Sultan Qaboos University
The Language Centre
Foundation Programme English Language
General Portfolio Manual
Fall 2012
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Preface
The purpose of this manual is to provide the information and guidelines that course coordinators and teachers will
need to implement portfolios with Foundation Programme students in 2012-2013. We hope that it will be a useful
reference for everyone. Further support is provided by the much briefer portfolio manuals that are available for
each course (e.g. 0230, 0340, etc.).
Section 1 of this manual (Introduction & Elements) explains the rationale for implementing portfolios and
describes the four elements of portfolios in detail. It also offers some practical suggestions on how portfolio
advisors can monitor and facilitate students’ portfolio work.
Section 2 (Responsibilities) outlines the responsibilities of course coordinators, portfolio advisors and teachers
related to the implementation of portfolios with Foundation Programme students. It also includes a General
Pacing Schedule for portfolios. (Note: The pacing schedule is useful only as a general reference. Portfolio advisors
and teachers should refer to the course-specific pacing schedule provided by the coordinator of the course which
they are assigned to.)
Section 3 (Pacing Schedule) presents the general pacing schedule for implementing portfolios into all courses.
Section 4 (Guidelines for Introducing Portfolios) provides practical guidelines and suggestions on how portfolio
advisors should introduce portfolios to students during the first 2 to 3 weeks of the semester. Teachers who are
doing portfolios for the first time will find this section helpful.
Section 5 (Assessment) explains when and how advisors should assess portfolios through student-teacher
conferences and other means. It also discusses how self-assessment (students evaluating their own portfolio
work) should play an important role in the assessment process. The approved rubric for assessment is presented.
Appendices 1-5 provide examples of the portfolio elements in different courses. These are reasonably up-to-date,
but portfolio advisors should refer to the relevant course specific manuals to find the current portfolio templates
which their students may use.
Appendix 6 is a glossary of important terms related to portfolios that students need to know. It may be provided
to students as it is, or it may be adapted.
Appendix 7 is a summary of the report on the piloting of portfolios during the 2010-2011 academic year.
Over the past two years, a great deal of work has been devoted to the development of portfolios by piloting
teachers and members of the Curriculum Unit. The four portfolio elements have been favorably received by over
80% of the Foundation Programme students. That said, it is expected that portfolios will, like other parts of the
FPEL curriculum, evolve as feedback from teachers and students leads to modifications. Your contributions to this
process will be welcome and appreciated.
Finally, if you have any comments or suggestions regarding the design or content of this manual, please send them
to any member of the Curriculum Unit.
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General Portfolio Manual
Table of Contents
Section 1: Introduction to Portfolio…………….………………………….……………………………. p. 4
1.1 Background………………………….………………………….……………………………. p. 4
1.2 Portfolio Elements…………….………………………….….……………………………..p. 4
Section 2: Portfolio Responsibilities ……………………….……………………………………………. p. 10
2.1 Responsibilities of Course Coordinators ……………………….…………......... p. 10
2.2 Responsibilities of Portfolio Advisors ………..……………..…..………………
p. 10
2.3 Responsibilities of Skills Teachers ………………………….………………………. p. 11
Section 3: General Pacing Schedule for Portfolios ………………..………………………….……
p. 12
Section 4: Guidelines for Introducing Portfolios to Students ………………………………… P. 13
Section 5: Assessment of Portfolios (incl. Assessment Rubrics) ……………………………. p. 16
Appendices:
Appendix 1: Examples of Academic Planners ………………………………………………………. p. 23
Appendix 2: Examples of Can-do Checklists …………………………………………………………. p. 25
Appendix 3: Examples of Weekly Learning Reflections ………………………………………… p. 26
Appendix 4: Examples of Midterm and End-of-Term Reflections …………………………..P. 28
Appendix 5: Examples of Vocabulary Logs …………………………………………………………… p. 29
Appendix 6: Glossary ………………………………………………………………………………………….. p. 33
Appendix 7: Summary of Report on Portfolio Piloting in 2010-2011 ……………………. P. 36
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General Portfolio Manual
A student portfolio is a carefully selected collection of student work that provides clear evidence to the student and the
teacher of the student’s knowledge, skills, strategies, attitudes, achievements and reflections in a given area (e.g., English
language learning) over a specified period of time (Vizyak, 1996).
Language Centre Portfolio Proposal (Smith et al., August 2010)
Section 1: Introduction
1.1 Background
Student portfolios in the Foundation Programme at SQU have two specific purposes. Their first purpose is to
encourage and help students to improve their study skills, develop learner autonomy and gain a stronger
sense of ownership of their work. By keeping a reflective learning portfolio, students can become more
active in and responsible for their own learning. Second, portfolios have been implemented to comply with
the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority’s (OAAA) Academic Standards for General Foundation
Programmes (6.2.1).
Portfolios were piloted during the 2010-2011 academic year with encouraging results (see Appendix 7:
Summary of Report on Portfolio Piloting). During 2011-2012 portfolios were implemented for all Foundation
Programme students attending Levels 2 through 6. At the end of 2011-2012, a few modifications of the
portfolio elements, activities and assessment procedures occurred on the basis of feedback received from
Foundation Programme students and teachers.
1.2 Portfolio Elements
Portfolios have four elements, each with a specific purpose:
1.2.1
The academic planner (OAAA requirement 6.2.1g) promotes awareness of the need for time
management skills. The planner helps them to manage their time and studies more effectively.
It is basically a calendar that covers one semester, usually in 4 or 8-week sections. Foundation
Programme students are expected to use the planner to record daily homework, deadlines of
key assignments, dates of quizzes and presentations, appointments with their portfolio advisors
and any other information that is important. They should refer to and update their planners on a
regular basis. Portfolio advisors should check their students’ planners regularly (i.e. not only in
assessment conferences) and give appropriate feedback. Portfolio advisors can provide students
with an example academic planner that has been designed and adopted by their course.
Alternatively, they or their students can create their own version of a planner.
Teaching Suggestions/Options



1.2.2
As an optional activity to teach time management, you can give out two copies of a 24-hour
activity record form for one week. On one copy ask the students to record how they spend their
time every day for a week. A week later, after they have done that, ask the students to use a
second identical form to plan a weekly schedule that would make better use of their time for all
the things that they want to do such as studying, praying, exercising, and socializing.
Ask the students to brainstorm ideas about how to improve time management and then
present their ideas to the class.
For suggestions on introducing academic planners, see Section 4, p. 12.
The can-do checklists, found on the course outlines, draw the students’ attention to the learning
outcomes of the course and to their current strengths and weaknesses. Each skills course outline
(Writing, Reading, Listening/Speaking, Study Skills) includes a can-do checklist that consists of
the learning outcomes for that course. Students use the checklists to set goals and to monitor
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and assess their progress toward their goals by selecting appropriate activities and strategies.
Students will use the can-do checklist in class at the beginning of each course, at midterm and at
the end of the course. In addition, they can use it to reflect on and assess how much progress
they have made toward their goals at specific points during the semester. In FPEL 0230, the cando checklists are translated into Arabic so that students can review the can-do statements
independently and meaningfully. In FPEL 0340, the can-do statements are in English and are
reviewed periodically in class, and students are also encouraged to refer to these sheets
independently. In the 0450 and 0560, 0500, 0600, 0603 and 0604 courses, students are
encouraged to choose “personal” language learning goals that are not among the learning
outcomes specified for the level. Examples of can-do checklist templates are given in Appendix
2.
Teaching Suggestions/Options
Soon after the students have completed the checklist, follow up with at least one of the
following activities:






