With illustrative examples from practice and an exploration of possible advantages of using portfolio-based assessment.

1. Portfolio- based assessment and
student learning
Dr Christine O'Leary
Sheffield Business School

2. Session outline
• What is portfolio-based assessment (current SHU definition)?
• Why use portfolios in assessment?
• What shape might a portfolio-based assessment take: design
principles and some examples?
• Some feedback from a student's perspective (Languages
portfolios).
• Questions/ comments and your experience.

3. What is portfolio-based assessment?
• Definition of portfolio of assessment: A single piece of
work comprising a collection of related exercises, submitted at
the same time and assessed as a whole, with no individual
exercise being given a separate mark. The overall
collection of work comprising these exercises (the portfolio)
is given a mark or grade and this is the mark or grade
submitted for the assessment task mark. (SHU Academic
Board- Oct 2012)

4. Portfolio-assessment process
• Portfolio-based assessment- a single criterion grid with
summary information for summative feedback/ formative
feedback only on individual activities/ hand-ins relating to
individual activities together with feedback points to be
managed by the module team and communicated to
students via the module guide.

5. Why use portfolios in assessment?
• Increased focus on feeding forward: assessment for and as
learning, as well as of learning.
• to maximise the opportunities offered by digital technologies.
• to enhance feedback as well feed forward
• to foster student engagement (i.e. students given the
opportunity to initiate activities- see Skinner and Belmont,
1993 and to be meaningfully involved in shaping the learning
environment-see Fletcher, 2005)
• to develop their autonomy as individuals or groups of learners
(Kohonen, 1992; Benson, 2011).

6. Portfolio design- principles of good
feedback

7. Case study 1a- Learning outcomes
Task Brief 1 – Coursework
Purpose.
To succeed in this module, you will need to:
1 Demonstrate the ability to assimilate and carry out an authentic business project brief
within specified time scales.
2 Apply appropriate research and language strategies, using sources in both English and the
target language, to obtain and analyse data relevant to a given project and present the
findings in a professional-standard presentation and a business report.
3 Apply your awareness and understanding of cultural issues which impact on the successful
completion of your project and reflect on the impact of the ethical and emotional-
intelligence dimensions of decision-making in business and managing contexts.
4 Critically reflect on and evaluate your personal and professional strengths and
weaknesses, your team performance and your skills development, particularly with
regards to your future professional career.
Module Title: Languages and Culture in the Global Workplace
Assessment Title: Portfolio
Individual/Group: individual
Weighting: 100%
Submission Date: To take place during the lesson on SHU week 39

8. Case study 1b- assessment instructions
LANGUAGES AND CULTURE IN THE GLOBAL
WORKPLACE
 PORTFOLIO GUIDE 
As the assessment for the module, you will be required to produce a portfolio which
will include a combination of group and individual tasks to demonstrate your
individual contribution to the group project.
Portfolio contents
The portfolio should contain:
1. A planning record, including personal and team-based activities
2. A group-project plan, including the project brief and timescales as well as
amendments based on discussions with the company/ organisation/
institution.
3. A 3,000-word group report1
(a hard copy of the report will be offered to the
company/ organisation/ institution that has commissioned the project).
4. An audio recording of a group presentation highlighting the key findings/
outcomes of the project. This should include a minimum of 5 min
contribution per group member.
5. Minutes/ Notes of all team meetings, both with and without the client, with
team members' names against related actions.
6. Copies of research/ relevant tasks undertaken by you; e.g., market-
intelligence research, questionnaires and their analysis / audio recordings of
interviews etc. These should be uploaded to your online wiki portfolio
regularly. This aspect of your portfolio is relevant to the 'planning and
reflection' as well as the 'performance' criteria (see marking criteria). It is
therefore essential that you upload a task as soon as it has been completed.
7. A 500- to 600-word reflective piece in English relating to cultural
differences/ issues encountered as part of the project with references to
literature as appropriate.
8. A 500- to 600-word critical reflection and evaluation on personal and team
performance.
1
excluding appendices.

9. Case study 1c- marking criteria
PERFORMANCE- 40
21-30
(1st)
All tasks are completed to a very high standard. They are very challenging and
entirely appropriate for the stage of study. There is very clear evidence of individual
research/ contribution in both the target language and in English feeding into the
group report & presentation, in a timely fashion.
18-20
(2:1)
Most tasks are completed to a high standard. They are challenging and appropriate
for the stage of study. There is clear evidence of individual research/ contribution in
both the target language and in English feeding into the group report &
presentation, in a timely fashion.
15-19
(2:2)
Tasks are completed to a satisfactory standard, although the group report may be of
a higher standard due to contributions from the rest of the group. They are, in most
cases, at an appropriate level for the stage of study although there may be
inconsistencies. There is some evidence of individual research/ contribution in both
the target language and in English feeding into the group report & presentation, in a
timely fashion.
12-14
(3rd)
Tasks are, in most cases, completed adequately, although the group report may be
of a higher standard due to contributions from the rest of the group. The tasks are
not always at an appropriate level or challenging enough for the stage of study.
There is limited evidence of individual research/ contribution in both the target
language and in English feeding into the group report & presentation, in a timely
fashion.
0-11
(Fail)
Tasks are not completed to an adequate standard, although the group report may
be of a higher standard due to contributions from the rest of the group. The tasks
are not at an appropriate level for the stage of study, and/or not challenging
enough. There is little or no evidence of individual research/ contribution either in
the target language or in English feeding into the group report & presentation, in a
timely fashion.

