General Catalog 2023-2024

Portfolio

The portfolio is a compiled folder of files completed by by the student, which contains information and evidence showing the student’s experiences and achievements. In this document the student’s learning experiences and achievements are identified, organized, developed and carefully evidenced. Students must meet the following requirements: (1) be registered or be an active student of the University, (2) have declared a major and be admitted to a program of studies, (3) meet the academic progress norms, unless they are newly admitted students. The portfolio should be prepared in harmony with the Institutional Guide: The Validation of Learning Experiences by Means of the Portfolio.

The academic standards governing portfolio are:

  1. Academic credit is granted only for knowledge acquired and not for experiences.
  2. University credit is granted only for University level knowledge.
  3. The learning must have the proper balance between the required theory and practical application.
  4. The decision regarding the level of competence and the corresponding credits is made by professors who master the subject matter.
  5. The credits granted and accepted must correspond proportionately to the academic context for which they are awarded.

The process for presenting a portfolio is the following:

  1. Students will give their portfolio application to the director of the department to which the course or courses, for which they are requesting conformation, belong. They must include with their request a copy of the transcript to avoid the confirmation of learning to which credits have been granted previously.
  2. The department director will appoint a professor to evaluate the request and to orient the student on the process and the criteria that will be used in the evaluation of his learning. Using the syllabus or syllabi of the course, the professor will determine if the student is a candidate for this modality.
  3. If the student qualifies for this modality, he will pay a fee equivalent to 50% of the regular cost of each course, for the evaluation of the portfolio (according to the credits).
  4. After presenting evidence of payment to the department director, the director will designate a professor as mentor and evaluator of the portfolio. The student will be given a copy of Institutional Guide: The validation of learning experiences by means of the portfolio. The payment for this request will not be reimbursed to the student.
  5. The student will prepare and organize his portfolio together with the designated professor, who will determine which documents must be presented and the techniques that will be used to demonstrate the student’s learning by using the Portfolio Evaluation Instrument.
  6. During the evaluation process, the professor will make recommendations to the student, in agreement with the dates established for their meetings.
  7. The student will turn in his portfolio in digital format in CD, no later than the last day of classes of the term for which he is registered.
  8. The professor will use the Portfolio Evaluation Instrument to make his evaluation uniform and objective.
  9. The professor will submit the results of his evaluation to the department director, who will endorse the confirmation and send it to the Office of the Registrar, for the appropriate official action.
  10. When the evaluation of the portfolio is unfavorable, the professor, or in his absence, the department director, will inform the student the reasons for this decision.
  11. The grade the student will receive will be P (passed) or NP (not passed).