Frequently asked questions

Learning Assistant's e-portfolio is easy to set up and easy to use. Below are answers to some of the Frequently Asked Questions. Please contact us if you have any further questions.

Are my Candidates' e-portfolios secure?

Everything is password protected and backed up on a daily basis. Providing you and your Candidates keep your password secure, no unauthorised access can be made to the system.

What happens if it all gets lost on the web?

This cannot happen. All files are backed up and saved on a daily basis. Learning Assistant's e-portfolio system has been operational for over 6 years without losing a single document.

Can Candidates' employers see their e-portfolios?

Candidate information is confidential between the Candidate, Assessor, and Verifier. Employers can receive regular email updates on their employees' progress, and if authorised can have high-level access to the online e-portfolios.

Can I operate Learning Assistant from home?

You can access Learning Assistant's e-portfolio system anywhere you have internet connection. You could even work on holiday!

Do you have to be good with computers to use Learning Assistant?

Learning Assistant's online e-portfolio is an intuitive, easy-to-use system. No advanced IT skills are required. In fact, users regularly find that their confidence in IT is dramatically increased.

How are the e-portfolios internally verified?

Internal Verifiers can log in and review Candidate's portfolios at any time. All sampling is recorded in the Candidate's Contact Diary, and the colour coded overview reflects changes made. The Sampling Summary shows the IV what they have already sampled, and acts as a guide to sample across Candidates, Assessors and evidence type.

Can External Verifiers view e-portfolios?

Learning Assistant allows External Verifiers to remotely audit a Centre. Centres control when access is given, and agree the selection of Candidates to be looked at.

How do you authenticate evidence?

Standard methods of evidence gathering are used with Learning Assistant, such as professional discussions, witness testimonies, and observations. Where appropriate, video and audio evidence, and scanned signatures can be used. Assessors still have to make the judgement that the evidence is the Candidate's own work.

What do the Awarding Bodies say?

City and Guilds have endorsed Learning Assistant; OCR publicly support Learning Assistant; and Edexcel approve Learning Assistant. SQA are happy for Centres to use Learning Assistant, although they do not run an endorsement policy. Other Awarding Bodies can be contacted for guidance and authorisation. All Awarding Bodies are looking at ways of enhancing the learning experience, and know that new technology should be used wherever possible.