The unpickled portfolio: pioneering performance assessment in design and technology

This paper focuses on the initial and subsequent developments of a research instrument to assess performance in design and technology activities. The initial development took place as part of the APU (1) D&T project and the paper outlines the rationale behind the development of the original research instrument and discusses certain performance issues that the use of the original instrument raised. It briefly describes four subsequent projects that have developed the methodology further, as a way of illustrating its value as a research tool and also to identify its potential for learners, teachers and assessors.