Assessment Methods with Case Studies

An e-portfolio is a digital collection of student work that demonstrates their progress and learning within a course or programme. It may include various formats: written assignments, recordings, presentations, mind maps, and similar materials.

Why use an e-portfolio?
It enables students to reflect on their learning, connect content from different courses, and demonstrate progress. It is also useful for assessing competencies and for professional purposes or accreditation.

Strategies:

• Introduce the assignment at the start of the course and provide an assessment rubric.
  
• Apply the Collect – Select – Reflect – Connect approach:
  • Collect: students gather artefacts.
  • Select: they choose the most representative pieces of work.
  • Reflect: they write a reflection on what they learned and why it matters.
  • Connect: they identify links between their work and course themes.
• Clearly communicate which types of work are suitable for the portfolio (e.g., forum posts, blogs, videos, infographics).
  
• Set boundaries: minimum and maximum number of items, word count for the reflection, introduction, and summary.

Example of use in higher education:

In the course Stage Interpretation, students maintain an e-portfolio throughout the semester to document their process of developing a character and stage expression. The portfolio is created in digital form (e.g., Moodle, Mahara, OneDrive) and includes: video excerpts from rehearsals and performances (at different stages of preparation); reflective entries on role development (approaches to text, emotions, and movement); a character analysis with theoretical references; photographic materials and notes on collaboration with the director and classmates; and a final reflection on personal development of acting skills and the use of received feedback.

At the end of the semester, students select three video excerpts and two reflective entries that best demonstrate their artistic and professional progress.
Assessment includes authenticity of expression, depth of self-reflection, creativity in presenting materials, and alignment with the course learning outcomes (e.g., character interpretation, expressiveness, stage presence).