What is portfolio assessment really

1
What is portfolio assessment really?

• Anton Havnes
• Oslo University College

2
Paradigm shift?

• New modes of assessment Paradigm shift from
  Assessment of learning to Assessment for
  learning?
• Forms of assessment vs. teaching and learning
  practices
• Assessment drives teaching and learning?
• The situatedness of assessment in a teaching and
  learning culture

3
Portfolio assessment

• Achievement over an extended period of time.
• Self-reflection
• Student as active participants in developing
  portfolio and selection for assessment.
• Personalised.
• Collaborative learning.
• Developmental.
• Integrating assessment in learning.

4
Landcape of assessment

• Examinations - end of term
• Continuous assessment
• Portfolio assessment

5
Context Norwegian higher education

• A teaching-assessment culture
• New paradigms of teaching and learning new modes
  of assessment
• The Quality Reform
• Less end-of-course exams
• More feedback
• Closer follow-up of students
• Portfolio assessment
• Internal examiners

6
Local context

• Learning-oriented assessment portfolio
  assessment
• Developmental project in study programmes.
• Collaboration with leadership and central
  administration.
• Quality Reform Local initiatives.
• Scaling up.
• End of institutionally organised development.

7
Methodology

• Reading Study Guides.
• Survey where portfolio assessment had been
  implemented.
• Institutinal statistics of examinations.

8
(No Transcript)
9
The general view

• Positive experiences
• Students study efforts have improved
• Results improved
• Essentials
• Teaching resources
• Improving quality of feedback
• Plagiarism is a problem

10
Commonalities

• Students achievements have improved
• More emphasis on learning
• Integration of assessment (including feedback) in
  teaching and learning
• Teachers are more actively guiding students
  learning activities
• Teaching, learning and assessment aligned - but
  how aligned varies

11
Diversities

• Three patterns

12
Pattern 1

• Developing the portfolio is a core element in
  students learning process and runs through the
  whole semester.
• The dominant function of the portfolio is to
  serve the purpose of summative assessment.
• Feedback is organised, but not always
  systematically. It is not clear to what extent
  feedback is formative or summative.
• Each element is subject to summative assessment
  and grading.

13
Pattern 2

• Developing the portfolio is a core element in
  students learning process and runs through the
  whole semester.
• Collaborative learning is organised.
• Teacher and peer assessment is included in the
  formal programme.
• Feedback predominantly serves formative purposes.
• Criteria are used for learning and assessment
  purposes.
• Self-reflection on learning and self-evaluation
  of students achievement is included.
• The portfolio is included in the summative
  assessment and grading.

14
Pattern 3

• The portfolio is a tool for organising student
  learning that is recommended, but not a
  prerequisite.
• Collaborative learning is organised and formative
  assessment can be included, but not a formal
  requirement.
• The portfolio might be used as support at open
  book written or portfolio-supported oral
  examination.

15
The power of defining

• Assessment literature
• Pedagogy
• Disciplinary culture
• Universal definition vs. local definition

16
Formative assessment-summative assessment culture

• Problem of implementation
• Assessment practice as Black Box
• Dissonances of portfolio assessment
• Within a programme
• Between programmes
• Paradigm shift?

17
Positive thinking

• More emphasis on learning
• More feedback
• Formative assessment during students learning?
• Problem of temporal punctuation of
  formative-summative distinction.
• Integration of assessment in learning - but how?

18
Further research

• More studies of portfolio assessment practices
  Getting inside the Black Box of portfolio
  assessment practices.