Portfolios as a Learning and Assessment Tool in An Undergraduate Mineralogy/Petrology Course

Portfolios showcase a student's mastery of concepts while encouraging the student to reflect on the learning process. Self-reflection and responsibility of knowledge make portfolios a valuable alternative to traditional methods of learning and assessment in upper-level geoscience courses. Effective use of portfolios in science courses has been demonstrated by the work of Slater and others (e.g., Astwood and Slater, 1996; Slater, 1997; Slater et al., 1997). Their work inspired a portfolio project in a combined Mineralogy and Petrology course in the Fall of 2007. The students (10 undergraduate geology majors) were provided with a list of 31 specific learning objectives that they were to master by the end of the semester. The choice of evidence was theirs and limited only by their creativity. For each piece of evidence, students were asked to explain how the evidence addressed their mastery of the given concept. As an additional reflective exercise, each student introduced their collection of evidence with a short (4-6 page) essay that reflected on the course as a whole and integrated the concepts into a comprehensive synthesis of what the student had learned. Students provided feedback about the portfolio experience through anonymous Blackboard surveys during and after the semester. Most students reported that the portfolio helped them identify and distinguish between concepts they did and did not fully understand. Several thought that the portfolio measured long-term understanding and helped them retain more information after the course ended. Many students were confident that their portfolios would serve as a future reference. From the perspective of the instructor, the highly flexible structure of the portfolio was easily adapted to fit the combined Min/Pet course. Overall, the portfolio was found to be effective as a learning tool and a measure of understanding. It continues to be modified and improved to fit future courses.