Peter Baumgartner

Evaluation of E-Portfolio Software

E-Portfolios are a new type of software and it is still relatively vague to determine, which functions are obligatory â?? that is which functions constitute characteristic features â?? and which functions are just optional (â??nice to haveâ??). This article describes the concept and the preliminary results of a research project which was conducted to evaluate E-Portfolio software, and aims at providing decision guidance for implementing E-Portfolios in higher education - first and foremost from the pedagogical perspective. Which recommendations can be made to an institution which now wants to implement electronic portfolios with a certain objective?

Showcase of learning: towards a pattern language for working with electronic portfolios in higher education

Like a shop window facing the street and displaying delicate or valuable articles, an electronic portfolio showcase required skills of students and demonstrates that they understand how to apply their prowess. However, the work with electronic portfolios is complex and demanding. Compared to experts, novice users -- teachers as well as students -- face a number of challenges when they try to draw on the experience of others, especially when they want to implement e-portfolios in their university or college courses and when they try to create their first own e-portfolio views respectively. Even for experts on e-portfolios it is sometimes hard to explain how to best use e-portfolios for learning purposes. There are a few guidelines which help with the basics, but what is missing is a common language for describing e-portfolio practice. This paper, making use of Christopher Alexanders work on patterns and pattern languages, and drawing on pedagogical design patterns which already exist, presents the authors first steps towards a pattern language for working with e-portfolios in higher education combining different theoretical and practical approaches and, particularly, own experiences of e-portfolio use.

The potential of Christopher Alexander's theory and practice of wholeness: clues for developing an educational taxonomy

This is a paper about how to transfer design patterns from architecture and software engineering to education. It is about the nature of pedagogical patterns -- what specific structures they have -- and about the potential of Christopher Alexanders theory and practice of wholeness as a theoretical starting point for classifying them to develop an educational taxonomy. It is about understanding computer scientists and pedagogues who try to define patterns and pattern languages suitable for educational needs. Analyzing an exemplary educational scenario this contribution will compare the ability of three different ways of description. Demonstrating the applicability of Alexanders fifteen properties of living centers in education the authors intend to open discussion and reflection about the important role of an educational taxonomy for classifying existing pedagogical patterns.

Information Technologies and the Training of Teachers.

Abstracts English: Teaching and learning in the information society is undergoing radical change. The new challenges make it necessary to rethink the ways of educating teachers so that they can cope with them. We show that teaching has to be considered as skilled practice, consisting of numerous component skills which have to be trained, so that future ‘knowledge workers’ can successfully deal with unstable, uncertain and complex situations. As a practical application of this argument, we outline a project for an integrated Internet service.

Implementierungsstrategien für E-Portfolios an (österreichischen) Hochschulen

Die E-Portfolio-Initiative Austria wurde im Marz 2006 aus dem Verein Forum Neue Medien in der Lehre Austria heraus gegrundet und vereint in der Steuerungsgruppe wichtige Stakeholder aus allen Bildungssektoren, um im Sinne der Kampagne »ePortfolio for all« nationale E-Portfolio-Strategien zu entwickeln und Aktivitaten zu koordinieren (vgl. Bratengeyer 2007). So wurden u.a. zwei Forschungsprojekte im Hochschulbereich initiiert, die vom osterreichischen Bundesministerium fur Wissenschaft und Forschung (bm:wf) gefordert wurden. Hauptziel der beiden Projekte Model cases for implementation strategies for integrated e-portfolios within the tertiary education sector und E-Portfolios in Higher Education mit Laufzeit von Januar 2007 bis Dezember 2008 war es, Empfehlungen fur E-Portfolio-Implementierungen an Osterreichs Hochschulen bereitzustellen. Da Portfolioarbeit an Hochschulen in Osterreich keine Tradition hat, wurde bei den Forschungsaktivitaten darauf geachtet, nationale bildungspolitische und organisatorische Rahmenbedingungen besonders zu berucksichtigen, eine enge Verbindung zwischen Theorie und Praxis herzustellen sowie auf bereits bestehenden Initiativen aufzubauen und Bottom-Up- Prozesse zuzulassen.

Improving Reusability of OER

The effect of Open Educational Resources (OER) on Higher Education is still disappointing. (Re)use of materials, which can be accessed and employed freely, has not developed in such a way that it has changed the attitudes and behavior of teachers. After analyzing several aspects of the problem the article will focus on educational reasons to improve this situation. It is argued that to strive for context free learning objects is heading in the wrong direction. The author proposes to link OER not only with an educational taxonomy of learning outcomes but also with typical patterns of educational scenarios.

The MedidaPrix Award: An Agent for Changing Higher Education e-Learning Practice

With the possibilities of virtual or blended learning environments, remarkable opportunities for new forms of learning have emerged. Responding effectively to this transformation process, we need to capture, honor, and disseminate high quality e-Learning materials and initiate a new sharing mentality.

Lerntheoretische Grundlagen für die Kategorisierung von Bildungssoftware

Mit diesem Beitrag mochten wir ein heuristisches Modell zur Bewertung von Bildungssoftware vorschlagen. Es handelt sich dabei um Zwischenergebnisse aus einem zweijahrigen Forschungsprojekt „Didaktik von Bildungssoftware“ (Okt. 1991 bis Sept. 1993), das die Autorinnen im Auftrag des osterr. Bundesministeriums fur Wissenschaft und Forschung, Abteilung Hochschuldidaktik, durchfuhren.