LEAP assertion

Belongs to LEAP 2.0 > classes

Working definition
An expression of the connection between particular things and concepts; typically in portfolios between the portfolio holder and abilities.

Explanation
An assertion is the claiming of some fact, and in the case of a portfolio, the fact would relate to the person concerned. The nice thing about having a claim is that while one can debate endlessly about the ontological status of any supposed fact, or the reality behind such a fact, an assertion is clearly in essence a communication, capable in principle of being backed up by evidence and tested.

Just about any item of portfolio information implies an assertion of its truth, and most of this information could in principle be tested out if required (though often it is not required). The reason to have an assertion as a distinct portfolio part is so that anything which does not have a frequently used and well recognised structure can also be asserted.

The primary use of an assertion is envisaged to be for claims of competence. Personal competence doesn't have a concrete manifestation in the world: activities which display competence do, of course, but they are evidence of the competence, not the competence itself.

An assertion should to describe what it is that is claimed, describe the grounds for the claim, and explain in what way any material offered in evidence is actually evidential of the assertion.

Alternative terms, with nuances of meaning

 * Assertion: this was used in UKLeaP. Perhaps the nuance is small enough to retain it in preference to "claim"?.
 * Claim: perhaps a more friendly term - should we use this instead?

What it is not
A claim to competence is not a competence definition, nor a goal to achieve a competence.

Predicates
See the notes on LEAP triples for an explanation of what forms of triples there are, and how they are represented here.
 * "Direct" predicates are those where this class is in the domain of the predicate (but its superclass is not).
 * "Inverse" predicates, if given for reference, are those where the class is in the range, but not the domain, of the predicate.
 * "=" means the predicate expects a literal object: the type of literal may be specified here.
 * "&rarr;" means the predicate expects an object URL referring to an instance of the given class(es).
 * "&larr;" is used for inverse predicates, and means that triples may exist with instances of the given class(es) as subject and this class as object.

Inherited
from entry
 * date ref = a date of validity of the assertion - prefer start and end
 * temporal = plain text statement of the temporal validity of the assertion - prefer start and end

Direct

 * certified by = Authority supporting the assertion (as text field)
 * certified by &rarr; LEAP agent supporting the assertion
 * claims &rarr; the LEAP ability or other quality being claimed
 * end = end of validity of the assertion
 * has evidence &rarr; LEAP item internal to the portfolio that serves as evidence for the assertion or claim
 * start = start of validity of the assertion

Inverse

 * certifies &larr; LEAP agent certifying the assertion

Subclasses
none

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Issues
A note can go here of any issues that are not represented above, which can then be discussed on the list or under the discussion tab.