Portfolio- based assessment and student learning

Dr Christine O'Leary

Sheffield Business School

Session outline

• What is portfolio-based assessment (current SHU definition)?

• Why use portfolios in assessment?

• What shape might a portfolio-based assessment take: design principles and some examples?

• Some feedback from a student's perspective (Languages portfolios).

• Questions/ comments and your experience.

What is portfolio-based assessment?• Definition of portfolio of assessment: A single piece of

work comprising a collection of related exercises, submitted at the same time and assessed as a whole, with no individual exercise being given a separate mark. The overall collection of work comprising these exercises (the portfolio) is given a mark or grade and this is the mark or grade submitted for the assessment task mark. (SHU Academic Board- Oct 2012)

Portfolio-assessment process• Portfolio-based assessment- a single criterion grid with

summary information for summative feedback/ formative feedback only on individual activities/ hand-ins relating to individual activities together with feedback points to be managed by the module team and communicated to students via the module guide.

Why use portfolios in assessment?• Increased focus on feeding forward: assessment for and as

learning, as well as of learning.

• to maximise the opportunities offered by digital technologies.

• to enhance feedback as well feed forward

• to foster student engagement (i.e. students given the opportunity to initiate activities- see Skinner and Belmont, 1993 and to be meaningfully involved in shaping the learning environment-see Fletcher, 2005)

• to develop their autonomy as individuals or groups of learners (Kohonen, 1992; Benson, 2011).

Portfolio design- principles of good feedback

Case study 1a- Learning outcomesTask Brief 1 – Coursework

Purpose.

To succeed in this module, you will need to: 1 Demonstrate the ability to assimilate and carry out an authentic business project brief

within specified time scales.

2 Apply appropriate research and language strategies, using sources in both English and the target language, to obtain and analyse data relevant to a given project and present the findings in a professional-standard presentation and a business report.

3 Apply your awareness and understanding of cultural issues which impact on the successful completion of your project and reflect on the impact of the ethical and emotional-intelligence dimensions of decision-making in business and managing contexts.

4 Critically reflect on and evaluate your personal and professional strengths and weaknesses, your team performance and your skills development, particularly with regards to your future professional career.

Module Title: Languages and Culture in the Global Workplace

Assessment Title: Portfolio

Individual/Group: individual

Weighting: 100%

Submission Date: To take place during the lesson on SHU week 39

Case study 1b- assessment instructionsLANGUAGES AND CULTURE IN THE GLOBAL

WORKPLACE

PORTFOLIO GUIDE As the assessment for the module, you will be required to produce a portfolio which will include a combination of group and individual tasks to demonstrate your individual contribution to the group project. Portfolio contents The portfolio should contain:

1. A planning record, including personal and team-based activities 2. A group-project plan, including the project brief and timescales as well as

amendments based on discussions with the company/ organisation/ institution.

3. A 3,000-word group report1 (a hard copy of the report will be offered to the company/ organisation/ institution that has commissioned the project).

4. An audio recording of a group presentation highlighting the key findings/ outcomes of the project. This should include a minimum of 5 min contribution per group member.

5. Minutes/ Notes of all team meetings, both with and without the client, with team members' names against related actions.

6. Copies of research/ relevant tasks undertaken by you; e.g., market- intelligence research, questionnaires and their analysis / audio recordings of interviews etc. These should be uploaded to your online wiki portfolio regularly. This aspect of your portfolio is relevant to the 'planning and reflection' as well as the 'performance' criteria (see marking criteria). It is therefore essential that you upload a task as soon as it has been completed .

7. A 500- to 600-word reflective piece in English relating to cultural differences/ issues encountered as part of the project with references to literature as appropriate.

8. A 500- to 600-word critical reflection and evaluation on personal and team performance.

1 excluding appendices.

Case study 1c- marking criteriaPERFORMANCE- 40

21-30(1st)

All tasks are completed to a very high standard. They are very challenging and entirely appropriate for the stage of study. There is very clear evidence of individual research/ contribution in both the target language and in English feeding into the group report & presentation, in a timely fashion.

18-20(2:1)

Most tasks are completed to a high standard. They are challenging and appropriate for the stage of study. There is clear evidence of individual research/ contribution in both the target language and in English feeding into the group report & presentation, in a timely fashion.

15-19(2:2)

Tasks are completed to a satisfactory standard, although the group report may be of a higher standard due to contributions from the rest of the group. They are, in most cases, at an appropriate level for the stage of study although there may be inconsistencies. There is some evidence of individual research/ contribution in both the target language and in English feeding into the group report & presentation, in a timely fashion.

12-14(3rd)

Tasks are, in most cases, completed adequately, although the group report may be of a higher standard due to contributions from the rest of the group. The tasks are not always at an appropriate level or challenging enough for the stage of study. There is limited evidence of individual research/ contribution in both the target language and in English feeding into the group report & presentation, in a timely fashion.

0-11(Fail)

Tasks are not completed to an adequate standard, although the group report may be of a higher standard due to contributions from the rest of the group. The tasks are not at an appropriate level for the stage of study, and/or not challenging enough. There is little or no evidence of individual research/ contribution either in the target language or in English feeding into the group report & presentation, in a timely fashion.

INTERCULTURAL AWARENESS- 20

21-30(1st)

Demonstrate an excellent/ very good understanding of cultural issues and how these apply to the project.