1.2.3
Have the students discuss the checklist in pairs or groups. Give them discussion questions such
as:
What are your goals for this level and why did you choose them?
Which of the goals that your group has selected will be the most difficult to achieve?
What are some strategies for achieving the more difficult goals?
Give the students a homework activity asking them to identify and articulate their goals for the
course. Students could submit it on paper OR by email. The activity may include:
Prioritizing their goals
Explaining the importance of their goals
Writing a journal/statement about their goals
Teach the students how to create an action plan (a list of specific actions for reaching a goal or
objective with completion dates for the actions) and have them create actions plans for
achieving one or two of their most important goals. The action plans can be revisited and
refined throughout the course.
Revisit the can-do checklist in class in week 4 or 5. Ask the students to review their goals and
determine which ones they have made good progress toward or perhaps even achieved.
Ask students which of their goals (on the checklist) they have achieved or made good progress
toward during the first assessment conference.
For suggestions on introducing the can-do checklist, see Section 4 p.12.
The learning reflections are designed to help students become more independent or
autonomous learners. As specified in the OAAA document (6.2.1m) students are to “Describe
learning experiences, challenges, insights in a daily journal.” The purpose of these reflections is
to help students to focus on their progress toward or achievement of their goals. This will
include assessing the resources, methods and strategies that they have used (or will use) to
enable learning as well as evaluating the extent to which they have accomplished future goals.
There are 3 types of reflections: independent learning reflections, a mid-term reflection and an
end-of-term reflection.
For the independent learning reflections, which include a minimum of 5 in-class, skill specific
reflections, students choose and complete an independent learning activity and reflect on it by
using a format provided by the course, the teacher or an approved, student-generated format.
An independent activity is one that a student chooses and carries out that is not a part of any
FPEL course. These activities may be linked to specific learning outcomes on the can-do
checklists, or they may be related to personal learning goals/interests that are not among the
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learning outcomes. Teachers will need to emphasize to students that to be successful in their
courses they need to take advantage of self-access materials regularly and write reflections on
their learning. For every activity they reflect on, students must provide evidence that they have
done the activity and include that evidence in their portfolio. Students can only earn full marks
for reflection if they complete more than the minimum, in-class reflective activities.
The skill teacher will guide students in writing their in-class, skill-specific independent learning
reflections. Before doing these in-class learning reflections, students should complete their
activities and be prepared to share them in class. Teachers should encourage them to choose
and complete their own, unique learning activities, but working with peers or tutors is seen as
beneficial as well. The skill focus of each reflection will be specified in the pacing schedule. For
example, in Week 3 the students might do an in-class reflection on a reading activity in their
reading class. Initially, student selection of activities may be repetitive, so the task for skills
teachers is to give students some direction in using a variety of strategies, materials and
facilities.
The following are a few examples of appropriate evidence which can be used. Teachers can
accept other forms of evidence for portfolio reflections as long as they can verify that the work
has been completed by the individual student submitting it in his or her portfolio.
Type of Activity
Reading
Writing
Listening
Speaking/pronunciation
Grammar/vocabulary
Appropriate Evidence
- copy or printout of text (if short) and a summary
of what they have read.
- For longer readings, the title and a summary of
the content.
-copy of written product (e.g. essay, outline,
paraphrase exercise, letter, etc.)
- exact name/title of listening activity and the
exact name of the source, e.g. textbook or
website along with a summary of the content or
the results of a quiz.
- If a radio or TV program, exact name and date of
the program and the radio station or TV channel.
Also a summary of the program listened to or
watched.
- a digital recording of at least part of the activity
or other credible evidence.
- a copy or printout of the completed grammar or
vocabulary exercise.
- If website based, a copy or screen capture of the
complete activity and/or a screen capture of the
results page. the 1st page of the activity from the
website
Since thinking about one's own learning is a new activity for most students entering the Foundation
Programme, many find it difficult to reflect initially. Therefore, when portfolio advisors introduce the
learning reflections, they need to give students step-by-step guidance and practical training on how
to do a good reflection. As students progress through a course, advisors can support them by
providing detailed feedback on their reflections. For suggestions on introducing the reflections, see
Section 4, p. 12. Examples of weekly reflection learning templates can be found in Appendix 3.
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In the midterm (mid-semester) reflection, students refer to the can-do checklists and other learning
goals to reflect on their progress during the first half of the semester. They identify their strengths
and weaknesses and consider strategies or action plans that would help them to overcome their
challenges. This reflection can start with a discussion followed by a writing activity. It can be done
using the format provided by the course or other teacher or student initiated formats. The midterm
reflections can be completed in or outside class. However, it is essential that students discuss their
progress and future action plans with the teacher first, e.g. during a portfolio assessment conference.
In the end-of-term reflection, students examine and reflect on all that they have learned over one
semester. They discuss goals they think they have achieved, areas in which they have made progress
and areas where they still face challenges. In the end-of-term reflections, the students set goals for
the next course of their FPEL studies - or for their post-Foundation Programme studies. Students are
expected to put some written evidence of the midterm and end-of-term reflections in their portfolios.
The evidence for the end-of-term reflection should be included and checked by the portfolio advisor
in the following semester.
In FPEL 0230 the midterm and end-of-term reflections are simplified through scaffolding. In 0450,
0560, 0500, 0600, 0603 and 0604 students are asked to reflect in greater depth and to produce longer
and more detailed written reflections. Examples of midterm and end-of-term reflections are given in
Appendix 4.
Teaching Suggestions/Options
 In the lower level courses, the midterm and end-of-term reflections will be written on coursespecific forms. In the higher level courses, these reflections may be written in journal style, i.e.
as personal statements consisting of two or more paragraphs. Make sure that your instructions
to the students are clear and appropriate for their proficiency level.
 These reflections should be broader than the weekly learning reflections. They should include
thoughtful reflections on all (or at least most) of the portfolio elements and activities. The
students should be encouraged to evaluate their learning experiences using examples and
stating reasons, (i.e. which goals were achieved/not achieved and why), describe how they have
used the planner, their learning reflections and vocabulary logs, the two conferences with their
portfolio advisor, and their courses and studies at SQU in general.
 Possible classroom activities are:
a. Put students into groups and ask them to discuss what they can say in their reflections.
b. Start the reflection by asking students (in groups) to talk about their progress during the
course (e.g. goals achieved/not achieved, strengths and weaknesses, etc.) while they are
filling out the 2nd or 3rd column of the can-do checklist.
1.2.4
The vocabulary log is also an OAAA requirement (6.2.1n). It is a weekly record of new words
encountered that are useful or challenging. Its purpose is twofold: to support acquisition of new
vocabulary and to help students develop better strategies for learning and retaining words.
Students choose the words that are recorded and in some cases the method(s) used to learn
them. The minimum number of words in each log is determined by the course. Students are free
to choose and record any words that they feel are important for them to know and use. The
words chosen may be from multiple sources, e.g. commercial or in-house textbooks, vocabulary
lists, class activities, Moodle, student-initiated reading or listening activities, etc. Students are
expected to be able to demonstrate that they have learned the words in their logs. During
portfolio conferences, portfolio advisors should randomly select 5 or 10 words from students’
vocabulary logs and test their understanding of them. Variations across FPEL Courses will be
course determined, found in the course specific portfolio manual and maintained throughout
that semester.
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Teaching Suggestions/Options

Normally, at least one part/section of the vocabulary log (or part of it) should include the
following information:
o the word
o the part of speech of the word
o other forms of the word
o a dictionary definition
o a sentence the student writes using the word correctly. (See 2 below.)
Some other possibilities include:
o the translation of the word in Arabic
o the source sentence where the student found the word
o a sentence copied from a dictionary using the word

Students should have choices for how they do their vocabulary log. There may be variations in
how the log is laid out and what the students do with the words. Some layout possibilities are
various table arrangements and word maps or webs. Not all word activities will work for all
words, so encouraging students to vary word activities will help them explore different
possibilities for learning vocabulary and keep them interested in doing the log. Some word
activities (methods of recording words) are:
o sentences written by the student that are personal and show enough meaning (or give
enough context) that the meanings of the new words are clear.
Example:





