AN INTEGRATED PORTFOLIO AND ADVISING SYSTEM FOR UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Abstract

Portfolios are important tools to document the professional experience of engineers, architects and other professionals. When implementing the portfolios at undergraduate level, often the quality of the portfolios’ entries and the frequency of their update by students are cited as obstacles. Other obstacles include the time consumed in assessing the portfolio and the timeliness of feedback given to students. To address these difficulties, an integrated Portfolio and Advising system was introduced at two modules offered at undergraduate engineering courses. The system requires the students to track the progress of their learning outcomes, provide documentary evidence to support claims of achievement of these learning outcomes and regularly meet their academic Advisors to seek feedback and validation of the achievement of the learning outcomes. This aimed at creating intentional learners out of these students as they take ownership of their academic progress. Feedback from both the students and the lecturers (Advisors) is very encouraging as both students and lectures agreed that the system provides a useful and comprehensive tool to track the achievement of the module’s learning outcome.

Keywords

• Portfolio
• Educational Advisory System
• Learning Outcomes
• Engineering