning spaces, is roughly in its tenth year and, in honor of this anniversary, the 2013 Annual AAEEBL Conference in Boston highlights the phrase “Coming of Age.” Therefore, this CFP invites proposals about using eportfolios to encourage deeper and more learner-centered practices. Six conference tracks represent a wide array of possibilities for sharing and discussing a multiplicity of eportfolio topics from start-ups to the latest innovations:
Practice: Teaching and Learning with ePortfolios
Transitions: ePortfolios, Employability and Support of Change
Research and Scholarship: Evaluating and Documenting the Effectiveness of ePortfolios
Assessment: Using ePortfolios to Learn about Student Learning
Portfolio Start-Ups: First Steps and Beyond
What’s New? Open Learning and Alternative Credentialing for ePortfolios
(Note: Each track is described thoroughly with topic suggestions — read more.)
Our 2013 conference will serve as a gathering place for shared collective knowledge about how we, as a scholarly community and as a community of practice, answer questions posed through roughly 10 years of experience. What do we know about eportfolios? What do we know about eportfolio research? What do we know about best practices with eportfolios? What do we know about the integration of technology into teaching and learning? What have we learned about assessment and the role eportfolios play? How do we know what we know about eportfolios? What documentation do we have to validate what we know? Where do we need to go from here with both research and practice to further the implementation of eportfolios in the service of learners? What has eportfolio use taught us about learning?
Dates to Note
AAEEBL invites proposals for The ePortfolio Field Coming of Age: Knowledge, Research and Practice from October 18, 2012 through February 18, 2013. Proposers may expect to receive notifications of session acceptance by March 25, 2013.

Online registration is expected to open in March, 2013 — Registration fees for the conference include an early-bird discount applicable to all registrants plus a substantial discount of $200 per person for the first three registrants from AAEEBL member institutions, up to a total discount of $600. (Wondering if your institution is a member of AAEEBL? Find out.)
Helpful Quick Links
Download the full CFP for the AAEEBL 2013 Annual ePortfolio Conference (PDF) — This document contains detailed track and session format descriptions, proposal submission instructions, full explanations about session leader roles and other important conference information.
Online Submission Form — We are offering the proposal submission form for 2013 in a new format to streamline the proposal process. While we believe this form will be substantially easier to fill out than CFPs in previous years, we encourage you to be familiar with the full guidelines and descriptions found either at the conference landing pages or in the downloadable full CFP.
2013 AAEEBL Annual ePortfolio Conference landing page at the AAEEBL Web site — Visit the conference pages often for updates.
Steps for Submitting Your Proposal
1. Indicate the role you plan to assume for your session. Read more about roles.

2. Choose a track from one of the six featured tracks that focuses on what we know or what we have learned about eportfolios. Tracks are listed above.
3. Determine which session format best suits your presentation topic and goals. You have six choices for session formats — read full explanation of session formats. (Regardless of session format, all presenters are expected to register for the conference.)
50-minute interactive sessions
50-minute “Conversations with…”
25-minute “snapshot” presentations
100-minute workshop session
Poster sessions
NEW for 2012 — Pecha Kucha sessions
4. Complete the proposal form online to include all the necessary information — We suggest drafting and editing your proposal in a word processing document prior to pasting your final submission text into the online form. Read more.

5. Indicate, in the online proposal submission form, if you are willing to serve as a session convener at the conference. Service to the eportfolio community in this role is open to all proposers, institutional members and AAEEBL Corporate Affiliates.
Our volunteer conveners play an important role in sessions: They introduce the session and the presenters, serve as timekeepers, and make sure evaluations are distributed and collected. Many conveners will also take notes at presentations in order to share brief session reports in The AAEEBL Learner. All invited 50- and 25-minute session leaders will be asked to provide a 50-word bio for volunteer conveners to use in making session introductions.
Proposal Review Process
The AAEEBL Program Committee will review all proposals based on a rubric that scores how sessions align with conference themes and tracks in addition to the proposer’s suggestions for the interactive aspect of the session. At least two Program Committee members will review each proposal. Given the number of proposals we receive and the number of sessions open for presenters, you may receive an invitation that suggests a change in the format from which you originally proposed, such as reducing a 50-minute proposal to a snapshot session (25 minutes) or to a poster session in order for us to include as many proposers as possible.
Need-to-Know Information
For information about technology available for conference presenters and other important conference details, please refer to notes provided on the conference landing page.
Belonging to AAEEBL
AAEEBL offers two ways to actively participate in and support the eportfolio community. As an organization we promote deep learning and institutional transformation with eportfolios, and we invite both academic institutions and corporate entities to share that mission with us. As a non-profit, we rely on participation from both constituencies.

Membership benefits for educational institutions include hefty conference discounts including the Annual ePortfolio Conference as well as eportfolio conferences offered at a variety of institutions during the year. Conference discounts help institutions gain back most, if not all, of the cost of membership, but we don’t think that’s the primary reason to join AAEEBL. When your institution joins AAEEBL, you become an active part of the eportfolio community and can also join AAEEBL committees and professional activities from conference-planning to eportfolio research. If you are not already an institutional member of AAEEBL, we invite you to join us.

AAEEBL partners with corporate entities who are engaged in eportfolio platform development and deployment as well as other corporate learning organizations that advocate for the use of technologies to deepen learning. We include our Corporate Affiliates in the wider conversation about learning and about educational transformation because, as a community, we hope to share our input for technological innovations that have an impact on learning. We offer opportunities to Corporate Affiliate donors including the flexibility of choosing from three circles of support in order to more fully participate in the eportfolio community. Grateful for their generosity, we acknowledge their essential support for AAEEBL services to the eportfolio community.

(Please note: AAEEBL institutional member benefits differ from the philanthropic participation of AAEEBL Corporate Affiliates who gain opportunities.)
Questions
Contact: [email protected].