An introduction to the use of eportfolios in professional practice

Abstract

In this article the potential for use of electronic portfolios by healthcare practitioners and students is considered in the context of work currently being undertaken in the School of Health at the University of Wolverhampton. We write at a time when knowledge of, and interest in, eportfolios is expanding beyond a relatively small number of projects and into the consciousness of a wider audience of academics and institutions. In the last 2 years interest in eportfolios has grown rapidly, particularly within a Higher Education sector keen to meet the Higher Education Funding Council for England/Quality Assurance Agency progress file deadline in 2005, but also spurred by the reports of Burgess (Universities UK. Measuring and recording student achievement, 2004 [Online report] [Accessed: 01 March 2006]. Available from: http://bookshop.universitiesuk.ac.uk/downloads/ measuringachievement.pdf) and of Tomlinson (DfES. Harnessing Technology: Transforming learning and children's services, 2005. [Online Report].

ePortfolio in Midwifery Practice: “The Way of The Future”

“…The ePortfolio provides a means to create a document that has significant presentational abilities that would match the high-level of developmental and assessment performance. 2,5,18 There were other important understandings gained from this study. It was evident, that for most students, portfolios are difficult to comprehend at first and some students in their first year found the portfolio a significant learning challenge.…”

“…Importantly, it provided students with an authentic record of achievement, proof of their competency and a final summary of their learning journey. 3,5,18 The students in this study were very proud of their final portfolio and looked forward to using it as a means to gain registration and as a showcase for future employment. In fact, many took great efforts to enhance the design and format of their paper-based portfolio in order to create a well presented and visually appealing document.…”

ePortfolios: Integrating Learning, Creating Connections and Authentic Assessments

“…This experience is common amongst students who have not undertaken reflective writing before and as Dun-Pitt (2006) commented that "Reflection does not come naturally to all learners and the quality of reflection is variable" (Duncan-Pitt & Sutherland, 2006, p. 73). Often students are reluctant to create honest and open reflections based on: fears of failure to meet assessment guidelines; a lack of trust or rapport with the assessing academic; wanting to complete the task merely to 'tick the box' rather than engage with the task or a desire to jump to a conclusion and not undertake an evaluative process (Andre, Heartfield & Cusack, 2017;Duncan-Pitt & Sutherland, 2006;Green et al, 2014). Reluctance by students to embrace reflective writing can diminish the educational benefit of reflection and can tip the balance of the reflective task to be product driven rather than the intended process driven (Barret, 2007).…”

Les effets éducatifs des portfolios sur l'apprentissage des étudiants pendant le cursus prégradué : une revue systématique de la collaborationBest Evidence Medical Education(BEME). Guide BEME N° 11

“…Divers auteurs ont étudié les avantages, défis et caractéristiques souhaitables d'un e-portfolio [36][37][38][39] mais les données probantes directes susceptibles de documenter l'impact spécifique de ce format sur le plan éducatif sont limitées. Des travaux complémentaires sont nécessaires pour déterminer si un format électronique rend uniquement plus commode la réalisation pratique d'un portfolio ou si cela change fondamentalement la nature de l'apprentissage.…”