Journal of College Student Development

Institutions of higher education are increasingly seeking innovative assessment techniques to measure student achievement and learning. [End Page 128] Texts written by Michelson and Mandell (2004) and Zubizarreta (2004) enhance the discussion and evaluation of portfolios as effective assessments of student learning.

Michelson and Mandell provide an insightful discussion of the historical context of portfolio development and the variety of diverse approaches available to demonstrate knowledge of today's students within our campus learning environments. This comprehensive volume focuses on the changing context of portfolio development in the academic environment. Instead of concentrating on traditional issues of assessing prior learning, this volume takes a broad view of portfolio development as it encompasses issues ranging from multicultural inclusive strategies, fostering partnerships with industry and corporate communities, to computer-mediated technological strategies for demonstrating proficiency. The authors' unique focus on portfolio development provides faculty and student development professionals with a holistic framework to examine assessment in terms of growth, achievement, and the demonstration of prior learning. They recognize that the challenge of appropriately assessing prior knowledge has system-wide implications that can impact students' perceptions of the campus learning environment.

A major strength of the text by Michelson and Mandell is its utilization of case studies, real life examples of portfolio development, and campus leaders' responses that illustrate the necessity for additional thought and planning. The text provides practical advice on implementing services and programs to better meet students' needs. It is a helpful resource to facilitate discussion with students regarding assessment and the importance of measuring previous learning experiences. Faculty and student affairs professionals especially can appreciate students' perceptions of their academic performance and how these perceptions impact every aspect of their educational experiences. Faculty members, administrators, and student development professionals will find the case studies and responses particularly helpful to evaluate the effectiveness of the current assessment strategies, collaborations, and testing programs in existence on their own campuses. The thought provoking chapters will provide a valuable resource to facilitate an important discussion of assessment of student learning for those working in a wide variety of campus communities.

Zubizarreta further enhances the discussion of implementing learning portfolios by emphasizing the value of portfolios in facilitating reflective inquiry and fostering students' self-understanding. The text focuses on the importance of writing in the assessment process as well as the powerful learning experience that is fostered through the combination of reflection, documentation, and collaboration. It is this specific combination Zubizarreta utilizes to build the foundation of the text's discussion of important factors involved in developing an effective learning portfolio. Similar to Michelson and Mandell's text, the major highlight is the utilization of case studies to weave an illustrative argument for the integration of portfolios into the learning community. Zubizarreta's text expands on Michelson and Mandell's contextual discussion of learning portfolios and includes user-friendly checklists, guidelines, and sample portfolio contents to provide faculty and student development professionals with helpful tools for implementing portfolios on their own campuses. Michelson and Mandell's and Zubizarreta's texts clearly provide helpful tools to campus educators considering implementation of student learning portfolios and add insight into constructing effective portfolios that successfully assess student growth and achievement.