CMS Portfolios for Learning and Evaluation

Abstract

In the chapter we discuss how higher education can support learning and evaluation by use of portfolios as an integrated functionality in course management systems (CMS). A theoretical rationale for a portfolio approach in support of deeper learning is provided by a brief outline of relevant aspects of constructivist theory of learning and its process-oriented focus on formative evaluation in a group context, as opposed to the traditional emphasis on summative evaluation in terms of final exams. The use of portfolios as a method to realize such a focus is explained, along with visualisations of an instantiation of the associated CMS functionality.