The digital portfolio as an assessment strategy for learning in higher education

ABSTRACT

This study was developed in the context of a course in higher education and in a blended learning environment—online, distance, and face-to-face (b-learning). The aim was to identify and characterize the meanings and effects that students and teachers attribute to the use of digital portfolios as an assessment and learning strategy. The experience allowed the portfolio to be recognized as a mediating device in the development of assessment procedures that generate learning—an epicenter of efficient feedback and a means of enhancing the (re)construction of knowledge. The portfolio also helped develop students’ reflective capacity on their work and their learning, autonomy, and collaboration action, and improved their learning.

KEYWORDS:

• digital portfolio
• assessment for learning
• higher education
• blended learning (b-learning)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under Grants UIDB/00167/2020; UIDP/00167/2020; PTDC/CED-EDG/29069/2017.

Notes on contributors

Paulo Marinho

Paulo Marinho has a doctorate in education and a PhD in education sciences. He is a researcher in the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, and a member of the Curriculum, Evaluation, Teacher Education and Educational Technologies community of practice and the Virtual Communities Research Group at Federal University of Alagoas.

Preciosa Fernandes

Preciosa Fernandes has a PhD in education science. She is an associate professor in the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal, and co-chair of the Curriculum, Evaluation, Teacher Education and Educational Technologies research community of practice.

Fernando Pimentel

Fernando Pimentel has a PhD in education from the Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil, where is an adjunct professor and leader of the Virtual Communities Research Group. He is a specialist in technologies in education and teaching in higher education.