Abstract

The use of a portfolio was introduced in a first-year course at the University of Concepcion, Chile to promote competencies of responsibility and reflection on the learning process. In the study participated 86 students out of the 97 in the group. An induction and detailed description of the objectives and methodology was carried out at the beginning of the course. Two summative portfolio evaluations were conducted during the semester, with feedback after the first evaluation. At the end of the course, an 11-item survey was applied using a Likert scale from 1 to 5 points. The averages of the summative evaluations were compared using a non-parametric test for samples in pairs and the perception survey was analysed using descriptive statistics. A significant increase (p<0.05) was observed between the first and second evaluation from 5.2 to 6.0 (scale 1 to 7). The average satisfaction score was 43.9 (n = 54) out of a maximum of 55 points and the internal consistency of the questionnaire showed a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.83. The promotion of responsibility, reflection, and critical thinking, as an effect of the use of the portfolio, were the items on the questionnaire that were best valued by the students. The students, while recognizing that the construction of the portfolio meant an additional academic burden, positively valued the methodology in the development of generic competences.