UCL scales up portfolio use creating a flexible learning environment

Cathy introduced portfolios to her political science students, integrating Mahara into her teaching in 2022. Portfolios encourage reflection, creativity, and continuous learning in ways traditional assessments hadn't previously allowed.

Initially, many of Cathy’s students were nervous about using portfolios as they were unfamiliar with them. They were also concerned about the perceived increase in workload and uncertainty about approaching the open-ended task of creating a portfolio. The challenge for Cathy was to ease these fears and support her students through the transition from traditional assessments to portfolio-based work.

Additionally, some colleagues were hesitant about how portfolios would fit into the typical academic assessment structure. There were also concerns about how portfolios could be anonymised and whether they could work across different subjects.

With her leadership position and practical classroom experience, Cathy was in the perfect position to bring portfolios into broader use in her faculty and support her colleagues:

Collaboration: Cathy worked alongside Associate Professor Dr Fergus Green to spread the word about this new assessment method in the Department of Political Science. Together, they created resources like Mahara guides and student examples, helping their colleagues get comfortable with the platform. They also shared on a panel featuring students, how portfolios can be used for civic activism and sparking interest across the department.

Flexibility: Cathy credits portfolio usage for enabling educators to be more flexible and creative in their assessments. By framing something as a portfolio, educators can include all sorts of tasks—essays, videos, podcasts—while meeting university assessment requirements.

Wider faculty engagement: The Geography Department at UCL is now taking this even further, making portfolios the core of their first-year undergraduate programme later in the year. They’ve redesigned the year with two big modules, each assessed through a year-long portfolio. This approach focuses on building skills and fostering continuous learning without overwhelming students with constant high-stakes assessments.

Diverse, personalised submissions: Students embraced the creative freedom afforded by the portfolio format. Submissions included artwork, photographs, poems, blogs, and policy memos, with no two portfolios looking the same. Therefore, the assignment submissions were reflective of each student’s unique learning journey.

Continuous learning and reflection: The portfolio approach encouraged continuous reflection, enabling students to revisit and refine their work based on feedback. 

Programme-wide change: The Geography Department’s new first-year structure is set to start soon, with all assessments happening through portfolios. This shift aims to help students develop skills, build confidence, and take ownership of their learning in a more connected, less stressful way.