The portfolio is an educational tool that documents learning processes, develops competencies, and facilitates continuous assessment. Its use promotes active learning, self-reflection, and personalized evaluation, enhancing students' analytical and critical skills. Despite some challenges, incorporating portfolios in education fosters a more integrative and student-centered approach that prepares learners for contemporary challenges.

1. The Portfolio as a Tool for Learning, Competency Development and
Assessment
Summary
The portfolio is an educational tool that allows documenting and evidencing the
learning process, the development of competencies and the evaluation of student
progress. Its use in the academic field has been shown to be effective for reflection,
analysis and self-evaluation, thus promoting active and meaningful learning. This
essay explores the role of the portfolio in education, its benefits in the development
of competencies, and how it acts as a means of continuous assessment. In addition,
its advantages and limitations are analyzed, and it concludes with a reflection on the
importance of incorporating the portfolio into innovative educational practices.
Keywords: portfolio, learning, competencies, evaluation, reflection.
Introduction
The educational portfolio has established itself as an essential tool in contemporary
education, especially in the context of teaching focused on learning and the
assessment of competencies. This resource not only allows learning activities to be
recorded, but also enhances the development of analytical, critical and reflective skills
in the student. By using a portfolio, students have the opportunity to document their
progress, reflect on their achievements and areas for improvement, and develop a
sense of self-regulation in their learning. This essay addresses the concept and use
of the portfolio in education, exploring its benefits, its challenges, and its role in
competency development and assessment.
The Portfolio as a Learning Tool
The portfolio, at its core, is an organized set of evidence that represents a student's
learning process and outcomes over a given period. This resource is not limited to
being a compendium of works, but also encourages reflective learning and allows the
student to integrate their experiences and knowledge in a meaningful way (Zabalza,
2016). Through the collection and selection of evidence, students develop the ability
to critically analyze their performance, identify areas for improvement, and set
personalized learning goals. Self-reflection is therefore a crucial component of the
portfolio, as it invites the student to review and evaluate their own progress and skills.
One of the fundamental aspects of the portfolio is that it favors autonomous and
continuous learning. Instead of being evaluated only through traditional exams, the
student has the possibility of evidencing their progress and achievements in a more
dynamic and personalized way. This facilitates deep learning, where the student can

2. connect theoretical knowledge with its practical application and continuously improve
through the feedback received (Barberá, 2019).
Competency Development through the Portfolio
The use of the portfolio allows a wide range of competencies to be assessed,
especially in contexts where education seeks to train students with critical, reflective
and practical skills. In the context of competency-based education, the portfolio
becomes a key instrument for the demonstration of knowledge, skills and attitudes.
For example, communication competence can be assessed through the quality of
texts and presentations within the portfolio, while digital competence can be
evidenced through the student's ability to use digital tools in the organization and
presentation of their evidence (Sáez, 2020).
By encouraging reflection, the portfolio helps the student to be aware of their
strengths and areas for improvement in relation to the competencies they must
develop. In addition, it allows for more formative and less punitive assessment, as it
focuses on individual progress and not just on the final results. This promotes a
learning culture focused on growth and self-assessment, preparing students to be
professionals with a mindset of continuous improvement.
The Portfolio as an Evaluation Tool
In terms of assessment, the portfolio allows teachers to constantly and closely monitor
student progress, and facilitates the application of formative assessment, in which
both the process and the final product are assessed. Portfolio assessment not only
allows the level of achievement achieved in each competency to be identified, but
also enables continuous and personalized feedback (Tobón, 2021). In addition, it
becomes a valuable resource for assessing aspects that could hardly be measured
in a standardized test, such as critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving.
A key aspect of portfolio assessment is that it fosters a collaborative relationship
between teacher and student, in which both actively participate in the learning
process. Students can better understand the evaluation criteria and improve their
work based on the feedback received, while teachers can adjust their teaching
according to individual needs and progress.
Conclusions
The portfolio is a powerful tool that facilitates learning, competency development, and
assessment in education. Through its use, students develop reflective and self-

3. assessment skills that are essential for their academic and personal growth. Although
the portfolio presents some challenges, such as the time needed for its elaboration
and the need for clear guidance from the teacher, its benefits outweigh its limitations
in promoting autonomous, active and meaningful learning.
Incorporating the portfolio into pedagogical practices can transform education,
orienting it towards a more integrative and student-centered model. This approach
not only allows for evidence of progress and the development of competencies, but
also contributes to the training of people with critical, reflective and adaptable skills,
prepared to face the challenges of today's world.
Bibliographic References
Barberá, E. (2019). Formative assessment and competencies in higher education.
Editorial UOC.
Sáez, J. (2020). The digital portfolio in education: a tool for the development of
competencies. Ediciones Pirámide.
Tobón, S. (2021). Evaluation of competencies and comprehensive training in the
classroom. SM Editions.
Zabalza, M. A. (2016). The university professor's portfolio. Narcea Ediciones.