At the simplest level, Mahara is two things: an ePortfolio and a social networking system combined. An ePortfolio is a system in which students can record 'evidence of lifelong learning' – such as essays, artwork or other such things they produce that can be stored digitally. Such things are known as artefacts in Mahara.

But Mahara is much more than just a place to store files. Mahara also includes blogging, a CV builder, and Moodle integration.

With Mahara, you control which items and what information within your portfolio other users see. Such items and information are termed artefacts. To facilitate this access control, all artefacts you wish to show to other users need to be arranged into one area. In Mahara this compilation of selected artefacts is called a ‘page’. You can have as many pages as you like, each with a different number of artefacts, intended purpose and audience. Your audience, or the people you wish to give access to your page, can be added as individuals or as a member of a group. It can even be made publicly available.

A single page or a collection of pages can make up your portfolio. Unless artefacts are placed in a page, they are not visible to anybody but you. You can use files that you uploaded or journal entries you wrote in as many pages as you wish. You only need one copy of your artefact.

The diagram on the left, of example artefacts, pages and groups, illustrates how content in Mahara can be shared and reused in different contexts and for different audiences.

If you think of VLEs, such as Moodle, as the formal, structured side of e-learning, then Mahara is the social, reflective side. A VLE and an ePortfolio complement one another in an online learning environment.

In particular, Mahara can integrate with Moodle natively to provide a streamlined user experience. Students are able to export assignments, blogs and much more straight into Mahara to use as artefacts – which can then, of course, be placed into pages.

• Contextual help is available throughout Mahara. Watch out for the Help icon . Click on it to find out more about the action you are about to perform.
• You can also contact TEL for help:

Technology Enhanced Learning
Temple Hall (TW0M07)
E: TEL@yorksj.ac.uk
T: (01904) 876729 | 876987 | 876782
W: www.yorksj.ac.uk/TEL | @YSJTEL | TEL BLog

• If you a re a student looking for help, you can contact the Academic Technologies Trainer:

Annette Webb
E: a.webb@yorksj.ac.uk
T: (01904) 876391
W: http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/information-learning-services/information-learning-services/services-for-you/undergraduates/academic-liaison-librarians/academic-technologies-trainer.aspx