A ‘WOMAN’S TOUCH’ IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRONIC-PORTFOLIOS FOR ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS

Team-based electronic-portfolio is made as an integral part of assessing engineering undergraduates in the learning of Ordinary Differential Equations at a private university in Malaysia. Guided by online instructions and basic template via MOODLE, participants work in teams of four or five to develop a four-component electronic-portfolio as an assessment of learning; a major part of which is involving problem solving, encompassing techniques of solving first and second order Ordinary Differential Equations that include methods using Laplace Transform and Power Series. Participants furnish their bio-data information, evaluate the course and its delivery, as well as write reflections of their learning in three other components. Three lecturers evaluate fifteen selected portfolios using a criterion-based scoring rubric. The objective of this paper is to discuss the various types of skills involved in the construction of the electronic-portfolios. Employing Microsoft Equation Editor 3.0, Power Point Presentation with various forms of multi-media skills, participants consume seven weeks to completing the task. Analysis of variance and t-test are used to determine significant mean differences. Results show the learning abilities; gender-wise, in the electronic-portfolios development that go beyond thinking skills, addressing future needs of engineers in the making.