Portfolio of Work

This might be a collection of work which showcases your skills and knowledge (e.g. a professional portfolio), a demonstration of your career so far (a career portfolio), a document which clearly shows (evidences) how you have learnt and what you have achieved for the requirements of a course of study (a learning or course portfolio), or similar.

For a learning or course portfolio the requirements will be called the learning outcomes and assessment (or learning) criteria for the course.

A comprehensive, yet simple, referencing system will help to signpost where the work you have done (i.e. your evidence) is located and also which assessment criteria are covered by which piece, or pieces, of your evidence.

A typical portfolio might consist of the following:

1. A front cover: This will give the course title, your name and any relevant identification numbers. The different units, or components, of the course might also be included, although this will depend upon the number of units, or components, within the course.

2. A ‘declaration of authenticity’ which confirms that the portfolio work is your own and has not been copied from someone else. This part might also include some further information about yourself, including a photograph.

3. A contents page. This might group the evidence into the different modules or units of a course.

4. A summary of the evidence in the portfolio, indicating the type of work, when it was completed, assessed and its current status. This is gradually completed so that when the portfolio is presented for final assessment and certification the evidence is complete.

5. Content sections. If this is by module or unit then at the beginning of each section will be a detailed reference sheet for each learning outcome, with the separate assessment / learning criteria detailed as well. A tick box might also be included at the side of each assessment / learning criteria to help monitor progress as the portfolio is completed.

The completed work (i.e. the entirety of your evidence) which relates to the relevant outcomes and criteria for that section would be included here, so each section could be quite a large document. Whatever is produced as evidence will need to clearly demonstrate achievement of the stated outcomes and criteria.

Where the work is assessed then feedback would typically be included for the section, or part of section, that it relates.

There may also be a link to another file (especially if an audio, video, presentation, or web page/site) or other section or page number to within the portfolio, especially where some work is being used for more than one outcome or criteria.

Evidence within a portfolio might be answers to specific questions, a witness statement, reflection of your learning journey, extended written essay, identification (e.g. of plants) record sheets, photographs and graphics to provide visuals of understanding, project plan, feedback sheets of personal performance or interaction with others, performance appraisals, training needs analysis, other relevant course certificates of attendance and/or achievement, extracts from documents or articles you have written, and more; although it will depend on the requirements of the course.