ABSTRACT
Portfolios have a wide range of uses, including self-assessment, reflection and record keeping. These uses can be crucial in the development of metacognitive strategies like planning, goal-setting, reviewing, self-monitoring and self-evaluation. Learner responsibility is also increased when learning portfolios portfolios are used as self-assessment tools because learners themselves have increased input into what is to be assessed and how. It is comprised of learner notes, activities and reflections and also various sheets provided by the SAC learning advisors. One limitation of portfolio-use at the Xalapa-USBI Self-access centre (SAC) is that the advisors have little time to spend becoming acquainted with the contents of each learner's portfolio before an advising session as the portfolio is a physical binder kept by the students themselves. The purpose of the various sheets included in the portfolio is to facilitate the organization phase of the students independent study and also provide guidelines for a semi-structured self-access language learning (SALL) programme.
