Abstract

VALERO, Mireia et al. Use of a portfolio to improve generic skills of the pre-graduate students. Educ. méd. [online]. 2007, vol.10, n.4, pp.50-57. ISSN 1575-1813.

In the 2003-4 academic year, the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences of the Pompeu Fabra University launched the experience of introducing a portfolio to encourage interest in developing four relevant generic skills: public presentation skills, griten communication, the ability to search for information using new technologies, and teamwork. The first participants of the experience were final year students of Biology. This career emphasizes in human biology and has a biosanitary orientation. After an initial negative reaction from the students, the final portfolio as presented was semi-structured, voluntary, and tutored by a university lecturer. Only two posible evaluations were used - positive or negative. If a student carried out the activity, he or she obtained a "plus" on top of the mark for a subject with a high number of credits. Approximately 50 % of the students participated in the first year and 75% in the second. All of the participants passed the exercise, with the students dedicating an average of 15 hours to the activity and the tutors an average of 2 hours. Most of the participants, both students and tutors, declared their satisfaction with the activity, with the tutors reporting a higher rate of satisfaction than the students. The evaluation of the experience was very positive and as a result the activity has now become a general one for all students from the first year of their university studies.

Keywords : Portfolio; Generic Skills; Self-instruction program; Educational assessment.

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