Learning Portfolio

Produce a major work that connects your experience in the course and the course themes to a contemporary complex problem in SoCIETIE. The design prompt for this task is to:

generate a critical or creative artefact that can be consumed in 6-8 minutes.

Let your imagination run wild! We’ll have an opportunity to informally share our ideas in the final week through the presentations, and optional tasks can be submitted to provide formative feedback.

LAWS4001

Students undertaking LAWS4001 must explore a complex legal issue using themes from the course, or otherwise demonstrate a strong connection to a legal perspective in their portfolio.

Milestones

These formative tasks help to develop your final learning portfolio through formative feedback. You may choose to complete all or none of these optional tasks. For optional tasks, late submissions or extensions not permitted.

(Optional) Learning Portfolio Scoping Plan

Due Monday Week 7. Complete the Portfolio Scoping Plan. (max. 10% for LAWS students)

(Optional) KNOT Completion Evidence

Due Friday Week 10. (max. 20% for LAWS students)

(Encouraged) 3-min Presentation

During Week 12. (max. 10% for LAWS students)

(Required) Final Learning Portfolio

Due Friday Week 12. (min. 60% for LAWS students)

Weighting

  • AATD: This task is a hurdle task
  • LAWS: This task makes up a maximum of 100% of the final grade.

Task description

Critically reflect, navigate and explore on the nature of complex problems

Produce a major work that connects your experience in the course and the course themes. You should be in the ‘swamp’ of interdisciplinary complexity!

We recommend framing your portfolio as a reflection or response:

  • based on a single complex problem or area, connecting to many different course themes
  • based on the nature of complexity itself, connecting to many different complex problems
  • as a reflective piece describing your journey through the course

(Optional) Learning Portfolio Scoping Plan

An opportunity for some early feedback. A template will be provided to allow you to get your initial ideas on paper. If you would like to discuss your ideas for a portfolio–-at any stage of the course–-please orientate yourself to the plan template so that you have an idea of the aspects you would like to consider.

Download

Download the Scoping Plan Template

The purpose of the scoping document is to help you formulate the final form of your portfolio. There are a number of prompts that we routinely think about when preparing portfolios, so this process should naturally lead to answering some of the frequently considered aspects.

The scoping document may take any form, but should not exceed 2 pages or equivalent. Bringing your Scoping Document to any class Consultation Session or discussing with your peers is welcome.

See the Class Grading Structure for an overview of how this item will be valued.

(Optional) KNOT Completion Evidence

See KNOT Completion Evidence for a description of the Task.

(Optional) 3-min Presentation

An opportunity share your ideas with the learning group. This is a celebration of your learning through the semester, not a competition (although, healthy competition welcome!)

Prepare a 3-minute presentation to share with the class. You may choose to include 1 slide without words. There will be time for discussion and Q&A.

The purpose of the presentation is to help you share what you have learnt either through the course, or bringing your ideas together for the final portfolio. It may be a final, close-to-final or work-in-progress presentation.

As an optional task, it is not required, but participation is strongly encouraged.

See the Class Grading Structure for an overview of how this item will be assessed.

Learning Portfolio/Artefact

This final piece brings together your experiences in the course. You should build on your reflections and experiences in the course. You are encouraged to start working on this early!

The broad prompts are:

  • consider a complex issue/idea/problem with respect to the SoCIETIE themes and your experience in the course.
  • produce a physical or digital artefact that can be consumed in 6-8 minutes (equivalent c.2,500 words)
  • format is completely open-ended. It could take the form of—but is not limited to—an essay, paper, report poster, digital presentation, video, website, podcast, blog series, magazine article, scholarly work, travel guide, exhibition, teaching tool, physical object, artwork or demonstration
  • the artefact should demonstrate scholarly activity, such as evidence, research and inquiry, as well as higher-order thinking, reflection and synthesis
  • where the artefact is open to interpretation (for example, as an artwork), we recommend providing a rationale or exegesis to orientate the reader to your thinking

Themes

The portfolio topic can be as free-ranging as you like. If you’re looking for inspiration, you could consider:

  • focussing on a specific problem or contemporary issue relevant to SoCIETIE
  • revisiting an issue in your discipline, but from a new perspective
  • synthesising your KNOT completion evidence into an holistic reflection/review/critique/expression
  • drawing connections between topics in SoCIETIE, and themes from relevant tutorials, activities, group work and sessions
  • expanding on your project within the course through a sharable artefact

We have some examples from the VC’s Courses of portfolios with a similar prompt, and will share these during the semester.

Guidance on Rationales

Regardless of the format in your final portfolio, it is recommended that you include a small rationale or exegesis to help clarify the purpose of the portfolio, and orientate others to its purpose. This is especially relevant to creative pieces (but all thought is imaginative, so it helps with all tasks..)

Often, the rationale will enhance the form of the submission. For example, an artwork may be accompanied by a critique; a board game with a set of rules that explain the game play; a podcast with a website.

LAWS4001 students can use the rationale to further connect the course to their discipline. In fact, this is a good idea for everyone, if it aligns with your portfolio.

Guidance on Referencing

The portfolio, and rationale, are academic pieces of work, and should be referenced according to the styles and conventions:

  • relevant to your discipline (ie APA, Harvard, IEEE, etc)
  • relevant to your format (ie, an online news article might be referenced through a ‘read more’)

Assessment variations

LAWS students must demonstrate a strong connection to a legal perspective in their portfolio.

  • ie focus on a legal issue through the lens of SoCIETIE, or; focus on an issue you’ve explored in SoCIETIE from a legal perspective

Postgraduate students must base their portfolio within the scholarly/research literature when framing their portfolio, and relate their portfolio to their graduate program discipline.

  • ie focus on an issue relevant to your discipline through the lens of SoCIETIE, or; focus on an issue you’ve explored in SoCIETIE from your disciplinary perspective.

Marking Criteria

See the Class Grading Structure for an overview of how the Portfolio will be valued. Some guidance includes:

  • Quality of ideas and reflections [misses the point <-> deeply insightful] demonstrates insightful and considered connections between the course content and the real world
  • Quality of narrative and connections [untethered <-> imaginative] compelling insights and engaging narrative that demonstrate the resolution and synthesis of ideas