E-portfolios and Cross-Cultural Assessment

It is difficult to collect evidence of adequate performance if an assessor and the assessees have different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This paper considers three entries in student portfolios where the assessor tried to understand the students and their achievement, rather than to rate it. Three approaches were followed: positivist, post-structural /interpretive and feminist/holistic. Sources of data include artifacts produced by students for inclusion in the portfolio, assessment rubrics and assessment scores. Results indicate that portfolio assessment with criteria negotiated between the instructor/assessor, the learners and their peers allow for a rich thick evaluation that adds to the development of the learners. Detailed assessment rubrics stifled student creativity, while open-ended tasks with video feedback enhanced it. Further research needs to be conducted into standardizing the procedures of auditing assessments, rather than standardizing procedures of assessing.