“I have never spent time to think about what i have gained from my projects”: Linking portfolio development and life-long learning

With NSF funding, we have been exploring students´ conceptions of life-long learning and how the construction of professional portfolios can contribute to preparing students to engage in life-long learning. In this paper, we discuss broad ideas related to life-long learning, the role of self-awareness in life-long learning, and the potential for portfolio construction to support life-long learning generally and the development of self-awareness specifically. Our paper includes both a literature review related to these topics as well as themes resulting from an analysis of interviews with students concerning these topics. We close by suggesting implications.