When PNE started to develop oscar, the main forms of evidence that tended to be submitted by candidates and assessors were documents and sound recordings of professional discussions.

Technology though, is a great enabler and as computers have become more advanced and storage space cheaper, video has now become almost as ubiquitous as Word documents and MP3 files.

Video is great for professional discussions, adding a visual compliment to the sound but where video really comes in useful is for those qualifications of a more practical element such as construction or fitness.

That’s why we’ve now added the ability to upload and store video as part of the candidate profile. We like to shout about how easy and flexible oscar is and we were determined that adding a video would be the same -  and so it is.

Video is added in exactly the same way you add a Word document or sound recording. You don’t have to worry about converting it into the right format, you just select it like any other piece of evidence and oscar will do the rest.

And not only that, lead developer Gary has made it so that once the video is uploaded it can be played from within oscar straight away. You don’t have to spend ages waiting to download it again, just click on play and start viewing.

View this demonstration of uploading a video to the oscar system.

Trawling through large files, sifting through good and bad evidence, wondering if it has been used for the right unit or at all, wondering if all the criteria has been met, arriving at your appointment to find that your learner hasn’t followed their learner plan or provided any new evidence.  Do you work extra hours to fit it all in?

This is where we believe oscar can revolutionise the way you work.

Through the oscar system all the portfolios are in one easy accessible place and available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  (Although we wouldn’t expect you to be online 2am on a Sunday!)

Records and documents such as achievement records are in one place.  As the assessor you can view the record of each unit and easily see where a unit has been completed and see where there are any gaps.  Learner plans can be uploaded so they are secure and can’t be misplaced.  Our assessors say that by having the plans online they can view them prior to the appointment, so they have an easy way to plan the discussion with the learner – and at a planned time.

As an assessor there are a lot of factors to consider and to know that the candidates’ work is safe is just one of them.  All learner portfolios are secure and backed up daily so there’s no chance of a file being misplaced, lost or stolen.

As well as the technical aspects of an e-portfolio, oscar can help you plan your time effectively.  By knowing how much evidence the learner has uploaded you can easily see how much time you will spend with them and no more travelling to wasted appointments!

We’ve also included a colourful visual progress bar so both you and the learner can see the units which have been completed.  Assessors and learners both say that this is a great way to increase motivation.

Have you ever arrived at an appointment and your learner hasn’t been available or the workplace is so hectic there isn’t a private area to meet in? 

Each learner has their own secure online portfolio and access to learning materials and relevant paperwork.  By using an e-portfolio system you won’t waste time travelling to that appointment.  There’s no requirement to visit the learner to view the evidence as the evidence is online, so before and during each appointment you can review your learner’s portfolio. 

Of course meeting the learner can be an important, and mandatory, part of any qualification.  And by using oscar it doesn’t mean that meetings won’t take place.  But, oscar can help you to manage time more effectively, cut down on travel costs and time and provides a safe and reliable way to store the learners’ portfolio.

As an oscar Administrator I’ve worked with a large number of assessors and they’ve all agreed that oscar is easy to use, flexible and makes life easier for them.

Why not book a free demonstration of oscar, the simple and flexible e-portfolio by clicking here.

It’s a simple fact of life that there are more demands on our time now than at anytime before and those ‘distractions’ are increasing. No matter how good a candidate’s intentions are, the busy nature of their work, combined with modern day distractions, can often mean an incomplete portfolio of evidence when the assessor comes to visit.

E-portfolio’s change this by providing a convenient way of uploading evidence, at any time. This has been proven to increase learner engagement and learner engagement increases again when the assessor encourages the candidate to use the e-portfolio to record reflections. (Barrat)

Finding time for reflection can be difficult as many workers are now taking on more responsibilities in a response to declining job security. The learner’s ability to access their training portfolio online at anytime means that they can take their training home with them if they so wish. An e-portfolio becomes a tool that helps learner’s manage their time and training.

It’s the same for assessors who can now assess evidence regardless of the time of day or location. This opens up the possibility of training organisations introducing more flexible working arrangements for assessors thus improving employee satisfaction. It also reduces the need for assessors to arrange travel to workplaces just to collect evidence, and this has been shown to be one of the significant financial benefits of implementing an e-portfolio. Who doesn’t want to reduce their travel expenses?

I don’t want to take up too much of your time but if you’re interested in anything I’ve said why not get in touch and arrange a free demonstration of oscar to see how it could work for you?

Further reading

Barrat, Helen – http://electronicportfolios.com/reflect/whitepaper.pdf

In 2007 Government research indicated growth of e-portfolio use amongst private training providers and employers had been slow but steady in recent years. Schools, colleges and universities have witnessed a greater uptake of this assessment tool, trail blazing their use in a primarily academic setting (reflecting a higher degree of interaction between teacher and pupil).

However into the present day, conditions in the vocational qualifications marketplace are quickly changing with the emergence of the QCF and Diplomas, competing with the NVQs that have dominated electronic assessment activity in recent years. It’s these changes, in addition to a wider selection of evidence being gathered in an electronic format and rising provider administration costs, which have made the e-portfolio proposition a more attractive one for training providers.

By allowing candidates to submit evidence (text, images, audio, video) onto a web-based system, assessors and verifiers can obtain quicker access to key information i.e. candidate qualification progress and coursework evidence. E-portfolios offer to transforming the assessment process from one based on accruing paperwork and commuting to accelerating the process of candidates successfully achieving a qualification.

Today, private training providers and employers can streamline their assessment processes and improve the achievement rates of their candidates by adopting a simple and cost effective e-portfolio solution – the best of which is oscar!

You can book a FREE demonstration of oscar today -  enter your details here

Now in its third year, the Expo attracted over 1400 delegates, many of whom dropped by our colourful exhibition stand for a demonstration of the e-portfolio system.

The event allowed us to engage with a wide variety of businesses, of all shapes and sizes. Start-ups in the learning & development sector in particular were attracted to oscar’s intuitive design and simple pricing structure.

As you can tell by David’s beaming smile, the oscar team is happy to be ‘on the road’, demonstrating the numerous features and benefits of the newest e-portfolio product to hit the assessment market.

Congratulations to prize draw winner Mr Barry Hubbard of Assessment North East. He wins a selection of e-learning courses, kindly donated by globe

We will endeavour to provide you with news updates on our innovative e-portfolio system, as well as thoughts on all matters to do with paperless assessment.

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The official launch of the oscar e-portfolio system  into the training sector marketplace, takes place on Monday 24^th October – a few days left to finish the preparation of oscar in readiness for ‘live’ or ‘remote’ demonstrations by our sales team! If you are interested in a demo, please contact us via our web form or call us on 0191 4387999 (and we’ll call you back!).

The origins of oscar can be traced back to 2009, when Tracey Moore and Tracy Gee, both assessors at PNE Development, were searching the market for an e-portfolio system to support them in the assessment of their qualifications. They both understood the benefits, the time and the money they would save and the joy of leaving paper based assessment behind, however they couldn’t find the e-portfolio system that was right for them.

So they built one – and oscar was born!