ePortfolio Pilot Project at the University of Vienna – Towards a Framework

This paper will present the first draft of the University of Vienna ePortfolio fram ework which is closely interlinked with the university-wide eLearning strategy. Concept ually the aim of the framework is to bridge the gap(s) between different ePortfolio conceptualisations, integrate ePortfolio on a curricular level in the context of a university-wide community for knowledge production, and envision ePortfolio as a tool for quality development. To illustrate the direction Vienna University is taking in more detail, we will introduce a case, the media competence seminar, which implements a mini-curriculum using ePortfolio. 1 Towards an ePortfolio Framework for Vienna University 1.1 Goals and Context In January 2007 the University of Vienna Centre for Teaching and Learning and fa culty partners started the use of ePortfolio in five pilot implementations with the goal to develop an ePortfolio framework as part of the eLearning strategy, develop a guide to the curricular implementation of ePortfolio, and to extract more general model from the pilot c ases. These results will be deliverables to the national ePortfolio project “ Modellfälle für Implementierungsstrategien für integrierte ePortfolios im tertiären Bildun gsbereich” (cases of implementation strategies for implemented ePortfolios in tertiary e ducation) of the forum for new media fnm-austria, which will bundle the models, results, and different foci of five universities and an applied university ( Fachhochschule ) to generate a more general framework and collection of models (for details see http://www.fnmaustria.at/ePortfolio/Start/). At the Vienna University Centre for Teaching and Learning the conceptual focus is on the curricular implementation of ePortfolio and the connex to the eLearning strateg y. The goals for the implementation of ePortfolios in the pilot cases are derived from performanc e indicators for the agreement on objectives between university and ministry for sc ience and research (bm.w_f), the university development plan ( E twicklungsplan Universität Wien 2010), and the specific needs of the pilot partners. Four major goals have been identifi e : • The use of ePortfolio to support critical study phases • Decrease in drop-outs • Enhancement of employability • The support of inquiry-based teaching and learning. Conference ICL2007 September 27 -29, 2007 Villach, Austria 2(10) An ePortfolio is seen as a methodological and technical instrument which, appropriat e mentoring assumed, will help achieving those goals. ePortfolio will be used to support learners in developing an active approach to learning, help building subject specif ic as well as generic competencies, and thus enable them to take greater responsibilities in their individual learning processes. 1.2 ePortfolio framework of Vienna University The ePortfolio concepts found in the literature are diverse and often even contradict ory in their goals. The predominant conceptualisations are the presentation portfolio , process portfolio, and assessment portfolio (Barrett, 2005, Beetham, 2004). While the latter seems to be of little interest to a Continental European university culture there is no t radition of standardised testing and thus no need of introducing ePortfolio as a tool for qualitati ve assessment, the two former concepts both offer promising traits. The presentation por tfolio provides a space for the documentation of work and the representation of an individual’s competencies. The process portfolio focuses on the reflection of the learning proc ess with the aim to support deep learning (for a discussion on the notion deep learning see Biggs, 1999). At the intersection of both lies the reflection on the individual’s competencies as a ba sis for taking stock of formal and informal learning processes and planning next steps. In the conceptualisations we see an inherent contradiction: while the language of competencies and the ability to present oneself serves the goal of employabilit y, learning processes are deeply personal and require a protected space for the learner. In the context of the universities’ eLearning strategy we propose that the “pr esentation dimension” of ePortfolio can be more than an electronic curriculum vitae – within the semipublic space of an intra-university public, ePortfolios can become a potential cry stallisation point for student participation in knowledge production. This view comes with the assumption that this expansion of the students’ role from “knowledge consumers” to active partici pants in knowledge production must be based on active learning processes rooting in their learnin g biographies. By communicating competencies and products of learning to a communit y, student artefacts can not only be recognised by a broader audience and valued beyond grading, students can even be invited to be partners in knowledge production. For an ePortfolio framework (for an overview, see table 1) we see four dimensions a relevant: personal competency planning, the learning process, knowledge representa tion, and infrastructure. When looking at those involved in an ePortfolio implementation at universi ty, the individual learner will take on a different perspective from teachers, which w ill in turn have a different perspective from study programme directors, eLearning re presentatives, and other institutional bodies. Thus the organisational levels which have to be taken into acc ount are the individual, courses and modules, and finally the curriculum and the instituti onal level. For each ePortfolio implementation a balance of must be found, which makes sense for t he stakeholders involved at different institutional level. For students an ePortfolio should provide the following qualities • Personal competency planning: Offering support in reflection of individual abiliti es and goals. • Support of the learning process: Fostering understanding and the active construct i and production of knowledge, individually or with peers, supported by teachers and tutors • Representation of knowledge and products: Providing and infrastructure for the documentation and representation of students’ achievements • The technical infrastructure: Providing a tool which is accepted Conference ICL2007 September 27 -29, 2007 Villach, Austria 3(10) For students an ePortfolio should have the following qualities • Personal competency planning: ePortfolio should support individual competency planning and reflection on competencies acquired inand outside the university. • Support of the learning process: Fostering understanding and the active construct i of knowledge • Representation of knowledge and products: Providing and infrastructure for the documentation and representation of students’ achievements • The technical infrastructure: Providing a tool which is accepted Individual (Learners) Courseand Module level (Teachers) Curriculum/ Institution (Study programme directors, eLearning representatives, other institutional bodies) Competency planning Meta-Reflection individual competency planning Reflection of extracurricular acquisition of competencies Implementation of Meta-Reflection processes in courses and modules as a bracket to the curriculum Learning processes Active knowledge construction and production, individually, with peers, supported by teachers and tutors Integration of ePortfolio with existing blended learning concepts; Cooperative knowledge production on course and module level Curricular quality development processes Knowledge representat ion Documentation of competencies, representation of results of work Content base on module and curricular level Interface to institutional knowledge processes Infrastructure Acceptance of ePortfolioSoftware Design of ePortfolio based on teachingand learning concepts; Interface to LMS and other tools Providing an ePortfolio tool; Interfaces to other central services: LMS, Digital Asset Management Systems and others Tab. 1: A first draft of the ePortfolio framework f or Vienna University. Relevant dimensions of ePortf olio are given in the first column, the levels of implementa tion in the top row, with roles in brackets. For an implementation of ePortfolio on course – or module level the following points should be considered: • Personal competency planning: The integration of meta-Reflection processes i n courses and modules can be part of a bracket spanning the curriculum, helping students with orientation • Support of the learning process: ePortfolio should be integrated with existing blende d learning concepts in a way which does not increase teacher workload; ePortfol io can Conference ICL2007 September 27 -29, 2007 Villach, Austria 4(10) be used to foster individual or cooperative knowledge production, because student work can be valued beyond the classroom • Representation of knowledge and products: Cooperative knowledge production can contribute to the ongoing development of a curricular content base • The technical infrastructure: The ePortfolio should be chosen and/or designed in a way which fits teaching and learning concepts as well as the media competencies of students and teachers. If a Learning Management System (LMS) is used, st d nt should be able to easily navigate between different software tools. From an institutional perspective the following points are relevant: • Personal competency planning and support of the learning process: ePortfolio potentially provides an excellent basis for curricular quality development proc esses. Students’ reflections on competencies and contents provide a valuable qualitative feedback on the quality and coherence of the curriculum • Representation of knowledge and products: ePortfolio provides a potential interface between students’ work and institutional knowledge processes • The technical infrastructure: The institution must decide whether it provides an ePortfolio tool and interfaces to other central services such as the LMS, Digi tal Asset Management Systems and others Cur