Fundamentals of ePortfolio Work

Competency-based teaching and learning in higher education pedagogy involves a shift from an input-oriented to an outcome-oriented approach; accordingly, the use of ePortfolios can make a valuable contribution to the design of competency-based instruction. The ePortfolio aims to document, in a reflective manner, the diverse experiences gained during practical training phases—which are significant for the student’s future professional development—and to support the acquisition of knowledge through reflection. Portfolios, as a material foundation, enable “the presentation of one’s own achievements (as well as competencies, interests, etc.), the planning and reconstruction of the learning and work processes leading up to them, and the ongoing and final reflection on and assessment of one’s own learning and its outcomes. Viewed in this way, the portfolio approach represents a specific style of learning, thinking, and working” (Häcker & Seemann, 2013, p. 75). When implemented as a web-based learning environment, it enables the storage, presentation, and collaborative work on a wide variety of documents (see ibid.). An ePortfolio is a collection of digitized work that may consist of products such as texts, images, audio files, videos, etc. The work created in this way can be accessed anytime, anywhere. “The presentation, planning, reconstruction, reflection, and assessment of one’s own learning processes are intended to support the (learning) development of the learners” (Häcker & Seemann, 2013, p. 75). Challenging activities such as these are difficult to manage alone, which is why communication is central and indispensable for collaboration between teachers and learners (see ibid.). Thus, portfolio work relies on the cooperation of all participants, making broad participation indispensable.

Digital media have become an integral part of students’ daily lives. Digitalization permeates everyday life as well as virtually all areas of professional life. For prospective teachers in particular, it is essential that they familiarize themselves with the opportunities and challenges of incorporating digital media into school teaching and learning as early as the first phase of their studies (see Karpa, Kempf & Bosse, 2013). The digital version of the portfolio integrates the potential of digital media into the practical design of the e-portfolio. Digitization opens up numerous new possibilities for working with the portfolio. In addition to the author’s ability to access the content posted in their own portfolio at any time, fellow students, tutors, and instructors have the opportunity to provide feedback. Above all, however, the unique potential of the [e]-portfolio lies in its virtually unlimited capacity to store artifacts. “From the perspective of lifelong learning, the digital form of the portfolio enables the collection and preservation of selected work products from different phases of the educational journey” (ibid., p. 271).

The following five advantages of web-based portfolios over paper-based ones can be highlighted:

1. use independent of time and place
2. easier opportunities for communication via learning products
3. easier access to feedback
4. integration of multimedia products
5. documentation of developmental steps (see Häcker & Seemann, 2013, p. 80).

Reflective practice is an integral part of professional teaching, so opportunities to engage in it should be offered during teacher education whenever possible (see Bosse, 2016), including with a view to potentially continuing this practice in the second phase of teacher education (Busse & Bosse, 2018). “A professional teacher embodies reflective practice, in which experiences in school settings are reconsidered, critically examined, and evaluated. A reflective attitude toward one’s own professional practice is thus to be regarded as an essential characteristic of professionalism; the ability to reflect forms the core of a teacher’s pedagogical competence” (ibid., p. 93). Reflection enables students to relate knowledge, skills, and experience to one another. In this context, the testing and implementation of portfolio and e-portfolio work support the fundamental trend toward making university teacher education more learner-centered (see ibid.). University teacher education aims, among other things, at the acquisition of theoretical-conceptual and empirical knowledge so that practical professional skills can be developed. In this process, the acquired knowledge base forms the crucial framework for reflection on the development of professional competence (see ibid.). The particular potential of ePortfolio work in this context lies in the fact that the ePortfolio creates opportunities for reflection for learning partners, tutors, instructors, and the learners themselves at various stages of the work process due to its digital availability (see Karpa, Kempf & Bosse, 2013).

This text was published in the "Handbook on Implementing the Curriculum for University Supervision of Students During Their School Practicums."

Uzunbacak, S., Bosse, D., & Wedde, S. (2021). ePortfolio in Practical Training Phases (unpublished manuscript). Kassel.

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