Shared Footprint (synonym: Evidence Footprint) is the durable, learner-controlled record of how capability was built: attempts on a Curriculum Graph goal, feedback that closes a gap, and visible progression—produced in Study Sessions, Story Quests, and Socratic AI Interviews, then optionally shared as a reviewable slice.
It is not a digital surveillance footprint. It is a cousin to CLR / LER / Open Badges. It is not a completion dashboard or badge inventory.
Learner action before AI: the learner practises first; AI may coach or probe; the footprint stores the trail, not a model’s guess about engagement.
What it is not: surveillance footprints
In cybersecurity guidance, a digital footprint is “the trail of data you create while using the Internet,” built both actively and passively—including data collected via monitoring without intentional disclosure (Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, ITSAP.00.133).
Higher-education research on virtual learning environments makes the same distinction painful for students: VLE use creates a digital footprint of views, downloads, discussion posts, and timestamps. Learners fear judgement and misinterpretation of process data; they prefer autonomy and non-judgmental support—not being scored on clicks (Rakow, Upsher, Foster, Byrom & Dommett, 2023).
A Shared Footprint flips ownership. The learner authors the practice trail and chooses what to share. It is proof they mean to show—not exhaust an institution collected about them.
Cousins: CLR, LER, Open Badges
Standards already describe portable achievement packages. They are related—not identical—to Shared Footprint.
- CLR — Records more than a badge can, and contextualises achievements within a programme, credential, or pathway (1EdTech). May contain Open Badges.
- LER — Open standards-based digital record of formal and informal learning and employment, typically as a verifiable credential (Education Design Lab). Documents learning wherever it occurs.
- Open Badge — Assertion of achievement (who, how, by whom, when) plus optional evidence. T3 defines evidence as artifacts that support a credential’s credibility.
- Shared Footprint — Living practice memory: attempt → gap-closing feedback → update → next Graph attempt. Feeds CLR/LER/badge packages; is not a wallet UI.
How the trail is written
| Surface | Role next to Shared Footprint |
|---|---|
| Curriculum Graph | Goal continuum the footprint advances on |
| Study Sessions / Story Quests / Socratic AI Interviews | Practice surfaces that write episodes |
| Practice trail | Chronology of attempts + corrections |
| Shared Footprint | Durable outer-loop record; optional shareable slice |
For the loop mechanics (deliberate practice, feed-up/back/forward, dangling data), see the Evidence Footprint guide.
Contrasts: dashboards and badge walls
Learning analytics dashboards are often criticised for focusing on analytics more than learning. Student-facing affordances skew toward comparison, awareness, and monitoring; feedback, reflection, and goal-setting remain scarce (Paulsen & Lindsay, 2024). A Shared Footprint fails the same test if opening it does not change the next practice move.
Helen Barrett’s ePortfolio distinction still helps: Product/Showcase versus Process/Workspace. Both matter. A badge wall or showcase gallery without process context is inventory—icons without path, criteria, or feedback. Showcase alone is not the learning record.
Related terms
Evidence Footprint = synonym. Digital (surveillance) footprint = passive/active service-use trail, often institutional. Practice trail = attempts + corrections. Curriculum Graph = goal continuum. Study Sessions / Story Quests / Socratic AI Interviews = practice writers. CLR / LER / Open Badge = standards cousins. Evidence (credential sense) = artifacts supporting a claim. Learning analytics dashboard = awareness/monitoring ≠ reviewable trail. Badge wall = awards without path. Skills evidence = what the footprint makes inspectable — see verification tiers.
Start a trail
Create your first Shared Footprint practice trail →
Also: Shared Footprint product · From Portfolio to Proof
Sources (research brief only)
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — Digital footprint (ITSAP.00.133)
- Rakow et al. (2023), Frontiers in Education
- 1EdTech — Comprehensive Learner Record
- T3 LER Toolkit Glossary
- Education Design Lab — Learning and Employment Records
- Paulsen & Lindsay (2024)
- Helen Barrett — Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios
Shared Footprint (synonym: Evidence Footprint) is the durable, learner-controlled record of how capability was built: attempts on a Curriculum Graph goal, feedback that closes a gap, and visible progression—produced in Study Sessions, Story Quests, and Socratic AI Interviews, then optionally shared as a reviewable slice.
