00: The ICT CSTT Course Orientation

Topic: Assessment Strategy (Portfolios)

Overview

Assessment in modern teacher education goes beyond traditional examinations. One of the most effective and reflective approaches is portfolio-based assessment. A portfolio is not just a folder of work — it is a story of your professional growth, showing how you learn, teach, and apply ICT skills in real educational contexts.

In this course, portfolio assessment is used to evaluate teachers’ competencies under the Tanzania ICT Competency Standard for Teachers (ICT CSTT) framework. It helps you demonstrate your ability to integrate ICT into teaching and learning, reflect on your progress, and create digital evidence of professional development.

1. Understanding Portfolio-Based Assessment

Definition

A portfolio is a systematic and purposeful collection of a learner’s work that provides evidence of skills, progress, and achievements over a period of time (Paulson, Paulson & Meyer, 1991).
In the ICT CSTT context, it is a digital record of your teaching artifacts — such as ICT-integrated lesson plans, reflective journals, multimedia presentations, and assessment reports — that showcase your ability to use technology for teaching and learning.

Purpose

Portfolio-based assessment aims to:

• Encourage reflection on one’s learning and teaching practices.
• Promote creativity in presenting and applying ICT tools.
• Provide a comprehensive view of learning outcomes beyond written exams.
• Support lifelong learning by documenting progress over time.
• Demonstrate the integration of ICT competencies into educational practice.

Why It’s Important

Unlike exams that measure what you know at one moment, portfolios show how you grow as a learner and educator. They encourage you to think critically, evaluate your own work, and continuously improve.

Benefits Compared to Traditional Examinations

Aspect	Portfolio Assessment	Traditional Exams
Focus	Demonstrates practical skills and creativity	Focuses on memorization and recall
Learning Style	Encourages reflection and self-directed learning	Passive response to test questions
Feedback	Continuous and constructive	Usually one-time evaluation
Outcome	Shows long-term growth and improvement	Snapshot of knowledge at one point
Use of ICT	Integrates digital tools and media	Often paper-based

Example

A teacher develops a digital lesson plan using Google Classroom, reflects on student engagement through a journal, and submits a short video showing how the lesson was implemented. Together, these form a complete evidence-based portfolio.

2. Submission Guidelines and Deadlines

To ensure fairness and consistency, portfolio submissions follow structured procedures in Moodle.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Uploading Portfolios

1. Log in to your Moodle account using your username and password.
2. Go to your ICT CSTT Orientation Course.
3. Locate the Portfolio Submission activity on the course page.
4. Click Add Submission and upload your files in the accepted formats:
• Document files (Word, PDF)
• Multimedia files (PowerPoint, video, audio)
• Online links (e.g., Google Drive, Padlet, or YouTube)
5. Click Submit and confirm your upload.
6. Check for the “Submission Successful” notification.

Deadlines

• Draft Submission: [Insert date according to course schedule]
• Final Submission: [Insert date]
  ⚠️ Late submissions may receive lower grades unless prior approval is obtained.

Resubmission Policy

• Learners may revise and resubmit portfolios based on feedback from facilitators.
• Resubmissions must follow the same formatting and submission process.
• Only one resubmission may be allowed per module.

3. Grading Criteria and Feedback

Portfolios are assessed using a rubric, a detailed scoring guide that ensures transparency and fairness.

Key Elements Assessed

Criterion	Description
Relevance	The work aligns with course objectives and ICT CSTT standards.
Accuracy	Information is correct, well-researched, and appropriately applied.
Creativity	Innovative use of ICT tools and engaging presentation of content.
Reflection	Shows evidence of critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-assessment.
ICT Integration	Effective use of digital tools (e.g., PowerPoint, Kahoot, Canva, Moodle) in teaching.

Use of Rubrics

Rubrics describe performance levels (e.g., Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, Needs Improvement). This helps both the learner and assessor understand what is expected and how marks are awarded.

Feedback Process

• Facilitators review portfolios and provide constructive feedback through Moodle comments or attached notes.
• Learners should read, reflect, and revise their work based on the feedback.
• Feedback focuses on improving learning, not just grading performance.

4. Sample Portfolio Entries

To guide learners, here are examples of strong portfolio submissions:

1. Lesson Plan Using ICT Tools

• Includes objectives, activities, digital resources, and assessment methods.
• Example: A lesson integrating Kahoot quizzes, Google Docs collaborative writing, or interactive videos from OER repositories.

2. Reflective Journal

• Describes personal experiences, teaching challenges, and lessons learned.
• Example: “How I used Moodle discussion forums to enhance student participation.”

3. Multimedia Project

• A digital presentation, video, or infographic showing ICT integration in teaching.
• Example: A PowerPoint or Canva presentation summarizing a teaching project using OER.

4. OER Integration Portfolio

• Demonstrates how open resources were adapted for classroom use.
• Example: Adapting materials from OER Africa or TESSA to design a local ICT teaching guide.

Formatting and Presentation Tips

• Use clear headings, dates, and consistent formatting.
• Include references for any materials or OERs used.
• Save files using meaningful names (e.g., LessonPlan_JaneDoe_Week3.pdf).
• Ensure all uploaded materials are in accessible formats (e.g., readable fonts, captions for videos).
• Maintain professionalism in layout and design.

5. Summary

Portfolio-based assessment provides a rich, authentic, and reflective way to evaluate teachers’ ICT competencies. It allows learners to:

• Showcase real teaching experiences.
• Reflect on their professional growth.
• Apply ICT tools effectively in classroom settings.
• Receive continuous feedback and improve over time.

When combined with Open Educational Resources (OER), portfolios become not just assessment tools, but also knowledge-sharing artifacts that contribute to the global community of educators.

Key Takeaway

Portfolio assessment shifts the focus from “What do you know?” to “What can you do with what you know?”
By maintaining a well-organized, reflective, and ICT-integrated portfolio, teachers demonstrate both their technical skills and their capacity for continuous learning — key goals of the Tanzania ICT Competency Standard for Teachers.

References

1.     Paulson, F. L., Paulson, P. R., & Meyer, C. A. (1991). What Makes a Portfolio a Portfolio? Educational Leadership, 48(5), 60–63.

2. UNESCO. (2019). Recommendation on Open Educational Resources (OER). Paris: UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000370936
3. Butcher, N., & Moore, A. (2015). Understanding Open Educational Resources. Vancouver: Commonwealth of Learning (COL). https://oercommons.org
4. Commonwealth of Learning (COL). (2022). Teacher Education and OER Integration Guidelines. Vancouver: COL.
5. Barrett, H. (2010). Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(2), 1–14.
6. Anderson, T. (2017). The Theory and Practice of Online Learning (2nd ed.). Athabasca University Press.
7. Open University of Tanzania (OUT). (2023). Moodle Orientation and Assessment Guide. Dar es Salaam: OUT Press.
8. OER Africa. (2024). Open Resources for Teacher Education. https://www.oerafrica.org
9. TESSA (Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa). (2023). Open Educational Resources for Teachers. https://www.tessafrica.net