AAEEBL and MERLOT are partnering to underscore the high impact practice of using eportfolios.  This resource collection is intended to help educators around the world advance authentic, experiential and evidenced-based learning.  Although AAEEBL maintains a focus on technology, it is fundamentally a learning organization with a mission to deepen learning and to transform institutions through eportfolios.

The goals of this eportfolio portal provide educators and learners from around the world with:

• Open access to online resources that can help them design, develop, and sustain the effective use of eportfolios.
• Open services to contribute resources into the MERLOT eportfolio collections so others can easily discover quality information and advice about eportfolios.
• Open services for people to comment on, advise about, and organize online resources about eportfolios.
• Connections to organizations that are advancing the use of eportfolios for authentic, experiential and evidenced-based learning.
• Offering entry-points into the eportfolio field by providing information about events and opportunities for participation.  

Established in 2009, the Association for Authentic, Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning (AAEEBL, pronounced "able") is a membership organization serving the world eportfolio community.  AAEEBL offers benefits to institutional members, and opportunities to Corporate Affiliates, all of whom are committed to innovation and support for teaching and learning, for employability, for assessment, for research and scholarship and for exploring new directions for 21^st century learners.  AAEEBL services include:

• Presenting the AAEEBL Annual ePortfolio Conference, a large gathering of the eportfolio community. (The 2013 call for proposals [is] open until February 18, 2013 for The ePortfolio Field Coming of Age: Knowledge, Research and Practice.)
• Holding campus-based eportfolio conferences throughout the year.  Upcoming conferences include:
• Southeast – November 12-13, 2012: Empowerment, Enrichment and Engagement: Putting the “e” in ePortfolio at Clemson Universtiy, Clemson, SC
• Northeast – March 15, 2013 at Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI
• Western – April 19-20, 2013 at Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Northwest – September 20-21 at the University of Washington Bothel, Bothel, WA
• Collaborating with AAC&U on the Annual ePortfolio Forum. 
• Producing a digital bi-monthly newsletter, The AAEEBL Learner, an ongoing cooperative venture among Virginia Tech, Wentworth Institute of Technology and AAEEBL, that features articles, announcements and information about eportfolio initiatives. 
• Supporting research, implementation and dissemination through The Connect to Learning FIPSE-funded initiative, led by LaGuardia Community College, focused on developing a model for eportfolio implementation.
• Collaborating with EPAC and ePortfolio California to hold webinars that provide information about options and decision-making in regards to eportfolio implementation.  (See Exploring ePortfolio Technologies: Reviewing Platforms and Approaches for Teaching, Learning and Beyond.)
• Affiliation with the International Journal of ePortfolio,  the scholarly publication for the eportfolio field, published at Virginia Tech. 
• Connection to Out of Practice a group dedicated to providing encouragement and feedback to professionals in the field who endeavor to do their own eportfolio-keeping.
• Member participation in developing an eportfolio research agenda and joining the Research Committee.
• Networking opportunities for sharing and learning from other institutions with eportfolio programs. 
• An pathway to advance professionally with others working on eportfolio initiatives. 

For more information about AAEEBL, contact Judy Williamson Batson.

(11/5/12)