Instructors taking Learning Portfolio to the ‘next level’
About 60 faculty and staff from across McMaster gathered recently for the third annual Learning Portfolio Bootcamp, an interactive workshop to explore ways to integrate the Learning Portfolio into courses and other educational activities at McMaster.
Hosted by the McMaster Institute for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (MIIETL), the event included panel discussions and hands on sessions, providing an opportunity for instructors and students to share their experiences with the Learning Portfolio and brainstorm new ways of incorporating it into the student experience.
Catherine Swanson,Learning Portfolio Program Manager at MIIETL says momentum around the Learning Portfolio has grown steadily since its launch in 2013 and instructors are now looking for ways to advance their use of the portfolio to enhance student learning.
“Now that we’ve been working on this for the past couple of years, we’ve got a number of instructors who know how to use the Learning Portfolio and want to take it to the next level, try more interesting things and find ways to get their students more involved,” says Swanson. “We’re also seeing instructors using the Learning Portfolio at the program level; starting students with the portfolio in first year, but carrying it through their programs to second, third and fourth year to capture students’ entire learning journey.”
Since it’s launch, the Learning Portfolio has been used in 54 courses across all six Faculties, impacting 7885 students.
MIIETL is currently working with a range of instructors on more than a dozen pedagogical research projects looking into the impact of the Learning Portfolio on student learning.
Learn more about how the Learning Portfolio impacts student learning