My teacher is very strict. She has a lot of rules, and she always makes sure
the students follow the rules.
o important collocations of a new word
o a word web with word family (i.e. other forms or parts of speech), synonyms, antonyms,
collocations, etc. A web can be quite good without including every possible element.
o analysis of the word’s parts (prefix/stem/suffix) with a definition or meaning of each
(prefixes have specific meanings, many stems have general meanings, suffixes often denote
word form)
o a picture of the word followed by a sentence with it
Go over guidelines for the vocabulary logs and the different word activities they can choose to do.
Of course, word selection is an important topic to discuss with the students for the first few weeks.
Ask the students to do three words in sentences for homework due in a day or two. Tell them they
can use these words in their first vocabulary log. Collect this small homework assignment and
comment on it, referring students back to the handout if their sentences or other word activities are
not appropriate.
Help the students get started on the various types of word activities by trying out some of the word
activities in class and asking students to put their activities on the board or their first vocabulary log
on an OHP transparency or their best word activity of the week on a poster.
Collect and check the first vocabulary log due in Week 2 or 3. (Collect only the logs, not the students’
entire portfolios.) Ask students to redo entries where they haven’t done a good job. You will also be
able to check the first 2 or 3 vocabulary logs in the first portfolio conference.
Some ideas for additional activities with the vocabulary log are:
o Students peer review a partner’s vocabulary log (More suitable for higher levels).
o Students grade their own vocabulary log for the week and then explain the grade.
o Students justify their choice of words for the vocabulary log.
o Students play a game in which they use words from their logs productively.
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
Try out other possibilities for learning or recycling new vocabulary that support (but are different
from) the word activities in the portfolios. These may be in-class activities or homework tasks. Short
but frequent activities will be more effective than longer and less frequent activities – and easier to
fit into your lesson plans. Some excellent ideas can be found in the Vocabulary Recycling Workshops
conducted by Dr. Gennady Medvedev in Spring 2011, which can be found on Moodle. Other
effective vocabulary activities can be found in various reading skills textbooks.
For suggestions on introducing the vocabulary log, see Section 4, p. 12. Examples of vocabulary log
templates can be found in Appendix 5.
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Section 2: Portfolio Responsibilities
This section outlines the responsibilities of course coordinators, portfolio advisors, and skills teachers for
introducing, monitoring and assessing portfolios during the two semesters of the academic year. A “portfolio
advisor” is a teacher who is responsible for managing, monitoring and assessing the portfolio activities of
one section of students over an entire semester. A “skills teacher” is a teacher of any section who is not
necessarily the portfolio advisor of that section. Besides adhering to these guidelines, teachers should also
refer to the information in the course-specific portfolio manual for the course that they are assigned to.
2.1 Responsibilities of Course Coordinators
1. Assign a portfolio advisor to each section. Advisors will stay with the same section for one semester.
2. Ensure all teachers are familiar with their responsibilities as portfolio advisors and skills teachers.
3. Include a minimum of 5 in-class skill-specific reflections on the pacing schedule for each 1-semester
course – e.g. two reflections on reading during reading classes, one reflection on listening during a
list/sp class, one reflection on speaking during a list/sp class, and one reflection on writing in a writing
class.
4. Put student/advisor portfolio assessment conferences on the pacing schedule.
5. Ensure that the current course-specific portfolio documents (e.g. the course outlines with can-do
checklists, the learning reflection template, the vocabulary log template, etc.) are provided to
portfolio advisors at the beginning of the semester. They should also be posted on Moodle.
6. Remind all teachers that during the first or second class of every course they should go over the
learning outcomes and have students complete the can-do checklist on the course outline. Put this on
the pacing schedule for each course.
7. Monitor continuous assessment grades for portfolios on Moodle.
2.2 Responsibilities of Portfolio Advisors
Fall Semester
1. Give students an introduction to the purpose of portfolios and the 4 portfolio elements (the academic
planner, course outline can-do checklists, learning reflections and vocabulary log) at the beginning of
the course.
Note: the advisor will explain the purpose of the can-do checklists as one element of the portfolio;
each skills teacher will have the students use the can-do checklist when he/she hands out the course
outline. (See Section 4)
2. Make sure that all of the course outlines (with the learning outcomes) are posted on the board in the
classroom.
3. Assist students in narrowing down and prioritizing their learning goals. While most (or all) of these
goals may be selected from the can-do checklist, students may also choose to set a few “personal
goals” that are not related to any of learning outcomes on the checklist.
4. Guide and monitor students when they do reflections in class.
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5. Introduce the portfolio assessment rubric and make sure students understand the assessment criteria
and the importance of self-assessing their portfolio work before each assessment conference. Give
students copies of the assessment rubric.
6. Monitor and give formative assessment of students’ progress on a regular basis. Refer students to the
learning outcomes during class on a regular basis.
7. Have two conferences with each student during the semester to assess their portfolio work. Set times
for conferences as per the guidelines in the assessment section of this manual.
Note: Each student is also expected to self-assess their portfolio work before each conference, using
the assessment rubric. During the conference the advisor and the student will discuss the selfassessment, and the teacher will give the student feedback.
8. Enter continuous assessment portfolio marks on Moodle.
9. Encourage students who are moving on to another course in the Foundation Programme to continue
using the same portfolios in the next semester.
Spring Semester (similar to fall semester but less introduction of elements required)
1. Review the purpose of the four portfolio elements. Introduce students to any course-specific changes
(e.g more required vocabulary log entries) in the elements at the beginning of the semester.
2. As in the fall semester (see above).
2.3 Responsibilities of Skills Teachers (who teach 1 or 2 courses for a given section but are not
necessarily the portfolio advisor for that section)
Fall and Spring Semester
1. At the beginning of each semester, the skills teacher should go over the learning outcomes of the
course and have the students complete the can-do checklist that appears next to the learning
outcomes on the course outline.
2. Conduct in-class reflections as per the pacing schedule. A skills teacher will normally have 1 or 2 of
these in every semester. If a student is not prepared for an in-class reflection, the skills teacher should
report this to the portfolio advisor, who will take it into consideration when assessing that student’s
learning reflections.
3. Support students in reflecting on what they have learned. This would include pointing out which
learning outcomes have been covered in the class, discussing what was easy or difficult for them
during the last few minutes of each class, directing students to relevant resources as well as assisting
students in selecting strategies for improvement. This enables students to select appropriate
independent work in the Student Support Services.
4. Have students enter important course activities, deadlines etc. on their academic planners at the start
of each course and on an ongoing basis. Teachers may choose to inform the portfolio advisor of
important dates/deadlines in the skills course you teach in time for each portfolio assessment.
5. When requested, give feedback to portfolio advisors on students’ strengths and weaknesses.
Alternatively, take the initiative and give that feedback even when not requested.
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Section 3: General Pacing Schedule for Portfolios
The general pacing schedule shows when the key portfolio tasks should be done over the course of one full
semester course consisting of either one or two proficiency levels. The exact timing of tasks will vary
according to each course’s requirements. The amount of time required for each task will depend on the
portfolio advisor’s teaching style and lesson plan. This pacing schedule is provided as a model that course
coordinators, portfolio advisors and skills teachers can refer to.
The general pacing schedule applies to either a fall semester or a spring semester course, but the time
required in the spring to introduce portfolios, the portfolio elements, and the assessment procedure will be
much less because the students will already be familiar with the elements. It may be necessary to explain
some course-specific differences in the portfolio elements. For example, the learning reflection format for a
0560 course may be different in some ways from the format for the 0340 course. However, the similarities
between portfolio elements in different courses will always be more important than the differences.
General Pacing Schedule for FPEL Portfolios
Week
Time
Required
Portfolio Task
Introduction of the portfolio in general
Material/Handout
short handout recommended (prepared
by course or portfolio advisor)
Introduction of academic planner
Sample academic planner (or planners)
for 4 or 8 weeks (prepared by course or
portfolio advisor)
1-2
Introduction and first use of checklist of cando statements
Will vary
can-do checklists (prepared by course;
done by skills teachers)
Introduction of in-class learning reflection
in-class learning reflection template
and/or sample
Introduction of vocabulary log
vocabulary log template and/or sample
2-3
Introduction of assessment rubric and
assessment criteria
portfolio assessment rubric
2-14
Ongoing formative assessment by regularly
checking selected portfolios in class2
6-7
6-8
8-9
First portfolio conference (portfolio advisor
assesses student’s planner, reflections and
vocabulary logs completed during first 5-6
weeks)
Additional (optional) conference for
students who are having difficulties
10-15 min
each
assessment rubric
10-15 min
each
assessment rubric
Midterm reflection in class focusing on:
20-40 min
1) Can-do checklists for all courses.
(e.g. small
group
discussion
followed by
answering Qs
on a form/list
or writing 2-3
2) Handout of discussion points or
other material prepared by teacher or
course.

Goals set that were achieved or toward
which substantial progress was made in
st
1 half of course

Goals not achieved or little progress
made

Reasons for the above, e.g. action
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(Note: Some written evidence of the midterm
reflection, e.g. answers to discussion Qs or
written summary must be put in the portfolio.
This will become one of the things to be
paragraphs)
plans/strategies used/not used

13-14
14-15
nd
assessed in the 2 portfolio conference.)
nd
New goals for 2 half of course and
plans/strategies to achieve them
Second portfolio conference (PF advisor 10-15 min
assesses student’s work i.e. planner, each
reflections and vocabulary logs) since the 1st
conference in Week 6-7)
assessment rubric
End-of-term reflection in class (before or
after 2nd portfolio conference) focusing on
goals achieved, progress made, strategies
used, strengths/weaknesses apparent, etc.
1) Can-do checklists for all courses.
2) Handout of questions or discussion
points prepared by PF advisor or
course.
20-40 min
(see ‘Note’
for midterm
reflection
above)
1
Lower-level students may require more time than the stated maximum. Likewise, students doing portfolios for the first time will
require more time than the minimum.
2
PF advisors can do ongoing formative assessment in different ways, e.g. by checking just a few portfolios in some classes or by
checking all of the portfolios in one class while the students are engaged in an extensive reading or writing activity. Teachers could
check entire portfolios, but it may be more practical to focus on just one element or the most recent work.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Section 4: Guidelines for Introducing Portfolios to Students
Binders/files are required
Students must keep their portfolio materials in a ring binder or file. The materials in the binder/file should
be organized into 4 sections: planner, can-do checklist, reflections (weekly, midterm end end-of-term), and
vocabulary logs. You (the portfolio advisor) may also want the students to include a list of learning strategies
generated by them or by you (or both). Besides helping students organize and store their portfolio work, the
binder/file will make it easier for you to check portfolios in class or during assessment conferences with
students. Most of the instructions and suggestions in this manual are for doing hard copy portfolios with all
of the materials kept in a ring binder or file. There are electronic alternatives to the hard copy format for
managing some elements of portfolios. For example, sometimes you could ask your students to submit a
learning reflection or vocabulary log by email. In this case, you may want to ask the students to put a hard
copy of the electronically submitted work in their portfolio if you plan to assess or discuss that work in a
portfolio assessment conference.
Suggestions for introducing portfolios in general
Portfolio advisors should give students a general introduction to portfolios on the 1st and/or 2nd day of class.
A brief one-page handout is recommended (see your CC). The introduction should include the following:
1. Make the general purpose of portfolios (to help students become more autonomous and more
effective learners) as clear as possible.
2. Give a brief overview of the elements of the portfolios and the purpose and benefits of each one.
3. Ask the students to get a ring binder or file and dividers for the portfolio. Show them an example
binder or file with dividers. (If they don’t see the dividers, they may not understand what they are.)
[13]
4. Give the students the date(s) of the first portfolio assessment conferences in Week 6 or 7. You can
set up their specific appointment times later, just a few days in advance.
5. Tell the students how many marks portfolios will have in the total course assessment (the exact
number of marks will depend on which course they are taking). Explain that their portfolio work will
be assessed by means of two assessments: one in Week 6/7 and the other in Week 13/14. You can
explain the assessment criteria and show them the assessment rubric in a later class.
6. Explain to the students that they will also be asked to self-assess their portfolios using the same
criteria. Tell them that you (the PF advisor) will let them know whether their self-assessment is
accurate. (Note: The purpose of self-assessment is to improve the students’ reflective and critical
thinking skills, not to play a determining role in your assessment of their work. However, you should
take each student’s self-evaluation into consideration when you assess their work and explain why
you agree or disagree with specific parts of their self-assessment.
Suggestions for introducing the portfolio elements
When and exactly how each element is introduced will vary somewhat depending on the proficiency level of
the students, your course content and pacing schedule, and your individual teaching style. However, with a
few course-determined exceptions, the following guidelines will apply to all portfolio advisors.
1) Introduce just 1 or 2 elements at a time
Following an introduction to portfolios in general, it will be necessary to introduce each element in detail. It
is advisable not to introduce more than 2 elements in the same class. Otherwise, the students (and possibly
the advisor!) may be overloaded with portfolio information.
2) Introducing the academic planner

