Maximising Student Learning Opportunities Through Portfolio Coursework Assessments

Presenters: Markus Davis, Eoin Jordan (Language Centre)

Key words: Portfolio; Assessment; Learning opportunities

In addition to having a summative function, the important formative role that assessments can play in enhancing student learning in higher education is now widely recognised (Brown, 2004; Yorke, 2003). With this in mind, the presenters will describe how a portfolio coursework assessment on an undergraduate English for Academic Purposes module at XJTLU was set up to maximize formative learning opportunities for students. The portfolio consisted of three short writing tasks that were submitted together for summative assessment near the end of the module. However, prior to final submission, students worked through drafts of each piece of writing and received tutor feedback on each task sequentially. This feedback took two forms; task-specific feedback, intended primarily to assist students with the task they were currently working on, and global feedback, which was more general in nature and intended to be applied to all three of the tasks in the portfolio, as well as other work students did on the module. Task-specific feedback was presented via audio-visual media, while global feedback took the form of written comments, which focused on linguistic skills in this case.

The presenters will reflect on how the configuration of tasks and feedback methods for the portfolio assessment provided students with multiple learning opportunities, all of which allowed student learning to impact on their final summative mark for the module. They will consider how the assessment worked in practice and potential enhancements for the future, as well as making suggestions regarding how to encourage students to make the most of the learning opportunities that are presented to them. Finally, possible applications of this type of assessment in other fields of study will be discussed.