It is not a digital surveillance footprint. It is a cousin to CLR / LER / Open Badges. It is not a completion dashboard or badge inventory.
Learner action before AI: the learner practises first; AI may coach or probe; the footprint stores the trail, not a model’s guess about engagement.
What it is not: surveillance footprints
In cybersecurity guidance, a digital footprint is “the trail of data you create while using the Internet,” built both actively and passively—including data collected via monitoring without intentional disclosure (Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, ITSAP.00.133).
Higher-education research on virtual learning environments makes the same distinction painful for students: VLE use creates a digital footprint of views, downloads, discussion posts, and timestamps. Learners fear judgement and misinterpretation of process data; they prefer autonomy and non-judgmental support—not being scored on clicks (Rakow, Upsher, Foster, Byrom & Dommett, 2023).
A Shared Footprint flips ownership. The learner authors the practice trail and chooses what to share. It is proof they mean to show—not exhaust an institution collected about them.
Cousins: CLR, LER, Open Badges
Standards already describe portable achievement packages. They are related—not identical—to Shared Footprint.
- CLR — Records more than a badge can, and contextualises achievements within a programme, credential, or pathway (1EdTech). May contain Open Badges.
- LER — Open standards-based digital record of formal and informal learning and employment, typically as a verifiable credential (Education Design Lab). Documents learning wherever it occurs.
- Open Badge — Assertion of achievement (who, how, by whom, when) plus optional evidence. T3 defines evidence as artifacts that support a credential’s credibility.
- Shared Footprint — Living practice memory: attempt → gap-closing feedback → update → next Graph attempt. Feeds CLR/LER/badge packages; is not a wallet UI.
How the trail is written
| Surface | Role next to Shared Footprint |
|---|---|
| Curriculum Graph | Goal continuum the footprint advances on |
| Study Sessions / Story Quests / Socratic AI Interviews | Practice surfaces that write episodes |
| Practice trail | Chronology of attempts + corrections |
| Shared Footprint | Durable outer-loop record; optional shareable slice |
For the loop mechanics (deliberate practice, feed-up/back/forward, dangling data), see the Evidence Footprint guide.
Contrasts: dashboards and badge walls
Learning analytics dashboards are often criticised for focusing on analytics more than learning. Student-facing affordances skew toward comparison, awareness, and monitoring; feedback, reflection, and goal-setting remain scarce (Paulsen & Lindsay, 2024). A Shared Footprint fails the same test if opening it does not change the next practice move.
Helen Barrett’s ePortfolio distinction still helps: Product/Showcase versus Process/Workspace. Both matter. A badge wall or showcase gallery without process context is inventory—icons without path, criteria, or feedback. Showcase alone is not the learning record.
Related terms
Evidence Footprint = synonym. Digital (surveillance) footprint = passive/active service-use trail, often institutional. Practice trail = attempts + corrections. Curriculum Graph = goal continuum. Study Sessions / Story Quests / Socratic AI Interviews = practice writers. CLR / LER / Open Badge = standards cousins. Evidence (credential sense) = artifacts supporting a claim. Learning analytics dashboard = awareness/monitoring ≠ reviewable trail. Badge wall = awards without path. Skills evidence = what the footprint makes inspectable — see verification tiers.
Start a trail
Create your first Shared Footprint practice trail →
Also: Shared Footprint product · From Portfolio to Proof
Sources (research brief only)
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — Digital footprint (ITSAP.00.133)
- Rakow et al. (2023), Frontiers in Education
- 1EdTech — Comprehensive Learner Record
- T3 LER Toolkit Glossary
- Education Design Lab — Learning and Employment Records
- Paulsen & Lindsay (2024)
- Helen Barrett — Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios