Opportunities and challenges of e-portfolios in teacher education. Lessons learnt

Abstract Portfolios are often used in higher education for learning, promotion, assessment and appraisal. Thanks to technical developments in recent years, portfolios are increasingly digital rather than physical. E-portfolios provide a comprehensive way to document personal progress, to reflect on work activities, to support learning and to serve as a tool for feedback and evaluation. However, there has been very little research conducted on the use of e-portfolios for learning purposes in higher education. This paper focuses on the use of e-portfolios in teacher education. Six students in a master programme work with e-portfolios in the course of their practical vocational training. In a mixed-methods design, the students were interviewed about their experiences and the process of writing e-portfolios. In addition, a document analysis of the e-portfolio entries has been conducted in terms of content and structure. The findings of this study provide indications on how e-portfolios can be used effectively in teacher training and which promoting and inhibiting conditions students encounter.