10. INTERCULTURAL AWARENESS- 20
21-30
(1st)
Demonstrate an excellent/ very good understanding of cultural issues and how these
apply to the project.
18-20
(2:1)
Demonstrate a good understanding of cultural issues and how these apply to the
project.
15-17
(2:2)
Demonstrate a satisfactory understanding of cultural issues and how these apply to
the project.
12-14
(3rd)
Demonstrate a limited understanding of cultural issues and how these apply to the
project.
0-11
(Fail)
Demonstrate little or no understanding of cultural issues and how these apply to the
project.

11. PLANNING AND REFLECTION- 40
28-40
(1st)
Shows outstanding/ very good ability to define objectives, in collaboration with others, and plan work
accordingly. Ample evidence of the ability to reflect on
and evaluate progress made, both on a personal and team level.
25-27
(2:1)
Shows a good ability to define objectives, in collaboration with others, and plan work accordingly. There is
clear evidence of the ability to reflect on and evaluate progress made, both on a personal and team level.
20-24
(2:2)
Shows a satisfactory ability to define objectives, in collaboration with others, and plan work accordingly.
There is some evidence of the ability to reflect on and evaluate progress made, both on a personal and
team level.
16-19
(3rd)
Shows little ability to define objectives, in collaboration with others, and plan work accordingly. There is
little evidence of the ability to reflect on and evaluate progress made, both on a personal and team level.
0-15
(Fail)
Shows very little or no ability to define objectives, in collaboration with others, and plan work accordingly.
There is no real evidence of the ability to reflect on and evaluate progress made, both on a personal and
team level.

12. Case study 2- summary of assessment (2007-2010)
1. Portfolio including negotiating activities, group
translation and interpreting tasks & associated
self/peer evaluation, activities selected by the
learners based on needs and a learning log/ self-
evaluation (70, 50 or 20%) performance and
process)
2. Time constrained translation (15, 25 or 30%)
3. Interpreting tasks (15, 25 or 30%)

13. Marking criteria
Portfolio marking criteria equally weighted:
• Planning ability to assess learning needs, define objectives
and plan work accordingly
• Reflection ability to reflect on and assess progress made. The
extent to which feedback given to peers is detailed and
constructive
• Performance: The standard of the tasks (group and free
choice activities) included in the portfolio
• Progression: Evidence of development and progress (e.g.
acting on feedback through resubmission of work)

14. Feedback from a student perspective-
Quotes from e.portfolios (O'leary, 2010)
• qffect
Awareness of others’ emotions/ reactions
"During the third meeting we all sat down and productively did
the task in hand. To begin with we were all quite pensive and
scared of upsetting each other with comments about their
work, but after taking a long time over the first paragraph, we
settled into it and no one held back with their thoughts and
opinions”. S2

15. Dealing with own anxiety
“Relax (Negotiation, interpretation) - I am very aware that I
panic in many situations, which affects my language abilities,
in so much as my short term memory fails, I make stupid
grammatical errors and my nerves also show in my body
language. I need to try to forget that these pieces are
assessed and be natural and listen well.” S6

16. • Feedback to others on affective strategies
“Try not to panic though. If you don't understand, don't be
afraid to ask for repetition, explanations or clarifications. BUT
remember to ask for repetition in the right language!! You
asked the English speaker to repeat, but you asked her in
French!! Try not to laugh or say that you don't understand,
this does not help the situation. Take you time, listen
carefully and try to improve your note taking”. S14

17. • Affective impact of collaborative work on the individual
“…the more we progressed as a group, the more useful our
feedback became. It gave me confidence to speak up and
taught me that as long as I can justify what I say, it will not
be looked upon as wrong. I found it very nobling to have to
sit and take heed of what my peers were telling me” S26

18. • Metacognition (learning to learn)
• Cognitive/ Metacognitive strategies
Self-evaluation
“I did not understand the meaning of the paragraph. After the
interpreting I was told what the sentence meant and still didn't
understand, therefore to improve on this, I need to not only read more,
but relate what I am saying back to the context of the task.” S24
"My lack of note taking affected my fluency and there were quite a
few pauses throughout. I think to improve this further I should
concentrate on the main points being said instead of trying to write it
down word for word". S19

19. • Learning management
Time management
“I liked that internal deadlines were set for each task to be
completed as this divided the portfolio workload into smaller,
more manageable chunks and allowed me to manage my time
and plan each task more effectively” S15

20. Reflection
Overall I enjoyed the interpreting exercise as it was an
opportunity for me to see how much I have progressed in the
past 3-4 years. Translating quickly from one language to the
next with minimal time for thought is something I really enjoy, it
isn't only preparation for the future but it's a challenge that we
will face every time we speak to a French person; I think it is
only natural to make a quick translation in your head whilst
speaking in another language" S34

21. References
Benson, P (2011). Teaching and Researching Autonomy in Language Learning.
Harlow, England: Longman (2 edition).
Fletcher, A (2005). Guide to Students as Partners in School Change. Olympia,
WA: SoundOut. Retrieved 15/06/2013
Kohonen, V (1992). Experiential language learning: second language learning as
cooperative learner education. In Nunan, D (ed) Collaborative Language
Learning and Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 14-39
Nicol, D and Macfarlane-Dick (2006) Formative assessment and self-regulated
learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice, Studies in
Higher Education 31(2), 199-216
O'Leary, C (2010). Developing autonomous language learners within the HE
curriculum: a postmodern and social constructivist perspective. Unpublished
PhD Thesis, available from Sheffield: University of Sheffield Library
Skinner, E , & Belmont, M (1993). Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal effects
of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. Journal
of Educational Psychology, 85(4): 572-584

22. Questions/ comments and your experience?