Effective Foreign Language Portfolios in Engineering Education

Abstract:- Critical to any form of assessment is accountability. In the educational arena for example, teachers are accountable to themselves, to their students and the families, to schools and society. Portfolios constitute an evaluation practice increasingly implemented both in instruction and in employment procedures. The process of selecting evidence for inclusion in portfolios involves ongoing dialogue and feedback between participants and service providers. Portfolio assessment of the program or participants provides a means of conducting evaluation throughout the life of that program, addressing the evolving needs and assets of the participants and of the community involved, helping to maintain focus on program outcomes and on the steps required to meet them. Well-designed portfolios represent important, contextualized learning that requires complex thinking and communication skills. Traditional tests have been criticized as being insensitive to local curriculum and instruction, and assessing not only student achievement but aptitude. Portfolios are being heralded as vehicles that provide a more equitable and sensitive portrait of what students know and are able to do. This modern method encourages teachers and schools to focus on important student outcomes, provide parents and the community with credible evidence of student achievement, and inform policy and practice at every level of the educational system. Key-Words:- portfolio assessment, scoring criteria, e-portfolios, professors ’ portfolios, English in engineering 1