Activities versus e-Portfolio Items
Understanding the Difference
Anais
Last Update a year ago
Overview
Activities and e-Portfolio items work together to help you design, deliver, and evidence a learner’s program. Although they are closely linked, they serve different purposes. This article explains the difference and how they interact, particularly in relation to Units and Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviours (KSBs).
What is an Activity?
An Activity is a task a learner is expected to complete as part of their program.
You’ll find all Activities assigned to a learner in the Activities tab. Key points:
Activities outline what the learner needs to do.
They can be amended for individual learners — allowing for personalisation without changing the original course template.
Each Activity contains a set of instructions and is linked to:
A Unit, and
KSBs (these are the KSBs that the learner is expected to evidence when completing the Activity).
KSBs on Activities
The KSBs ticked on an Activity represent the expected KSBs the learner should demonstrate.
You only need to edit an activity if you wish to change:
The instructions
The Unit it is linked to
The KSBs it is mapped to
Otherwise, Activities typically do not require any changes.
What is an e-Portfolio Item?
An e-Portfolio item is created when a learner submits evidence against an Activity. In other words:
An e-Portfolio item = an Activity with submitted evidence.
Every completed Activity with a submission will automatically appear in the learner’s e-Portfolio tab.
EPAO Inclusion
Each e-Portfolio item has an EPAO checkbox, allowing you to mark whether the submitted evidence should be:
Included in the final EPAO-ready e-Portfolio download, or
Excluded if it’s not needed for end-point assessment.
How Do KSBs Work in Submitted Evidence?
When a learner submits evidence for an Activity, the tutor reviews it and selects which KSBs the learner has actually demonstrated.
Important distinction:
KSBs on the Activity = expected KSBs
KSBs on the Submitted Evidence = achieved KSBs
This means tutors only tick the KSBs the learner has evidenced in their submission, based on the KSBs originally set on the Activity.
| Feature | Activity | e-Portfolio Item |
| What it represents | A task the learner must complete | Submitted evidence for an Activity |
| Where it appears | Activities tab | e-Portfolio |
| Editable? | Yes, can be personalised without affecting the course template | Yes, can be edited, without impacting the original Activity |
| Linked to Units & KSBs | Yes | Yes (inherits from Activity) |
| EPAO inclusion | Not applicable | EPAO checkbox determines inclusion / exclusion |
| KSBs | Expected KSBs set by the provider | Achieved KSBs selected by the tutor |
When Should I Edit an Activity?
You only need to amend an Activity if you want to change:
- Instructions to the learner
- The Unit assignment
- The mapped KSBs
If none of these need adjusting, there is no requirement to modify the Activity.