Design Logic and Evaluative Implications of Portfolio-Based Learning in Korean Medicine Education : A Conceptual Analysis Based on Competency-Based Education and Programmatic Assessment

Objectives: Competency-based education (CBE) emphasizes graduates’ ability to demonstrate integrated competencies rather than performance on single high-stakes examinations. This paper aims to conceptually analyze portfolio-based learning in colleges of Korean Medicine as a process-oriented assessment infrastructure that structurally links graduation outcomes, phase outcomes, and course-level outcomes within a competency-based curriculum.Methods: Drawing on theoretical discussions of competency-based medical education and programmatic assessment, a design-oriented conceptual analysis was conducted on an Excel-based portfolio system collaboratively developed and implemented by faculty from basic sciences, clinical medicine, medical humanities, and medical education in a college of Korean Medicine. The analysis focused on the portfolio’s design logic, structural characteristics, and intended educational functions, rather than on empirical effectiveness testing.Results: The analyzed portfolio system was structured to accumulate longitudinal evidence of competency development and to support faculty coaching and committee-based holistic judgment. These features provide a mechanism for phase outcome–centered educational management and address structural limitations of assessment approaches relying on single-point confirmation of graduation outcomes.Conclusion: Portfolio-based learning can function as a core infrastructure for process-oriented assessment in competency-based Korean Medicine education. By articulating the design logic and evaluative implications of an implemented portfolio system, this design-oriented conceptual study provides a theoretical foundation for future empirical research and continuous quality improvement in curriculum management.