It may be more effective to introduce the academic planner as part of a discussion activity focusing on
time management skills.

When you introduce the planner, explain to your students that they can/should use it to enter the
dates and deadlines of important activities in all of their Foundation Programme courses, including
Maths and IT. (However, when you assess the planner, you should not penalize students for not
entering information about Maths and IT courses.)

Explain that the planner will be divided into 4-week or 8-week periods. Before they complete one
period, they will receive the planner for the next one. Alternatively, you can give the students one
blank planner and ask them to make all copies for the duration of that course.

Talk about what they should put on the academic planner, and then do some examples as a class by
entering some important information such as due dates for independent reading quizzes, dates for
computer lab classes, meetings for projects or portfolio assessment, etc.

Make sure that the students realize that using the planner should be an ongoing activity. Otherwise, it
will not be very useful. Tell them that you (and their skills teachers) will check their planners and give
formative feedback on a regular basis.

In the 0450 and 0560 courses, you could give students the option of designing their own planner as an
individual or small group activity in class.
[14]
3) Introducing the can-do checklists (on course outlines)
4)

Make sure the students understand that the can-do statements are the learning outcomes on the
course outlines, and that these learning outcomes are for the entire 1-semester course, whether the
course consists of two proficiency levels (e.g. 0340) or just one level (e.g. 0603). Explain that they will
use the can-do checklists in class 3 times: when they receive the course outline, when they do their
midterm reflection, and when they do their end-of-term reflection. In addition, they can and should
refer to the checklists at any time during the semester to reflect on and assess the progress they are
making toward their goals.

Advise the students to make sure that they understand all of the outcomes on each checklist. You and
the teacher of each skills course will help them.

Explain that they may list other outcomes that they would like to achieve, i.e. learning goals that are
important to them personally but not found among the learning outcomes for the course. (You may
want to limit the number of these ‘personal’ learning goals to three or four so that the total number of
goals does not become unmanageable.)

Another idea is to ask the students to make a separate “shortlist” of the goals that will be their
priorities during the course. This will probably include between 3 and 7 goals. Typically, students will
identify as many as 15 or 20 learning outcomes on the can-do checklists as things that they cannot do.
Some of these will be more important than others, and “achieving” all of them by the end of the
course may not be a realistic. Therefore, a shortlist of “priority goals” may help students to focus on
the outcomes that will benefit them the most.
Emphasize the connection between setting learning goals and the reflections helping students
be successful in improving their English skills.

To be a successful English language learner, students’ independent work and reflections should usually
correspond to their learning outcomes chosen from the checklist of can-do statements or identified as
personal goals. When students do a reflection, the most important thing for them to consider will be
how the chosen activity/activities helped (or did not help) them to achieve or make progress toward
one or more of their learning goals for the course. In other words, activities that they reflect on should
be goal-oriented.
5) Introducing the independent learning reflections
Doing a “practice reflection” in class, using the reflection format for your course, may be very helpful. This
will not count as one of the five required in class reflections, but you can give the students useful feedback
while they are doing their practice reflections in class and possibly after they have done them as well. The
procedure for a practice reflection could be something like the following:
1. Explain that the purpose of a learning reflection is to think more deeply about a learning activity in
order to learn more about oneself as a learner and one’s strengths and weaknesses. It is also to
assess progress toward one or more goals.
2. Ask the students to choose an activity that they have done recently in one of their classes to use
for the reflection log. They should choose an activity that will be useful to analyze. For example, if
they choose something that was very enjoyable, beneficial, or challenging, they can figure out why
they found it enjoyable, beneficial, or challenging, thereby learning more about themselves and
their strengths and weaknesses.
[15]
3. Give the students enough time to get started on the reflection while checking that the activities
they choose are appropriate and that they understand what to do. If there is not enough time for
them to finish the reflection in class, have them finish it at home.

Advise your students that an activity that they choose and complete for any reflection must be a new
independent learning activity that they have done outside class. It may not be something they have
done in one of their FPEL courses.

Give the students some examples of appropriate independent learning activities for reflections. These
could include reading a newspaper article, writing something that was not assigned by a teacher, doing a
listening activity on a website, interviewing someone about their job, conducting a survey of a group of
SQU students or other people, etc.

If your course allows or expects students to write their learning reflections in the form of a statement
(instead of using a form), make sure that the students are aware of this and give them whatever
guidance they may need.
6) Introducing the vocabulary log

As with the learning reflections, the best way to introduce the vocabulary log may be to do a scaffolded
“practice log” in class. It will help to show examples by using the whiteboard or an OHT.

Make sure that the students know how many words they should record each week and how they should
record them. Are they free to use any method(s) of recording they choose, or does your course
prescribe one or more particular methods? If you’re not sure, check with your CC or with a teacher on
your course who has prior experience with portfolios.

Emphasize to the students that the vocabulary log should be a means of recording, interacting with and
learning new vocabulary. It should not be merely a list of new words.

If the students may choose their own method(s) of recording vocabulary new vocabulary, you can refer
or introduce them to the methods presented on pages 6-7 of Active Skills Reading: Book 3 by Neil
Anderson. Other effective methods may be found by exploring other ESL/EFL reading and vocabulary
textbooks. You may also try out your own methods or ideas.
Section 5: Assessment of Portfolios
How many marks do portfolios represent?
A student’s portfolio work will account for a specific percent of their overall grade for each course, except
for proficiency level 1, where portfolios will not be part of the curriculum. The portfolio advisor is
responsible for assessment, unless the course decides that part of the assessment will be done by one of the
skills teachers.
How do I assess a student’s portfolio?
While meeting with a student for a portfolio conference (see details on conferences in the following
paragraphs), use the approved “Portfolio Assessment Rubric” to assess the student’s portfolio. Note that
the first conference may not assess as many completed items as the second conference. When assessing for
completion, take into consideration the percentages in the rubric’s descriptors. These percentages do not
reflect the total requirements at the end of the semester, but what has been assigned up until the week of
the conference. Clear instructions for using the assessment rubric are on the rubric itself, and much of the
[16]
procedure for giving the required scores/marks will be self-explanatory. However, if anything is not clear,
you can consult your CC or a teacher on your course who has prior experience with portfolios.
When should I do portfolio assessments?
During the semester, you will have two conferences with your students to review and assess their portfolios.
The conferences are supposed to take place at these times:
Portfolio Conference 1 – Week 6 or 7 (See course pacing schedule.)
Portfolio Conference 2 – Week 13 or 14 (See course pacing schedule.)
Optional additional assessment for weaker students
If after the first portfolio conference, it is clear that the student doesn't understand the concept of a
portfolio or that he/she is doing unsatisfactory work, you may offer another conference to that student after
additional work in the problematic area has been completed. The purpose of the additional meeting will be
to guide the student to improve and to give him/her some time to make adjustments and do better work. In
this case, both the initial and the additional conference will be given a mark using the portfolio evaluation
rubric. The marks of these two conferences will be averaged to arrive at the final mark for the first
assessment.
What is the rationale for the timing of the required conferences?
Having the two required conferences in Week 6-7 and Week 13-14, six or more weeks apart, gives students
time to develop areas of their portfolio they feel they need to strengthen. It also enables advisors to avoid
conflicts with other major continuous assessments related to presentations and reports. In the higher level
courses, one way to utilize office time more efficiently might be to consolidate meetings. For example, the
student/ teacher conference for the formal presentation in FPEL0560 Science could be expanded to a 20minute meeting to include discussion of the student’s progress on both the presentation and the portfolio.
It is not recommended, however, that both portfolio conferences be consolidated meetings. Rather, just one
of the required conferences could be a consolidated meeting if you find this necessary.
How do I conduct the portfolio conferences?
You can have the portfolio conferences in class, in your office, or in one of the consultation rooms in the
Language Centre. In consideration of time constraints, portfolio advisors may use one class period for some
of the first conferences and one class period for some of the second conferences. During that class period,
students not meeting with the teacher should independent work to be completed during this period.
Conferences will normally take 10 to 15 minutes per student, depending on your assessment style, the
ability level of the section, and individual student needs. You should be able to do 7 to 10 conferences
during the class period, which means that you will need to schedule the remaining conferences during your
office hours.
One way to reduce the time required to assess a portfolio during a conference is to assess some parts of it
before the conference. For example, you could ask your students to submit one learning reflection and one
vocabulary log during the weeks before the conference. You would then assess those and return them with
written feedback to the students sometime before the conference.
Practical Guidelines for Portfolio Assessment
The following guidelines are suggestions. Portfolio advisors can use their discretion to modify conferences to
meet the needs of their teaching or assessment style and to address the needs of their students.
[17]
First Conference (during Week 6 or 7)

Set appointments 10 or 15 minutes apart and ask students to sign up for them. (Students should
record appointment times on planners.) A maximum of 8 or 9 appointments per day is
recommended. Inform the students of their appointment times at least 1 to 3 days in advance.
As mentioned above, one class period may be used for some of the meetings.

