Using Portfolios in Higher Education.
One constructivist approach to assessing student learning is the use of portfolios. The contents of a portfolio demonstrate what a student knows and can do. The portfolio indicates actual products and processes a student has developed, as exemplified in the description of the contents of a student portfolio in a teaching methods course. Portfolios may also be used to extend the scope of the curriculum. The portfolio may be the major data course for a grade, but pride of ownership and achievement may motivate the student to learn more. A portfolio can be an important toyin linking course objectives, learning opportunities, and assessment procedures. (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are .the best that can be made from the original document.
The Application of Transformative Learning Theory to Curricular Evaluation
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework for curricular evaluation based on transformative learning theory and to demonstrate its use in evaluating a professional curriculum. Transformative learning theory considers the process of constructing knowledge through critical reflection on the content, process, and premise of an experience. Methods: Critical reflection was operationalized by using the College’s Outcomes Expected document to provide the overarching curricular framework for a reflective portfolio developed by pharmacy students at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy (UACOP). Content reflection consisted of curricular mapping based on student and faculty questionnaires as well as comparison to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE) Educational Outcomes 2004. Process reflection focused on best practices literature-based indicators and student self-efficacy measures. Premise reflection included both content and process reflection to develop global recommendations. Results: The population consisted of 284 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students at the UACOP during the 2004-2005 academic year. Transformative learning theory provides a potentially valuable tool for curricular evaluation by considering the content, process, and premise of construction of knowledge about the pharmacy curricula at respective schools and colleges of pharmacy. This study also demonstrated how transformative learning theory can be applied to both make sense of and use existing data in curricular evaluation. Content reflection revealed concordance between student and faculty ranking of domain and associated competency coverage in
Neurorehabilitation: A Disciplined Disciplining Discipline
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