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2. Problem
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E-portfolios aim at the creation of a learning environment which is
perfectly adapted to the challenges of a modern, knowledge-based work
environment and the acquirement of essential skills and individual
competences. The main focus is no longer on the acquirement and the
correct reproduction of knowledge but on the learning process itself.
In other words, the development of new knowledge by identifiying, using
and combining existing knowledge.
An essential part is the element of social learning or,
thus, the possibility to involve others in the learning process.
Subsequently, e-portfolios are not only used to present final results
but to include suggestions of other persons at a very early stage in
the thinking process which ultimately initiate a process of critical
reflection.
Take a written paper for example: Initial ideas are created online.
Then other course participants (students, lecturers) are invited to
directly comment on the ideas (and vice versa), in an organised
peer-review-process. The outcome of this process is a final version
which has been improved, changed and redeveloped from initial, online
published ideas.
An essential part is the integration of external information sources.
For instance, parts of thematically comparable papers or even
individual discussion contributions taken from e-portfolios of other
course participants.
The outcome of this kind of webbased co-operation is a network of
linked pieces of information, so-called hypertext, which has been
created by several authors.
The possibility of putting information into context and to
embed single pieces of information (micro content), makes the
e-portfolio a dynamic learning room. Such dynamic learning rooms are
better suited for meeting the requirements of learning in modern
knowledge society than the static reproduction of knowledge could ever
be able to.
However, a fundamental obstacle still needs to be overcome. This
obstacle is the uncertainty of how long linked text objects, which have
probably been created in co-operation with others, are available. At
present, there is no accepted principle for authors to rely on when it
comes to including online text objects in the personal e-portfolio.
In order to solve this problem, two aspects need to be taken into
consideration: First, it is decisive that the institution which
provides the e-portfolio develops a transparent strategy determining
how content shall be handled in the future and, most importantly, how
long it shall be available. Developing such a strategy is necessary in
any case, regardless of the possibility to transfer content between
systems and institutions. On one hand because owners of e-portfolios
naturally have a strong need to use their personal learning space in
the long term and on the other hand because regarding the generated
hypertext structure all of its co-authors are affected, too. Since the
topic of developing long term content strategies is already widely
discussed, this article focuses rather on a different aspect which has
not been discussed as extensively.
Even if institutions like universities can provide a solid framework,
owners of e-portfolios still need to comply with certain rules when it
comes to working with, most importantly, deleting previously published
content.
Since, at present, authors don't have the possibility to signalize
others how the available content can be used, an essential precondition
for the formation and development of dynamic, long-term (even
lifelong?) hypertext structures is missing. This problem is the origin
for the following considerations:
The simplest way to solve the problem of reliable availability would be
to leave online published information untouched and accessible under
the same internet address forever. However, this is clearly hardly
realisable due to economic reason. Who should provide the necessary
financial means?
You can find a printable version here:
 GOE for online information as a precondition for hyperlinked e-portfolios (PDF, 361 kB)
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