Tell the students they must bring the portfolio with them to the conference. Otherwise you
cannot meet with them, and they will receive a mark of ‘0’. This would also be a good time to
review the portfolio assessment criteria.

Meet with the students. In each conference you will:
1) Discuss the purpose of the conference and the portfolio. Make sure these are clear to the
student.
2) Talk about what the student has identified as goals for the 1st half of the semester, their
progress toward those goals, and their current strengths and weaknesses.
3) Ask the student to give you their self-assessment of their portfolio work (using the rubric
and providing appropriate documentation, e.g. their planner, learning reflections,
evidence for the reflections, vocabulary logs, etc.).
4) Using the rubric and feedback boxes on the back of the rubric, and taking the student’s
self-assessment into consideration, assess the student’s portfolio. Quickly review and
discuss with the student anything that needs to be changed or improved. Recommend
other learning resources (e.g. CALL programmes in the LC labs, EFL/ESL websites, the
Writing Centre, etc.) that could help the student with one or more specific goals.
5) Ask the student if s/he would like to talk about anything else related to the portfolio.
6) Time permitting, talk to the student about any other important topics/issues related to
his/her studies at SQU.
Second Conference (during Weeks 13 or 14 on portfolio work completed since the 1st conference)

Set 10 to 15-minute conference appointments again during weeks 12, 13, and 14 and have the
students sign up. A maximum of 8 or 9 appointments per day is recommended. As mentioned
above, one class period may be used for some of the meetings.

Tell the students they must bring the portfolio with them to the conference. Otherwise you
cannot meet with them, and they will lose some marks because their conference will need to be
rescheduled.

Review the portfolio assessment criteria in class a few days before the conferences start.

Meet with the students. In each conference you will:
1) Briefly review the purpose of the conference.
2) Talk about the goals that the student has identified for the preceding 6-7 weeks of the
semester, their progress toward those goals, and their current strengths and weaknesses.
3) Ask the student to give you their self-assessment (using the rubric) of their portfolio work
since the 1st assessment conference.
[18]
4) Using the rubric and feedback boxes on the back of the rubric, and taking the student’s
self-assessment into consideration, do your assessment of the portfolio. Quickly review
and discuss with the student any things that need to be changed or improved.
Recommend other learning resources (e.g. CALL programmes in the LC labs, EFL/ESL
websites, the Writing Centre, etc.) that could help the student with one or more specific
goals.
5) Ask the student if s/he would like to talk about anything else related to the portfolio.
6) Time permitting, talk to the student about any other important topics/issues related to
his/her studies at SQU.
Caveats

Feedback to Student
 To address weaknesses identified by the student and/or by you, you can refer the
student to the appropriate resource(s) at the Language Centre, for example, the Library,
the Tutorial Center, the Writing Center, the CALL programmes available in the computer
labs, etc.

Self-Assessment (essential!)
 Make sure that your students do a self-assessment of their portfolio work before each
conference. They should use the assessment rubric to self-assess and then bring the
rubric with them to the meeting. Ongoing self-assessment of portfolios is a vital part of
the reflective learning process.

Peer Assessment (optional)
 Prior to a portfolio conference, have students work in pairs in class to assess one or
more elements of each other’s portfolio work. This peer assessment can then be used as
a discussion point during the conference.

Getting feedback from skills teachers
 In some cases, it may be very helpful to get a skills teacher’s assessment of a student’s
strengths and weaknesses. You may use the Teacher Feedback Form (p. 21), or you may
get the feedback you need in any other way, e.g. by email, direct contact, etc.
[19]
Portfolio Assessment Rubric for 1-Level Courses
(FPEL 0400/0500/0600/0603/0604)
Student’s Name: ______________________________
Section: _____
Date:
Criteria
_________
Mark
Portfolio Organization (1)
 Portfolio is complete (i.e. all required elements are in file).
 Portfolio elements are in separate sections in a logical sequence.
Academic Planner and Time Management (1)

Planner includes all (or nearly all) important common dates: due dates
for assignments, presentation dates, quiz and test dates, etc.
 Planner also includes some individual study-related dates/deadlines.
 Student comes to assessment conference on time.
Independent learning activities (4)



All records of the reflective activities completed are included in the
portfolio with appropriate evidence (for full marks students are required
to complete substantially more than the in-class reflections).
The independent learning activities selected are relevant to student’s
proficiency level and learning goals.
Comments on activities done reflect independent thinking about
strengths/weaknesses and appropriate learning strategies.
Vocabulary Log (4)





