| Since the early 1990s the term 'electronic portfolio' (eportfolio) has been described in a range of ways, with most recognizing the primary role of information and communications technologies in describing the "e".
Common to most definitions is an assumed continuity of purpose with paper-based student portfolios that have been used as documented evidence of achievement and intended as a means for assessment (of competencies and understanding). More recent definitions also recognize the diversity of electronic formats and the complexity of determining the boundaries of eportfolios, for example, where runtime multimedia applications are implicated as well as reliance on hyperlinked documents or applications, as well as ongoing incremental development.
In education and training contexts, eportfolios are learner-centered and outcomes-based. They are created when individuals selectively compile evidence of their own electronic activities and output as a means to indicate what they have learned or know. In this sense, eportfolios function as a learning record or transcript. But given their developmental character, eportfolios function as both an archive and a developmental repository that is used for learning management and reflections purposes.
As a means for general credentialing, eportfolios are also being used as a means for extending the standard text-based curriculum vitae. There are also some commonly agreed exclusions to what information might properly form an eportfolio, such as medical records, government records (including possible criminal activity), and financial records or profiles (AICTEC, n.d.).
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