The Student Portfolio in Social Work Education

Abstract

The authors focus on the use of portfolios as a pedagogical strategy to encourage students to reflect on and assess their learning experience. The rationale for the use of student portfolios in social work education includes their capacity to foster self-reflection, integrate the learning experience, prepare students for job searches and employment, and help faculty evaluate and improve the curriculum. The authors describe a model for the structure and content of the portfolio, as well as the criteria and process they use for evaluation. They present implications for the use of student portfolios in social work education, including consideration of use for curricular evaluation, positioning within the curriculum and issues in student utilization of the portfolio.

Key Words:

• Portfolios
• student evaluation
• curriculum change
• reflective learning
• social work education
• assessment of learning