The required number of vocabulary log entries has been completed.
Each log includes the required minimum number of words.
New words chosen are appropriate for the level.
Student uses systematic and accurate (i.e. few errors) method(s) of
recording new vocabulary.
Student demonstrates understanding of new words and ability to use
them correctly. (in log entries AND in conference)
Comments:
Total: ____/10
Awarding Tenths of One Mark
While the maximum mark for each criterion is a whole number, any number of tenths of one mark may be awarded to a student. For
example, if the organization of the portfolio is excellent but with one or two flaws, the mark given might be .9. If the learning
reflections are good, the mark awarded might be 3.2 (80%). If a student’s vocabulary log work is fair (less than good but of a passing
standard), the mark given might be .7 or .75.
[20]
Portfolio Assessment Rubric
Student’s Name: _________________________________________ Section: ________
Assessments
1st
Criteria
2nd
Portfolio Organization (1)
 Portfolio is complete (i.e. all required elements are in file).
 Portfolio elements are in separate sections in a logical sequence.
Academic Planner and Time Management (1)
 Planner includes all (or nearly all) important common dates: due dates for
assignments, presentation dates, quiz and test dates, etc.
 Planner also includes some individual study-related dates/deadlines.
 Student comes to assessment conference on time.
Independent learning activities (4)
 All records of the reflective activities completed are included in the
portfolio with appropriate evidence (for full marks students are required
to complete substantially more than just the in-class reflections).
 The independent learning activities selected are relevant to student’s
proficiency level and learning goals.
 Comments on activities done reflect independent thinking about
strengths/weaknesses and appropriate learning strategies.
Vocabulary Log (4)
 Required number of vocabulary log entries have been completed.
 Each log includes the required minimum number of words.
 New words chosen are appropriate for the level.
 Student uses systematic and accurate (i.e. few errors) method(s) of
recording new vocabulary.
 Student demonstrates understanding of new words and ability to use
them correctly. (in log entries AND in assessment conference)
Total:
Comments:
___/10
___/10
Final mark out of 10:
(= average of 1st & 2nd)
NOTE:
1) While the maximum mark for each criterion is a whole number, any number of tenths of one mark may be awarded to a student. For example, if
the organization of the portfolio is excellent but with one or two flaws, the mark given might be .9. If the learning reflections are good, the mark
awarded might be 3.2 (80%). If a student’s vocabulary log work is fair (less than good but of a passing standard), the mark given might be .7 or .75.
2) An additional (optional) assessment during Weeks 5-7 MAY be offered to students who get a low mark on the 1st assessment in Week 4/5. In this
case the 1st column should be used to enter both the first assessment and the additional assessment marks. Then these marks should be averaged to
arrive at the revised mark for the first assessment.
[21]
The form below (or a variation of it) may be used by a skills teacher to give feedback to
the student or the portfolio advisor on a student’s strengths/weaknesses.
Teacher Feedback Form
Student’s Name________________ Section______________ ID ________________
Date______ Teacher’s name_____________________ Skill area _______________
Teacher comments:
Date______ Teacher’s name_____________________ Skill area _______________
Teacher comments:
Date______ Teacher’s name_____________________ Skill area _______________
Teacher comments:
Date______ Teacher’s name_____________________ Skill area _______________
Teacher comments:
[22]
Appendix 1: Examples of Academic Planners
Homework Schedule for Week One (05 Feb – 09 Feb)
Saturday (05 Feb)
Sunday (06 Feb)
Monday (07 Feb)
Tuesday (08Feb)
Listening
Speaking:
Writing:
Study Skills:
Listening
Speaking:
Reading:
Speaking
Listening
Writing:
&
&
[23]
Reading:
Wednesday (09 Feb
)
&
Writing:
W Week
K Starting
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
5 Block 1
Begins
6
7
8
9
THURSDA
Y
10
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
24
26
27
28
1-Mar
2
3
4
FRIDAY
11
1 5-Feb
2 12-Feb
3 19-Feb
4 26-Feb
Note:
1. The above examples are blank templates, i.e. without the many details that a student would enter.
2. Any course may modify its planner prior to start of a new semester. Whatever course you are
assigned to, you will find the current template of the planner in the course-specific portfolio manual.
[24]
Appendix 2: Examples of Can-do Checklists
FPEL 0230
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Can do (√)
Cannot do (X)
First half of the
Second half of the
semester
semester
Learning Outcomes
Listening
guess the subject of a talk
‫أﺧﻤﻦ ﻣﻮﺿﻮع ﻣﺤﺎدﺛﺔ ﻣﺴﻤﻮﻋﺔ‬
listen for the main ideas in a talk
‫أﺳﺘﻤﻊ ﻷﺣﺪد اﻷﻓﻜﺎر اﻟﺮﺋﯿﺴﯿﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺤﺎدﺛﺔ ﻣﺎ‬
listen for information in a talk (statistics, dates, etc)
(‫أﺳﺘﻤﻊ ﻟﻠﺤﺼﻮل ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت ﻣﻦ ﻣﺤﺎدﺛﺔ ﻣﺎ )ﻛﺈﺣﺼﺎﺋﯿﺎت وﺑﯿﺎﻧﺎت ﻣﺜﻼ‬
take slow, simple dictation
‫أﻛﺘﺐ اﻟﻜﻠﻤﺎت اﻟﺘﻲ ﯾﺘﻢ إﻣﻼؤھﺎ ﺑﺼﻮرة ﺑﻄﯿﺌﺔ وﻣﺒﺴﻄﺔ‬
identify who is speaking in a conversation
‫أﺣﺪد ھﻮﯾﺔ اﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪث ﻓﻲ ﻣﺤﺎدﺛﺔ ﻣﺎ‬
identify the topic of a conversation or talk
‫أﺣﺪد ﻣﻮﺿﻮع ﻣﺤﺎدﺛﺔ ﻣﺴﻤﻮﻋﺔ‬
understand and follow instructions
‫أﻓﮭﻢ وأﺗﺒﻊ اﻟﺘﻌﻠﯿﻤﺎت‬
recognize signpost phrases
.‫أﻣﯿﺰ أھﻢ اﻷﻟﻔﺎظ اﻟﻠﻐﻮﯾﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺤﺎدﺛﺔ أو ﻧﺺ ﻣﺴﻤﻮع‬
use background knowledge to predict content
.‫اﺳﺘﺨﺪم ﻣﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎﺗﻲ اﻟﻌﺎﻣﺔ ﻟﻠﺘﻨﺒﺆ ﺑﻤﺤﺘﻮى ﻣﺤﺎدﺛﺔ أو ﻧﺺ ﻣﺴﻤﻮع‬
understand the speaker’s purpose from the introduction to a lecture
.‫أﻓﮭﻢ ﻏﺎﯾﺔ اﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪث ﻣﻦ ﺧﻼل اﻻﺳﺘﻤﺎع اﻟﻰ ﻣﻘﺪﻣﺔ ﻣﺤﺎﺿﺮة ﻣﺎ‬
‫أﺟﺪ‬transfer specific information from a listening text into a table or diagram
.‫ﻣﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت ﻣﺤﺪده ﻣﻦ ﻧﺺ ﻣﺴﻤﻮع ﻻﻛﻤﺎل ﺟﺪول أو ﻣﺨﻄﻂ‬
take notes and answer questions about a longer listening text e.g. lecture,
news broadcast
.‫أدون ﻣﻼﺣﻈﺎت وأﺟﯿﺐ ﻋﻦ أﺳﺌﻠﺔ ﺣﻮل ﻧﺺ ﻣﺴﻤﻮع ﻛﻤﺤﺎﺿﺮة أو ﻧﺸﺮة اﺧﺒﺎرﯾﺔ‬
Speaking
start, take part and finish simple conversations….
‫أﺷﺎرك ﻓﻲ اﻟﻤﺤﺎدﺛﺎت اﻟﺒﺴﯿﻄﺔ‬
ask for personal information (simple questions)
(‫أﺳﺘﻔﺴﺮ ﻋﻦ ﻣﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت ﺷﺨﺼﯿﺔ )ﻃﺮح أﺳﺌﻠﺔ ﺑﺴﯿﻄﺔ‬
talk about yourself, your daily routine and what you like or dislike
‫اﺗﺤﺪث ﻋﻦ ﻧﻔﺴﻲ‬
use correct pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar
‫أﻧﻄﻖ اﻟﻜﻠﻤﺎت ﺑﺼﻮرة ﺻﺤﯿﺤﺔ‬
paraphrase information from a spoken text
‫أﻋﯿﺪ ﺻﯿﺎﻏﺔ ﻣﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت ﻣﻦ ﻧﺺ ﻣﺴﻤﻮع‬
Remember that there are also other important skills covered in the previous courses, which may be tested in the final
exams.
[25]
Appendix 3: Examples of Weekly Learning Reflections
WEEK ______
DATE_____________
CHOOSE ONE ACTIVITY THAT YOU LIKED IN THIS SKILL- A HANDOUT OR A GAME OR ANY ESSAY/ARTICLE YOU
WROTE, ANYTHING YOU READ, HOMEWORK YOU WERE ASSIGNED, OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU DID OUTSIDE THE
CLASSROOM TO IMPROVE THIS SKILL (READING, WRITING, LISTENING, SPEAKING, VOCABULARY, MOODLE,
OTHER)
The activity involved the following language and/or study skills:
reflection log)
(Circle a skill you chose for this
WRITING
READING
SPEAKING LISTENING
VOCABULARY STUDY SKILLS OTHER ____________________
THE ACTIVITY / WORK I LIKED THIS WEEK WAS:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
THIS ACTIVITY / WORK WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Assessing My Learning Progress
This activity helped me become stronger in
following areas:
(Strengths)
In this skill area, I need to
work on the following areas:
(Weaknesses)
work to work on the
What will I do next to improve my weak areas?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
FOR EVIDENCE, I HAVE INCLUDED A PHOTOCOPY OF THIS WORK/ACTIVITY.
[26]
YES / NO (Circle what applies.)
Personal Learning Reflection
Student Portfolio
Name: ________________ Reflection Number: _______ Date: ______
Activity
This is: A. An activity I did in class
B. A new activity that I chose
The learning activity that I chose was:
Skill Focus
I chose this activity in order to work on the following language and/or study skills: (Circle all that apply.)
WRITING
READING
NOTE-TAKING
SPEAKING
LISTENING
VOCABULARY
RESEARCHING
OTHER(s):___________________________ (if other(s), please explain)
Learning Goal(s)
This activity is connected to the following learning goal(s) for this block? (ie: Can-do list)
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Learning strategies:
These are the learning strategies I used to develop or improve in the “Skill Focus” area for this reflection?
(See learning strategies sheet.)
Pre-activity Strategies:
i.e. Reading: Looking at title/subtitles and skim the text before reading in detail
During -Activity Strategies:
i.e. Reading: guessing the meanings of some new words from the context
Post-Activity Strategies:
i.e. Listening: Discussing the listening (live or recorded) with another student who has also listened to it.
Usefulness (Assessing my learning progress)
What did I learn from this activity? How/why was it useful – or not useful?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
How to Improve
Some ways that I think I can improve more to help me achieve the learning goals for this reflection are:
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
[27]
Appendix 4: Examples of Midterm and End-of-Term Learning Reflections
FPEL 0560
End of term reflection
DO NOT COMPLETE THIS UNTIL WEEK 8 OR 9
Review the Language Learning goals you wrote about during the first week 1 of the level. As you think about the
goals you set for yourself, respond to the following questions on the lines below. Write in complete sentences.
Use more paper if you need space:




