Keuzetool Toetsen

A portfolio is collection of documents/files that prove that a student has acquired certain skills or competences. A portfolio may therefore be made up of different assessment methods. It usually contains self-reflection assignments and is built up over a longer time, giving insight into the student’s development and self-management skills. This makes portfolios particularly suitable for formative use, although they are also often used for summative assessment.

Portfolios are often combined with an individual or group assessment interview or a criteria-based interview. This gives the examiner (and other students) the opportunity to ask follow-up questions about anything that is still unclear, to give feedback and/or to encourage self-reflection. Portfolios can also be used in combination with a presentation in which the student presents the main items of interest in the portfolio.

As an online assessment tool, the portfolio can be used in the same way as in a ‘regular’ setting. There are three types of portfolio:

Assessment portfolio In an assessment portfolio, the student collects examples of their work …

As an online assessment tool, the portfolio can be used in the same way as in a ‘regular’ setting. There are three types of portfolio:

Assessment portfolio In an assessment portfolio, the student collects examples of their work that show that they have acquired a certain skill/competence or set of skills/competences. Feedback from other students, lecturers, supervisors and external supervisors are also often included, providing the examiner with even more information. This type of portfolio is mainly used for formal assessment.
Development portfolio A development portfolio contains products at various stages of their development, often with the student’s reflections on their development.
Showcase portfolio In a showcase portfolio (also called a presentation portfolio), the student collects products to demonstrate the quality of their work. The student may also use this during a job interview, for example.

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The online approach to the student portfolio does not differ very much from the ‘regular’ approach.

Beforehand

The various competences must of course be described clearly and be published online. In some cases, the competences may …

The online approach to the student portfolio does not differ very much from the ‘regular’ approach.

Beforehand

The various competences must of course be described clearly and be published online. In some cases, the competences may already be described in the portfolio software.

During

Various online meetings may be set up as part of the portfolio, such as an online kick-off meeting, a meeting to explain how to use the software, or coaching meetings.

Afterwards

The assessment interview that concludes the portfolio may also take place online. In some cases, this may be combined with an online presentation in which the student provides extra information about the work submitted in the portfolio.

Points to note

*Ensure compatibility between the portfolio, the assessment methods and the teaching activities, as this will help the students to take charge of their portfolio. *For students with a learning difficulty such as ADD or ADHD, it is even more important to make sure that expectations and submission deadlines are communicated clearly. We suggest that these students are set interim assignments, so that they have a clear idea of their progress.

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*Facilitate and encourage self-management in students as they build their portfolio. For example, let students set and reflect on their own learning objectives and ask them to indicate which aspects they would most like to receive feedback on. Of course, as the examiner you may also choose to provide feedback on other aspects. *Offer peer feedback. For example, let students ask each other questions about their portfolios. This not only teaches students how to provide constructive criticism and feedback, but also helps them to think about the kinds of questions that people will have about their own portfolio. See this brochure by Inholland (in Dutch) for more information on organising peer feedback. *Discuss a portfolio formatively as a group assessment. For example, have one or two (possibly more senior) students act as co-examiners and ask the student whose portfolio it is whether the feedback was useful.
*Ask the students to also submit a self-assessment based on the assessment form as part of their portfolio, to encourage them to reflect on their own work. If you also ask them to indicate where the information relating to each assessment criterion can be found in the portfolio, you can also save yourself some marking time.