Portfolio assignments were introduced on two different courses, where students had to reflect on the teaching and upload various assignments to their portfolio over the course of eight weeks. Students produced 4-8 portfolio assignments before their exam. The course was run with support from pedagogical consultants from CED. At the end, a focus group interview with ten students was held to gather their feedback on using portfolios as part of teaching.
Portfolios as part of teaching was an EDU-IT project at the Department of Clinical Medicine used to gain experience with the portfolio concept, test Brightspace’s own portfolio tool and find a form of teaching that matched the needs of the elective courses.
The purpose was to provide students with an individual space for reflection in addition to the usual group-oriented approach in the courses, as well as actively involve students in their own learning through written exercises.
The Faculty of Health wanted to explore the functions in Brightspace by implementing portfolios for documentation, presentation and reflection as part of the teaching at the Department of Clinical Medicine.
The purpose was to provide students with an individual space for reflection in addition to the usual group-oriented approach in the courses, as well as actively involve students in their own learning through written exercises.
The portfolios also gave teachers insight into the individual students’ learning process throughout the course.
Meta-cognition: making each student aware of their own learning and progression in order to support their learning outcomes.
Actively involving students in their own learning through written exercises.
THE PROCESS | |||
Introduction | During the first class, teachers introduced students to the portfolio tool and the learning objectives. They also gave students a short written guide. The last 10-15 minutes of each class were set aside for portfolio work. | ||
Course:Perspectives on Health Data: the how, the why and the consequences | The course Perspectives on Health Data: the how, the why and the consequences focused on reflective writing. After each class, students had to reflect on what they had learned and upload their reflections to their portfolio. A fixed set of questions to help the students reflect were used in the first six classes:
The last two classes were spent on presentations, so the questions for reflection were adjusted slightly to take this into account. | ||
Course:Vaccinations and travel medicine | The course Vaccinations and travel medicine used different types of portfolio assignments for different purposes, such as reflections, problem solving or making students aware of their own learning. There were four types of assignments:
During each class, students completed the exercises and uploaded them to their portfolio. | ||
RESSOURCES FOR STUDENTS | SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS |
Guide to My Portfolio on Studypedia Structured questions for reflection | Introduction to the assignments and My Portfolio by the lecturers |
Students found portfolio assignments as part of the teaching to be a relevant learning activity that helped them retain the lessons and learning outcomes of the class.
It was beneficial for teachers to read the students’ reflections throughout the course, and use this information as an indication of their teaching and the students’ academic level. The students had wanted more active learning and a break from traditional lecturing, so teachers found it meaningful to accommodate their wishes.
Students could assess their own level through the quizzes, which they could use as an incentive to either improve or be satisfied with their current level.
Students found it helpful to discuss in groups prior to writing their reflections, as it aided their learning and hearing other perspectives gave them deeper insight and inspiration.
Students found that they could recall their knowledge better later on in the course, because they had written it out in the assignments. They also experienced being more attentive during class because they knew they needed to use the material in their portfolios. They found that the structure of the assignments supported their learning by facilitating a focus on key points and reflections.
Students liked that the assignments were small, compulsory and that they were given time to work on them in class. They found that the assignments worked well for active learning and complemented the lectures well.
If the purpose of the portfolio assignments isn’t clear, students may not be motivated to put any effort into it.
The Brightspace tool “My Portfolio” was challenging for the students to use as it’s not very user-friendly.
Some students wanted feedback on their assignments, as they had a hard time finding them relevant otherwise. Other students didn’t want feedback, as they felt like it would increase the pressure to perform well on the assignments and take away from the learning experience.
Remember to highlight the didactic purpose of the portfolio assignments for the students, e.g., varying the form of teaching, knowledge retention, gaining greater insight through group discussions, aiding memory, etc.
Dedicate time in class to work on the portfolios after the lecture and group work but before wrapping up. This ensures that all students stay and work on the assignments, rather than leaving early.
If you decide not to give feedback, consider giving students a “like” or comment “seen” on their assignment to acknowledge their work.
Try using other more user-friendly tools such as Assignments and Discussions on Brightspace for group assignments and peer feedback.
| Educator | Mette Terp Høybye |
| Faculty and department | Health, Department of Clinical Medicine |
| Degree programme | MSc in Medicine |
| Level of study | MA |
| Course | Perspectives on Health Data: the how, the why and the consequences Vaccinations and travel medicine |
| Number of students | 65 |
| Extent | Course |
| Teaching format | Lecture Classroom instruction |