What progress have you made on the areas of your language you wanted to improve?
What progress have you made on your language learning goals the last 7 weeks?
What part or parts of your goals have you made progress on?
What parts need more work?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
[28]
Appendix 5: Examples of Vocabulary Logs
Vocabulary Log for FPEL 0230
Vocabulary Log: Week _____
No. Word
POS Meaning
(English)
Arabic
Class Moodle Outside Source Sentence
translation
[29]
Vocabulary Log for 0340
Name: ____________________
Word
Date: _______________
Part of
Definition
Speech
Source Sentence
Student’s Sentence
Word
Part of
Definition
Speech
Source Sentence
Student’s Sentence
Word
Part of
Definition
Speech
Source Sentence
Student’s Sentence
30
Week: ______
EEAL FPEL0560 Student Portfolio
Vocabulary Log
Name: ______________________ Week: ____ Spring, 2011
_________
In this activity, you will use 3 different methods (ways) of learning new vocabulary that are presented in
ASR: Book 3 (see pp. 6 and 7).
Part 1: Exploring 4 New Words ( = method 2 in ASR, p.6)
Some words do not have synonyms. If this is the case, just write ‘none’.
1
New word
Part of speech
Sentence where
found
My own sentence
In Arabic:
Synonym (if any)
2
New word
Part of speech
Sentence where
found
My own sentence
In Arabic:
Synonym (if any)
3
New word
Part of speech
Sentence where
found
My own sentence
In Arabic:
Synonym (if any)
4
New word
Part of speech
Sentence where
found
My own sentence
In Arabic:
Synonym (if any)
31
Part 2: Researching Word Families (= method 3 in ASR, p. 6)
Find the complete “word family” for 3 new words. A word family means all of the different forms (parts of
speech) of a word that exist. Underline the 1st word in the family - the word that you start with. Then use a
good English-English dictionary to find the other words. If a word form does not exist (e.g. the word has no
adjective form), put a big ‘X’ in the box.
Verb
Noun(s)
Adjective(s)
Adverb
Part 3: Finding Words with Prefixes
Find 2 new words that start with prefixes – for example, un, in, im, dis, pre, post, inter, intra, re, over, under,
trans, up, down, de, mis, co, con, ultra, semi, quasi, ex, super, pro, anti, eco, etc.
Prefix and meaning
Word
Meaning of Word
Part 4: Creating a Word Web
Choose a new word and create a word web (like the one on p. 7 in ASR) that includes meaning(s), parts of
speech, synonyms and collocations. If you need more space, you can use a separate sheet of paper.
32
Appendix 6: Glossary (for students)
Note to Portfolio Advisors: The following glossary is an optional aid for students. You could use it as it is
or adapt it to your own needs and the level of your students.
This glossary is an alphabetical list of terms in language learning with the definitions for those terms. It
contains explanations of words that you can use for your portfolio reflections and that will help you to
understand your teacher's comments.
The purpose of this glossary is to help you
a) understand the materials that are provided to be used in your portfolio, such as, Cando-lists, reflection forms, etc.
b) write about your learning experience, using these terms or synonyms.
Accuracy (n.) - when you produce language with few errors.
Active vocabulary (adj.+n.) - vocabulary that you use in speaking and writing.
Assess (v.) - to judge or decide the amount, value, quality or importance of something, i.e. how much you
improve in something.
Attitude (n.) – your beliefs, feelings, values about something. Attitude affects your ability to learn but is
unrelated to intelligence, talent, etc.
Authenticity (n.) – a quality of being real or true, not made up, e.g. 'authenticity of a source'.
Authentic (adj.) – real, true, not made, e.g. 'an authentic source'.
Background knowledge (adj.+n,) – what you already know about a subject that helps you to understand it
better, e.g. it can help you to understand a text you read or a lecture you listen to.
Challenge (n.) – something that needs great intellectual or physical effort in order to be done successfully,
e.g 'learning challenges'.
Coherence (n.) – logical, orderly and consistent relations of parts, e.g. 'coherence of a text'.
Collocation (n) - the way words are often used together, e.g. 'do the dishes' and 'do homework', but 'make
the bed' and 'make noise'.
Contexual clues (adj.+n.), also "context clues" – information from the text that, together your own
knowledge, help you to understand the meaning of the text, or the meaning of unknown words in the text.
Course (n) – a 16-week full semester course of study in the Foundation Programme. Each course consists of
two proficiency levels. For example, in 0340 students start at Level 3 and then move to Level 4 in the
second half of the semester.
33
Evidence (n.) - something which shows that something else exists or is true, proof, confirmation, e.g. 'There
is no evidence to support this theory'.
Feedback (n.) – answer, reply, response, reaction to the result of an activity or process, e.g. 'Students were
asked for feedback on the new curriculum'.
Fluency (n.) - natural, normal speech characterized by right pauses, intonation, stress, word choice and
interruptions.
Identify (v.) – to recognize a problem, fact, idea, etc. and show that it exists, e.g. 'Students needs were
identified during the discussion'.
Imply (v.) - to express an idea or feeling without saying it directly, e.g. 'implied information' vs 'stated
information'.
Infer (v.) - to conclude, guess correctly that something is true because of the information that you have,
e.g. 'We see smoke and infer fire'.
Insight (n.) - a clear, deep understanding of a problem, a situation, etc, e.g. 'I got more insights about
students' life from talking to SQU students' .
Issue (n.) - a subject, problem or topic which people are thinking and talking about, e.g. 'Free higher
education is an important issue in many countries'.
Flow (n.) – move or progress without interruption, e.g. 'flow of ideas'.
Goal (n.) –an aim, a case, an objective, e.g. 'My goal in life is to become a good specialist'.
Graphical data (adj.+n.) - information presented by a graph.
Layout (n.) - the way that something is planned and organized, e.g. 'The layout of his essay is very good'.
Level (n) – See “proficiency level.”
Passive vocabulary (adj.+n.) - vocabulary that students have heard and can understand, but do not
necessarily use when they speak or write.
Proficiency level (n) - a level of English language study in the Foundation Programme. Most full semester
courses cover two proficiency levels. There are six proficiency levels altogether.
Reliability (n.) - the quality of being reliable or trustful, e.g. 'reliability of a source'.
Reliable (adj.) - trustful, tried and true, e.g. 'This book is a reliable source of information'.
Respond (v.) - to say or write something as an answer to a question or request, reply, e.g. 'The students
responded well to a very difficult task'.
State (v.) - to say or write something clearly and carefully, e.g. 'stated information'
information'.
34
vs
'implied
Strategy (n.) - for 'learning strategy', methods or actions you use to learn better or to do a task, e.g. to
remember words.
Reflect (v.) - to think seriously about something and to express these thoughts, e.g. 'to reflect about your
learning experience'.
Relevant (adj.) – related, connected or useful to something, e.g. 'This information is relevant for my
presentation'. Relevancy (n.)
Scan (v.) - to read quickly for specific information.
Signpost (n.) - a key phrase or word that signals a change or indicates a certain point in the topic.
Skim (v.) - to read quickly for the main idea or general information.
Utilize (v.) - to use something in an effective way.
Sources:
Cambridge Dictionaries Online. (2011). Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://dictionary.cambridge.org
Kearsley, G. (2011, March 10). The Theory into Practice Database. Retrieved March 10, 2011, from
http://tip.psychology.org
Language Matters. (2007, March 21). Glossary of Language Teaching Terms and ideas. Retrieved March 21,
2011, from http://languageinstinct.blogspot.com/2007/03/glossary-of-language-teaching-terms-and.html
Merriam Webster Online Dictionary. (2011). Retrieved March
webster.com
3, 2011, from http://www.merriam-
The Association for Qualitative Research. (2011, March 4). Qualitative Research Glossary. Retrieved March
4, 2011, from http://www.aqr.org.uk/glossary/
The Free Dictionary by Farlex.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com
(2011,
March
35
11).
Retrieved
March
11,
2011,
from
Appendix 7: Summary of Report on Portfolio Piloting in 2010-2011
The FPEL Portfolio
Piloting
Submitted by Teresa Goff-Lindsay
6/20/2011
Curriculum Development Unit
The Language Centre
June 2011
36
1
2
Introduction
The CDU was asked to oversee piloting of portfolios in the General Foundation Program based on a proposal
approved in the spring of 2010. This proposal focused on two goals: enhancing student motivation and
meeting the requirements of the Oman Academic Standards for General Foundation Programmes. The FPEL
portfolio aims to motivate students by giving them some autonomy in terms of selecting their own goals and
choosing activities that enable them to work towards the achievement of those goals. The portfolio is
intended to be a selection of work a student has done (not a collection of everything), demonstrating what a
student believes to have been important during the Foundation Program. Its use should also encourage
students to develop study skills such as organizing course materials and time management. Five portfolio
elements were proposed: a cover letter, term planner, vocabulary log, reflective journal and selfassessment. The proposal stipulated that there should be formative and summative assessment of
students’ portfolio work, and that the assessment should include self-evaluation, peer assessment and
teacher assessment. During the 2010-2011 academic year the piloting project tested the proposed portfolio
in over 30 FPEL sections to assess its usefulness to students and to determine how to best fit it into the
existing courses and teacher timetables.
Piloting Study Findings
Feedback was collected from over 600 students and 18 teachers across three blocks: Fall Block 2, 2010
through Spring Block 2, 2011. Students responded to both Likert scale statements and open ended
questions focusing on how helpful they felt the portfolio was overall as well as how useful they found
the individual elements. Teachers filled out questionnaires about the time required both in and out of
class to implement portfolios, which elements worked and which needed some improvement, and
whether students used class time to write their learning reflections or did them as homework.
2.1 Students
2.1.1 Likert scale: The majority of students felt that the portfolio in general was helpful to their
studies across all three blocks although its usefulness decreased slightly over the period
from 86% of students who found it useful in Fall Block 2, to 80% in Spring Block 2. Of the
four different elements, the planner and the vocabulary log were found more useful to the
students than the reflections and self-assessment. However, at least 72% of the students
still found the latter two elements helpful. Looking at gender differences, the female
students found the portfolio more useful than the male students, but it was only a 12%
difference. Overall, across the blocks, levels and between the genders, students clearly
agreed that the portfolio had helped them with their language acquisition in the Foundation
Programme.
2.1.2 Open ended questions: The students were also asked for their opinion on what the purpose
of the portfolio was and invited to make additional comments about its use. The purpose
answers seemed to parallel how useful students found the different elements, with a large
majority of the students stating that the purpose of the portfolio had to do with time
management and learning vocabulary. However, the number of students who understood
the idea of making their own choices of goals and tasks to demonstrate progress towards or
achievement of those goals was minimal.
2.2 Teacher/Portfolio advisors
37
2.2.1
3
4
Teacher feedback expressed concern over the amount of time, both in class and in office
hours, which was consumed by overseeing portfolios. In the block system they were
expected to hold conferences with their students two times over the 8-week period. These
conferences averaged 5 hours of office time for each set of conferences. The amount of
class time spent on portfolios varied based on the level, with lower levels needing much
more time than higher levels in most cases. Teachers also found some of the suggested
templates too difficult and indicated there was a lack of support for things such as teaching
students about learning styles and strategies. Reflecting on their own learning is a new
concept for students, so teachers found it quite challenging to introduce it to them.
Another challenge was that the learning outcomes expressed on the “can-do’ checklists
were in some cases difficult for students to understand, impeding their ability to choose
goals for themselves.
Challenges faced
3.1 The concepts of autonomy, reflection and goal setting for learning proved difficult for students to grasp.
Students entering the Language Centre at SQU are grade driven. Shifting their focus from expecting the
teacher to tell them what to do to reflecting on what they can do and cannot do, setting their own goals and
selecting work to achieve these goals (and document them) was in most cases not very effective. This is
reflected in the students’ responses that they found the planner and vocabulary logs, two things with which
they were already familiar, more helpful than the self-assessment and learning reflections, and in their belief
that the main purpose of the portfolio was about learning vocabulary and managing their time.
3.2 Continuity was problematic. Ideally, piloting teachers should have followed the same group of students
across two blocks to replicate what will be done in the fall semester. However, this happened only in very
limited cases and only at Levels 5 to 6 as many students who had piloted were assigned to different sections
with each new block. This meant that the piloting teacher had to spend two weeks introducing the portfolio
elements in classes where some students had done portfolios for one block and others had not.
3.3 Trying to pilot in blocks while preparing for portfolios in a semester system also challenged the piloting
team. Many of the support materials had to be developed for two different systems: the block system in
which teachers were currently piloting and the semester system that teachers will be working in next year.
3.4 Organizing and coordinating the piloting of portfolios was also challenging due to the sheer number of
people involved, including students, piloting teachers, project assistants, programme coordinators, TAU
representatives, and members of the CDU. Overall, communication among the various groups was good but
sometimes slow. In addition, there were multiple changes in leadership with an additional CDU member coleading in the second block piloted and then being replaced upon her retirement from CDU by a member of
the portfolio assistant/piloting team.
Recommendations
The strongly favorable response from students supports implementation of a reflective portfolio across
Levels 2 through 6 in the Foundation Programme in the fall semester of 2011-2012. That portfolio will
consist of the elements described below.
4.1 Elements of the portfolio:

