Portfolio & Viva as an Alternative Assessment of and for the Learning of Calculus

The traditional pen and paper tests, written quizzes and take-home assignments are the common methods of assessments in the teaching and learning of Calculus at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, a local university in Perak, Malaysia. However, these assessment methods are not able to measure students’ communication skills and their abilities in explaining how the problems are solved. As an alternative assessment of and for students’ learning of Calculus, portfolio and viva is used as one of the assessment methods in a class of one hundred and nine Foundation Program students streamed for the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Degree Program at this university. Students work in groups of five to deliver portfolios and viva at the end of a fourteen-week semester. All instructions and components to be included in the portfolio are clearly stated in a handout dispensed to students at the onset of the course. The main task of these students in their respective teams is to work on the application problems posed to them and consequently build paper-based Calculus learning portfolios and prepare for viva towards the end of the semester. Evaluations of the students’ abilities in the development of the portfolio and students abilities in their individual viva presentations are done by using the scoring rubrics developed by RubiStar. The purpose of this study is to look at how the students perform and respond to this method of and for assessment in the teaching and learning of Calculus. The development of portfolios reflects teamwork and leadership amongst students. This study also indicates that cooperative learning helps the weaker students to learn different techniques in doing problem solving from their peers. The viva reflects students understanding of the concepts and their abilities in relating methods of problem-solving. Responses from students also indicate that this assessment method not only assist them in learning but also promotes organization and discipline within themselves. The students’ academic performance at the end of fourteen-weeks reveals encouraging results.