I have done a brief search for concept maps and e-portfolios. I have found that there is a strong relationship between the two, and that there is motivation for developing a concept map package for dotfolio.

An example of a concept map can be found at IHMC.

A Norwegian Company called Cerpus have published papers on using concept maps in e-portfolios to assist in learning. In [1], the authors describe a system called BrainBank Learning (BBL), which is a “suite of intuitive tools for learning of concepts and their content”. The pedagogical method for learning is “meaningful learning within a constructivist learning environment”. The core of the system is the “ontology of a topic map for acquired knowledge in a lifelong perspective”. It is worth noting in this paper about BBL is that it has “some similarities with concept mapping as defined by Novak” However there are some clear differences. “It is not hierarchical and it does not (yet) support a map-like graphical display of the knowledge structures”. This is seen as a limitation of the system, but they further state that because it can “store big and complex knowledge structures” then it can be considered to be a “powerful e-portfolio tool”. dotFOLIO already has this funtionality with the Clipper tool. All that it is lacking is a graphical mapping interface.

[2] is another paper published by Cerpus on e-portfolios and concept maps.

In the bibliography section of “Managed Environments for Portfolio-based Reflective Learning“, there is a paper titled “Using concept maps to develop lifelong learning skills: A case study”, the link is broken, but it shows that concept maps have been considered for use within e-portfolios by the folks at http://www.eportfolios.ac.uk.

Concept maps are also used as a method for meaningful learning at the University of British Columbia. They aren’t integrated into their e-portfolio system, but are mentioned together here.

The idea of concept mapping is not a new one. “Joseph D. Novak, Professor Emeriti of Cornell University, is often cited as having developed the idea of using a concept map as a teaching strategy in the 1960s. Novak’s work was influenced by the learning theories of David Ausubel who emphasized the importance of a student’s prior learning and knowledge to his or her success in learning new concepts. Meaningful learning will only occur if the student can consciously and explicitly link new knowledge to concepts s/he already knows.” [3] Novak’s work on concept maps is described in [4].

As mentioned in the above resources, concept maps can be used as a tool for meaningful and reflective learning. I want to investigate its use as a tool for showcasing learning outcomes within an e-portfolio system. There is additional motivation for this, as the data used to generate the graphical representation of the concept maps can be described in XML or RDF, and could potentially be used as a method for exporting e-portfolios between e-portfolio systems. The concept maps provide an ontology and more importantly context for learning artifacts stored within the e-portfolio. So expect to see this within dotFOLIO very shortly.

[1] Lavik, S. & Nordeng, T. W. (2004) BrainBank Learning – Building Topic Maps-Based E-portfolios. IN The First International Conference on Concept Mapping Pamplona, Spain.

[2] Nordeng, T. W., Lavik, S. & Meløy, J. R. (2004) E-portfolios for Meaningful Learning and Automated Positioning. IN International Semantic Web Conference Hiroshima, Japan.

[3] Digital Knowledge Sharing through Concept Maps at TUFTS.

[4] Novak, J. The Theory Underlying Concept Maps
and How To Construct Them. Retrieved from http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/.