Academic planner: This element addresses the issue of student awareness of time management as
stated in the OAAA document. On their planner students will keep track of dates for assignments,
quizzes, presentations and other important course activities. It is recommended that the
38



information entered on the planner become more detailed/complex as students advance through
the Foundation Program.
“Can do” checklist: The checklist assists students in self-assessment. It is made up of simplified
statements which correlate with the FPEL curriculum learning outcomes of each level. Students use
this self-assessment to identify strengths and weaknesses and to set goals for the level.
Learning reflections: The original elements of reflective journal and cover letter have been
combined here as it was felt that both serve the same purpose – to have students consider what
they have learned in the current or previous week and in the previous level, respectively. Reflecting
promotes critical thinking, enables students to monitor and report on their learning in general and
enables students to assess their progress towards the goals they have set for themselves on the
“can do” checklist. Reflections are evidence based with students including in their portfolios
evidence of the work which they have reflected on. The reflections over the course of one semester
(2 levels) have been broken down into:
 Weekly reflections where students pinpoint what they believe has been most
beneficial during the current or previous week.
 A midterm reflection where students assess themselves on their progress over the
first level of the semester.
 An end-of-term reflection which summarizes what the students feel they have
accomplished overall during the semester.
Vocabulary log: This, the final element, helps to students to build a more extensive vocabulary bank
and to use a variety of effective strategies for learning and retaining new vocabulary. Both the
number of words recorded per week and their difficulty increase as students move to higher levels
with upper level students encouraged to focus on vocabulary specific to their field of study.
4.2 Assessment:
Portfolios should be primarily by evaluated through formative assessment. This means that portfolio
advisors (the teachers who monitor and assess portfolios in one FPEL section) should be expected to
give students ongoing feedback between the two scheduled assessment conferences. However, since
many students at this time tend to work for grades, it is deemed necessary to summatively assess
portfolios as well. (Ultimately it is recommended that the grading/marking of portfolios be
discontinued. Some form of assessment without marks might continue.) Currently portfolios are
assessed in two ways:

Student/Portfolio advisor conferences: During these conferences (two per semester), the student
and portfolio advisor discuss and agree upon the grade the student has earned based on the work
submitted in the portfolio. The advisor will also give the student suggestions for improvement.

Informal checks: In addition, during the weeks between the two conferences the advisor makes
random checks when students are otherwise occupied in class to see that students are keeping up
their portfolio work. This area of assessment will continue to be fine tuned in the next semester
when we expect to pilot a more global assessment format. Ultimately, it is hoped we can do away
with assessment of the portfolio.

Checking single reflections or vocabulary logs that are handed in: Occasionally, the advisor could
collect and assess (formatively – without giving a mark) one vocabulary log or one learning
reflection. Alternatively, students could submit one reflection by email. This should not be done
regularly (it would take too much time) and entire portfolios should not be collected.
39
4.3 Responsibilities:
Implementing portfolios in the fall of 2011-2012 will bring new responsibilities for programme/level
coordinators, portfolio advisors (the teachers who monitor and assess student portfolios in one section) and
skills teachers (those teaching a course to a section but not assessing portfolios):
Coordinators:

Assign portfolio advisors to sections.

Ensure all teachers know what to do.

Place student/advisor conferences on pacing schedule.

Post current programme-specific portfolio manual (including templates of the elements and the
assessment rubric) on Moodle.

Ensure that all teachers go over learning outcomes with students in the first class.

Monitor continuous assessment on Mooodle.
Portfolio advisors/teachers

Introduce all 4 elements of portfolios and guide students in their use.

Assist students in selecting appropriate goals (while using the checklist of ‘can do’ statements)

Review level specific changes at midterm.

Monitor and assess students on an ongoing basis.

Schedule and conduct 2 assessment conferences per semester.
Skills teachers:

Review learner outcomes with students on the first day of class.

Have students complete can-do lists on course outline.

Ensure students enter important deadlines on their academic planners.

Inform their section’s portfolio advisor of important deadlines (to be entered on planner)
before the portfolio conferences.
5
Challenges to come
Based on feedback from students, the portfolio team and the piloting teachers there are a number of issues
which will need further attention.
5.1 Materials development is needed in a number of areas. Students need level appropriate support in
understanding different learning styles/types as well as learning strategies. These would be basic at the
lowest levels and become more extensive as students move through the levels. In addition, exercises in
reflection need to be developed to enable students to improve their critical thinking skills and enable them
to better select goals from the self-assessment lists and chose activities which will help them achieve those
goals. Again, this needs to be relatively simple at the lower levels, becoming more advanced at the higher
levels.
5.2 The assessment rubric will need to be further addressed. This has been an ongoing challenge with
multiple variations considered by the portfolio team over the piloting period. Developing a rubric that
achieves the ideal balance of being easy for teachers and students to understand and reliable in marking
40
student portfolios will be an ongoing process. A second more global rubric has been developed for piloting
with some sections at each level in the fall to see if this might be a better form of assessment.
5.3 Further feedback from teachers will be needed to fine tune the shift from blocks to semesters. Data also
needs to be collected from students to find out, with all students using portfolios, if they still find portfolios
useful as well as whether or not they have a better grasp of their purpose. The long-term aim will be to
continue to fine tune support materials to assist our students in becoming more autonomous and
independent life-long learners.
5.4 The E-Portfolio project should be piloted in upper levels to ascertain its viability. There are currently
several concepts in consideration.
6
Acknowledgements
The piloting project was carried out with the assistance of Monique Yoder, Amita Sanghvi, Anthony Schiera,
Heather Drake, Sarah Khan, Liubov Sckirkina, Anne Gilhooly, Francis Cook*, Nicholas Hilmers**, Khalil Al-Nabbi,
and Barbara Voigt.
*Co-leader in Spring Block 1
**Co-leader in Spring Block 2
41