Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Abstract
Portfolio assessment has been traditionally used in art, design, music, writing and dance programs. However in recent years the use of portfolio assessment in vocational education has expanded to include many different subject areas such as economics, business, nursing, human resources, mathematics and engineering. As an assessment tool the portfolio has much to offer in terms of involving students in the assessment process and in documenting their achievements. From the assessor's point of view, the use of portfolios for assessment raises issues of reliability, the time consuming nature of assessment, objectivity and authenticity of the work. In this paper twentyfour vocational educators and trainers from a range of teaching areas discuss portfolio assessments from the assessor's point of view. They outline the advantages and disadvantages of assessment by portfolio, how to determine sufficiency of evidence and authenticity of the work and make recommendations for the successful use of portfolios in vocational education including the skills that vocational educators and trainers need to assess portfolios.
Recommended Citation
Wagner, Z. M. (1998). Portfolio assessment in vocational education: the assessor's view. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.1998v23n2.4