Using Portfolios for Assessment in the College Personal Health Course

Outcome-based assessment has been the subject of much discussion recently within the education profession. Much of the discussion has focused on the assessment of academic achievement of school age children and youth. Another area of interest has been the assessment of the professional competencies of students graduating from colleges and universities. Little has been reported, however, in the literature relative to outcome-based assessment of students in nonprofessional college level courses such as personal health, sexuality, and drug education. The purpose of this article is to present background information on the outcome or performance-based assessment approach, including use of portfolios, and to examine the feasibility of using portfolios for assessment in university personal health classes. Implications for course planning, instruction, and evaluation are subsequently offered.