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Portfolio

Brief description

A portfolio is a collection of products in various formats made by the students during the course. The use of portfolio will create an opportunity to distribute the student’s workload more evenly throughout the semester. The work with assignments can motivate the students during the course, because they can be part of the final exam.

Teaching with portfolio

During the course students produce different products as part of their assignments. This is the basis for collecting content for the Portfolio at the exam.

The assignments

The assignments consists of a number of products, which the student has produced individually, or in groups during the course. The products can take form as different assignments eg. pictures, video clips, mind maps, written text, calculations, drawings, documentation of peer feedback ect. The assignments can be supplemented with the student's individual reflection notes in order for the student to remember important elements from the work with the different products. The assignments can be combined with various activities, for example peer feedback or self-assessment based on specific criterias. In addition you can choose to give feedback on students contributions.
It is important that no final assessment of the individual contributions is made during the semester - otherwise it can’t be handed in for a final assessment as part of the portfolio exam (read more about plagiarism).

The portfolio exam

The portfolio is a collection of the assignments from the course and is assessed by the teacher in the end of the course. The portfolio demonstrate that the students meet the academic goals. The number and types of products in the Portfolio is determined by the teacher. In addition there may be texts in which the student explain and reflect on how the work with the assignments has contributed to achieving the expected learning outcomes or why exactly these assignments has been chosen as part of the final portfolio. It is a valuable opportunity for students to "re-visit" the assignments and improve the assignments that are included in the portfolio. The portfolio should contain a description of what is handed in, especially if non-written products are included (Podcast, video, Powerpoint presentations, drawings ect.). Portfolio is handed-in in WISEflow

Reflection writing to support portfolio work

The reflections can be part of the assignments to support student’s learning process with each product. They can also be used in the Portfolio exam to explain the collection of assignments and the process of achieving the learning outcomes in the course. The aim of the reflections is to document the students processes and make their learning more visible. It is beneficial to explain what, why and how you would like students to reflect upon their products and processes, eg. ask the students specific questions (eg. what went well, how can the product be improved, what did I learn and how can I use this in the future?).

Teachers should ask themselves the following questions:

  • Which format should the assignments consist of, eg. texts, blog posts, videos, podcasts, posters, websites, ….? Make sure that the chosen formats can be handed in the digital exam platform.
  • How should the students receive feedback on their assignment during the course? (from peers or from teacher)
  • Should the students reflect on their own progress and their processes when working with the assignments? These reflections can also be part of the portfolio.
  • How many assignments should be part of the portfolio? Is it important that specific assignments is part of the portfolio?

 




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