Working with Portfolios
In a portfolio a student collects all sorts of proof of his competences and progress. The portfolio not only contains the results of tests and exams, but also products that were made, and data on how certain products were developed. Furthermore, it contains information about decisions, choices, analyses, diagnoses, presentations, experiments etc. within his learning process. In short, it contains evidence of both products and process.
Innovations in education have made portfolios an increasingly popular instrument to document a student's progress and results. Cito helps in making them effective instruments, by means of training, services and products. A very well-known product is the Digital Portfolio. This system gives students and teachers access to a national server, guaranteeing permanent access, continuity and low costs. The Digital Portfolio takes competences as its starting-point and makes the student responsible for his own learning process.
Benefits of portfolios
- Motivate students to take responsibility for their own learning process.
- Serve both formative and summarize evaluation when assessing if the student has acquired the competences relevant in the field of study.
- Make clear to 'the outside world' what the owner of the portfolio is capable of.
Cito's expertise
Cito offers the expertise needed to achieve well-designed portfolios. We can answer such questions as:
- What function should the portfolio have?
- What purpose should the portfolio serve?
- Do the educational conditions fit in with a portfolio system?
- How can the portfolio system be embedded into the educational system?
- What competences or projects should be served by the portfolio?
- What are the criteria for accepting evidence into a portfolio and for assessing it?
- Who should be the owner of the portfolio? Who decides what will be part of it?
- What shape should the portfolio take? How should it be structured? Could it be digital?
- Should the staff be trained in dealing with portfolios? Does their assessment lead to reliable, transparent and valid evaluation?