ABSTRACT
Portfolio assessment A portfolio is a collection of work that shows the student’s learning over a period of time. It is the learner’s responsibility to create, maintain and, when necessary, present the portfolio for assessment (Snadden, Thomas and Challis, 1999). The Dearing Report (1997) into higher education has recommended the use of portfolios in both undergraduate and postgraduate education. In medicine, the portfolio is a key feature of revalidation (GMC, 2000) as it provides evidence of lifelong learning, professional development and self-learning. The benefits of portfolio assessment include the emphasis on continuous assessment. The portfolio can offer a realistic representation of individuals’ work over a period of time. In addition, a portfolio can offer a useful structure for learning and will facilitate development of skills of accountability for one’s own learning. Portfolios may also offer an opportunity for students to demonstrate learning outcomes that may be difficult to assess in traditional types of assessment such as those related to attitudes and personal development. Portfolios at an undergraduate level will also give some experience to the learner in preparation for portfolio requirements in the postgraduate setting. The requirement to collect evidence of learning will begin to establish the skills of accountability for learning.
