The Electronic Portfolio as Assessment Tool and More

The Drake University Model

Abstract

The utilization of portfolios has become more common in academia in the
last two decades. However, their usage in the language classroom is still
relatively rare. Electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) offer students and
instructors numerous advantages over traditional means of assessment,
including a means by which progress can be tracked longitudinally. These
collections of artifacts can be used to demonstrate proficiency to
prospective employers and graduate schools. The author provides one
model that incorporates and utilizes current technologies as a basis for
student-compiled electronic portfolios. In this model, students provide
evidence of having met the linguistic and cultural objectives for each
language course they take. Much of this evidence comes from in-depth,
self-reflective writing, in addition to a number of artifacts selected by the
students with direction from instructors. Detailed assessment rubrics are
provided for evaluating both the electronic portfolio and the assignments
that usually serve as the bases for the ePortfolio’s artifacts. This
comprehensive model represents one alternative to assessment through
“seat-time” or number of credit hours earned in a given language.