Imagine students taking control of their learning journeys beyond exam outcomes and developing skills that prepare them for the future. Portfolio software makes it possible to bridge classroom learning with real-world applications. By using portfolios, students can reflect, grow, and own their learning direction while educators gain rich insights into how to continue supporting them effectively. Let’s explore how portfolios enhance learning outcomes and prepare students to become lifelong learners.
Increase student engagement
Portfolios open the door to creativity. When students have creative freedom and control to shape their learning, they become more engaged and excited about what they are learning. Providing opportunities to express themselves makes the portfolio a great tool to maintain and strengthen student engagement. Using a portfolio platform like Mahara empowers students to assemble their learning, explore concepts they want to further investigate, build understanding, and engage deeply with ideas. When learners tap into what motivates them, they can sustain a flow state and grow in confidence in what they've learnt.
Offer flexible authentic assessments
Empower your learners to think outside of the box and push beyond the boundaries of traditional learning. Using portfolios enables learners to showcase their work in diverse ways such as podcasts, videos, and journals. If you're considering alternatives to traditional exams, portfolios could be a great fit as you can scale up and down templated assessments while still providing students with flexibility. Mahara portfolios are built on a strong foundation of pedagogy, learn more about the flexible assignment types(external link) you could implement with your learners.
Encourage reflection and critical thinking
Portfolios encourage students to reflect on their learning journeys. As they build reflective practices, they develop lifelong skills like articulating their experiences and critical thinking.(external link) These skills help students extend their learning beyond the classroom - setting them up for the future.
Students can also include their achievements, insights on their soft skills, and learning progress in their portfolio. The Australian National University (ANU) built up portfolio practice with computer science students by connecting the context of career building alongside strengthening soft skills. Learn more about how Tom Worthington, a lecturer at ANU, integrated portfolio practices into their learning journey.(external link)
Build a learning community
With portfolios, educators can encourage peer-to-peer learning among students. Students can share their reflections and work, which helps break the ice by getting to know each other. By sharing their ideas and thought processes, learners can sharpen the direction of a project, consider additional aspects, and identify what's resonating with others. Additionally, learners can cement their understanding by explaining how they understood a concept or approached a problem. Working together can strengthen the student's sense of belonging(external link) and deepen connections between students, as they can learn from and support each other throughout the year.
Gain deeper insights as an educator
Pairing portfolio software with a learning management system gives educators a fuller picture of student progress. Encouraging regular reflection and sharing of work provides more opportunities for students to gain feedback(external link) or support. Regular communication enables educators to provide meaningful feedback, as they have a more in-depth understanding of each student and their journey. Plus, students grow their skills to recognise how they learn and when they need help. For example, at University College London, regular feedback through portfolios helped students improve time management and overcome procrastination.(external link)
Portfolios don't just help learners make connections but support educators to connect the dots on what their students need. Educators can identify strengths and learning gaps early. These valuable insights transform opportunities to develop personalised learning pathways or suggest targeted resources when needed.
Support and inspire your learners for the future
Portfolios aren't just another tool - they're instrumental in driving student success. Portfolio software like Mahara empowers students to weave together their experiences to create a tapestry of understanding. The skills gained through portfolio practice, such as reflection, communication, and critical thinking, are transferable across academic and professional contexts, setting students up for future success.
Across the globe, educators are establishing portfolios as a core part of their learning strategies. With experience in supporting organisations in their implementation of portfolios in many different contexts and thus enhancing learner success, Catalyst’s Mahara experts are here to help. Contact us to learn how portfolios can inspire learners to own their learning.