18-20 (2:1)

Demonstrate a good understanding of cultural issues and how these apply to the project.

15-17 (2:2)

Demonstrate a satisfactory understanding of cultural issues and how these apply to the project.

12-14 (3rd)

Demonstrate a limited understanding of cultural issues and how these apply to the project.

0-11 (Fail)

Demonstrate little or no understanding of cultural issues and how these apply to the project.

PLANNING AND REFLECTION- 40

28-40(1st)

Shows outstanding/ very good ability to define objectives, in collaboration with others, and plan work accordingly. Ample evidence of the ability to reflect on and evaluate progress made, both on a personal and team level.

25-27

(2:1)

Shows a good ability to define objectives, in collaboration with others, and plan work accordingly. There is clear evidence of the ability to reflect on and evaluate progress made, both on a personal and team level.

20-24 (2:2)

Shows a satisfactory ability to define objectives, in collaboration with others, and plan work accordingly. There is some evidence of the ability to reflect on and evaluate progress made, both on a personal and team level.

16-19 (3rd)

Shows little ability to define objectives, in collaboration with others, and plan work accordingly. There is little evidence of the ability to reflect on and evaluate progress made, both on a personal and team level.

0-15 (Fail)

Shows very little or no ability to define objectives, in collaboration with others, and plan work accordingly. There is no real evidence of the ability to reflect on and evaluate progress made, both on a personal and team level.

Case study 2- summary of assessment (2007-2010)

1. Portfolio including negotiating activities, group translation and interpreting tasks & associated self/peer evaluation, activities selected by the learners based on needs and a learning log/ self-evaluation (70, 50 or 20%) performance and process)

2. Time constrained translation (15, 25 or 30%)3. Interpreting tasks (15, 25 or 30%)

Marking criteriaPortfolio marking criteria equally weighted:

• Planning ability to assess learning needs, define objectives and plan work accordingly

• Reflection ability to reflect on and assess progress made. The extent to which feedback given to peers is detailed and constructive

• Performance: The standard of the tasks (group and free choice activities) included in the portfolio

• Progression: Evidence of development and progress (e.g. acting on feedback through resubmission of work)

Feedback from a student perspective-Quotes from e.portfolios (O'leary, 2010)

• qffect

Awareness of others’ emotions/ reactions

"During the third meeting we all sat down and productively did the task in hand. To begin with we were all quite pensive and scared of upsetting each other with comments about their work, but after taking a long time over the first paragraph, we settled into it and no one held back with their thoughts and opinions”. S2

Dealing with own anxiety“Relax (Negotiation, interpretation) - I am very aware that I

panic in many situations, which affects my language abilities, in so much as my short term memory fails, I make stupid grammatical errors and my nerves also show in my body language. I need to try to forget that these pieces are assessed and be natural and listen well.” S6

• Feedback to others on affective strategies“Try not to panic though. If you don't understand, don't be

afraid to ask for repetition, explanations or clarifications. BUT remember to ask for repetition in the right language!! You asked the English speaker to repeat, but you asked her in French!! Try not to laugh or say that you don't understand, this does not help the situation. Take you time, listen carefully and try to improve your note taking”. S14

• Affective impact of collaborative work on the individual “…the more we progressed as a group, the more useful our

feedback became. It gave me confidence to speak up and taught me that as long as I can justify what I say, it will not be looked upon as wrong. I found it very nobling to have to sit and take heed of what my peers were telling me” S26

• Metacognition (learning to learn)• Cognitive/ Metacognitive strategiesSelf-evaluation “I did not understand the meaning of the paragraph. After the

interpreting I was told what the sentence meant and still didn't understand, therefore to improve on this, I need to not only read more, but relate what I am saying back to the context of the task.” S24

"My lack of note taking affected my fluency and there were quite a few pauses throughout. I think to improve this further I should concentrate on the main points being said instead of trying to write it down word for word". S19

• Learning managementTime management

“I liked that internal deadlines were set for each task to be completed as this divided the portfolio workload into smaller, more manageable chunks and allowed me to manage my time and plan each task more effectively” S15

Reflection

Overall I enjoyed the interpreting exercise as it was an opportunity for me to see how much I have progressed in the past 3-4 years. Translating quickly from one language to the next with minimal time for thought is something I really enjoy, it isn't only preparation for the future but it's a challenge that we will face every time we speak to a French person; I think it is only natural to make a quick translation in your head whilst speaking in another language" S34

ReferencesBenson, P (2011). Teaching and Researching Autonomy in Language Learning.

Harlow, England: Longman (2 edition).

Fletcher, A (2005). Guide to Students as Partners in School Change. Olympia, WA: SoundOut. Retrieved 15/06/2013

Kohonen, V (1992). Experiential language learning: second language learning as cooperative learner education. In Nunan, D (ed) Collaborative Language Learning and Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 14-39

Nicol, D and Macfarlane-Dick (2006) Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice, Studies in Higher Education 31(2), 199-216

O'Leary, C (2010). Developing autonomous language learners within the HE curriculum: a postmodern and social constructivist perspective. Unpublished PhD Thesis, available from Sheffield: University of Sheffield Library

Skinner, E , & Belmont, M (1993). Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal effects of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(4): 572-584

 

Questions/ comments and your experience?