The utility of reflective portfolios as a method of assessing first year medical students’ personal and professional development

Rees, Charlotte E.; Shepherd, Maggie; Chamberlain, Suzanne

doi:10.1080/1462394042000326770

Cited by 34 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Students require guidance through well-defined guidelines and learning goals; however, the degree of detail that should be conferred may be difficult to ascertain. With considerable structure comes the risk of reducing the learning portfolio to nothing more than a checklist, thus diminishing students' originality and reflection in the portfolio creation (Driessen, van Tartwijk, Vermunt, & van der Vleute, 2003;Rees, Shepherd, & Chamberlain, 2005;Rees, Shepherd, & Chamberlain, 2005). Nevertheless, some degree of structure is necessary as too much freedom may lead to student confusion and frustration as seen by Driessen et al in the use of portfolios in early undergraduate medical training (Driessen, van Tartwijk, Vermunt, & van der Vleuten, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Student Evaluations: Synchronous Tripod of Learning Portfolio Assessment—Self-Assessment, Peer-Assessment, Instructor-Assessment

Senger¹,

Kanthan²

2012

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Background: Learning portfolios are increasingly being introduced in higher education including undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. Due to their highly personalized nature, creation of an assessment tool that accurately reflects the value for the learner of the "work" created is challenging, and has prevented a more widespread use of this valuable tool. Innovation & Evaluation: Forty-one physical therapy students were asked to create a learning portfolio as a component of their pathology course. This collection of evidence of learning was evaluated at the midterm and final examination by a synchronous tripod of assessors-the "self", a peer, and the instructor to provide a formative and summative evaluation. Results: Grades awarded by the three assessors were more similar at the end of the semester when compared with those at the midterm. A quantitative and qualitative satisfaction questionnaire was additionally given to students to determine the usefulness of this educational activity. Though the majority of students responded favourably, with notable self-reported improvements in communication, teamwork , and professional growth, primary challenges included negative perceptions related to increased time commitment, student and teacher-related stress, and uncertainty regarding the value and the immediate and long-term relevance of this creative learning activity. Conclusion: Reflection on our study authenticates that the combination of formative and summative evaluations from such tripod assessments of learning portfolios is particularly suited for explicit inclusion in higher educational programs including medicine and allied health professionals. We recommend learning portfolios as a creative learning tool and assessment tool in higher education.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Student Evaluations: Synchronous Tripod of Learning Portfolio Assessment—Self-Assessment, Peer-Assessment, Instructor-Assessment

Senger¹,

Kanthan²

2012

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“…The growing use of portfolios in postgraduate and continuing education, and reports that a reflective portfolio increased undergraduate students’ self-confidence in their ability to complete a portfolio in the future [16,17], suggests that we should introduce students to learning portfolios during undergraduate training. However uptake has been tempered by the perception that portfolios are resource intensive for both learners and those who rate them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An innovative OSCE clinical log station: a quantitative study of its influence on Log use by medical students

et al. 2012

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BackgroundA Clinical Log was introduced as part of a medical student learning portfolio, aiming to develop a habit of critical reflection while learning was taking place, and provide feedback to students and the institution on learning progress. It was designed as a longitudinal self-directed structured record of student learning events, with reflection on these for personal and professional development, and actions planned or taken for learning.As incentive was needed to encourage student engagement, an innovative Clinical Log station was introduced in the OSCE, an assessment format with established acceptance at the School. This study questions: How does an OSCE Clinical Log station influence Log use by students?MethodsThe Log station was introduced into the formative, and subsequent summative, OSCEs with careful attention to student and assessor training, marking rubrics and the standard setting procedure. The scoring process sought evidence of educational use of the log, and an ability to present and reflect on key learning issues in a concise and coherent manner.ResultsAnalysis of the first cohort’s Log use over the four-year course (quantified as number of patient visits entered by all students) revealed limited initial use. Usage was stimulated after introduction of the Log station early in third year, with some improvement during the subsequent year-long integrated community-based clerkship. Student reflection, quantified by the mean number of characters in the ‘reflection’ fields per entry, peaked just prior to the final OSCE (mid-Year 4). Following this, very few students continued to enter and reflect on clinical experience using the Log.ConclusionWhile the current study suggested that we can’t assume students will self-reflect unless such an activity is included in an assessment, ongoing work has focused on building learner and faculty confidence in the value of self-reflection as part of being a competent physician.

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“…Thus when asked specifically in two questions, if preparing the portfolio report has helped with their written communication skills and appreciation of the value of such skills, a higher rating for University 2 is perhaps not surprising given that the portfolio report is one of the main forms of written assessment at University 2. The amount of written work required for a portfolio does influence its acceptability by students (Rees et al 2005;Davis et al 2009;), and the 'tie-in' between portfolio and communication may be stronger in some medical programs than others.…”

Section: Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The amount of work required for the portfolio must also be manageable for the student (Schuwirth & Cantillon 2005), and some investigators have recommended keeping minimal paperwork (Rees et al 2005;Davis et al 2009). In fact, due to resource issues, portfolios have been regarded as to resource intensive for developing countries (Burch & Seggie 2008).…”

Section: Portfolio Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tel: 61-2-9113 2040; fax: 61-2-9113 3998; email: A.OSullivan@unsw.edu.au traditional medical assessments (Davis et al 2001;Driessen et al 2007;Buckley et al 2009). Portfolios should require the student to reflect on their achievements or the evidence presented, their progress, and on plans for the future (Wilkinson et al 2002;Rees et al 2005). Student evaluations of portfolios have generally been confined to their ability to demonstrate capabilities such as reflection or communication skills (Rees & Sheard 2004b;Davis et al 2009), but little is known about whether portfolio assessments help students to think or perform in more narrowly defined areas of competency such as recognizing one's own strengths and limitations, setting learning goals and plans, respecting patient rights and the integration of psychosocial and cultural aspects into medical practice (Roberts et al 2002;Johnston 2004).…”

Section: Practice Pointsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does a summative portfolio foster the development of capabilities such as reflective practice and understanding ethics? An evaluation from two medical schools

et al. 2012

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Portfolios need to be evaluated to determine whether they encourage students to develop in capabilities such as reflective practice and ethical judgment. The aims of this study were (i) to determine whether preparing a portfolio helps promote students' development in a range of capabilities including understanding ethical and legal principles, reflective practice and effective communication, and (ii) to determine to what extent the format of the portfolio affected the outcome by comparing the experiences of students at two different medical schools. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate undergraduate medical students' experiences of completing a portfolio at two medical schools.A total of 526 (45% response rate) students answered the on-line questionnaire. Students from both medical schools gave the highest ranking for the portfolio as a trigger for reflective practice. 63% of students agreed their portfolio helped them develop reflective practice skills ( p < 0.001), whereas only 22% disagreed. 48% of students agreed portfolios helped them understand ethical and legal principles whereas 29% disagreed ( p < 0.001). In contrast, only 34% of students thought the portfolio helped them to develop effective communication. Students perceive portfolio preparation as an effective learning tool for the development of capabilities such as understanding ethical and legal principles and reflective practice, whereas other capabilities such as effective communication require complementary techniques and other modes of assessment.

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The utility of reflective portfolios as a method of assessing first year medical students’ personal and professional development

Cited by 34 publications

References 16 publications

Student Evaluations: Synchronous Tripod of Learning Portfolio Assessment—Self-Assessment, Peer-Assessment, Instructor-Assessment

Student Evaluations: Synchronous Tripod of Learning Portfolio Assessment—Self-Assessment, Peer-Assessment, Instructor-Assessment

An innovative OSCE clinical log station: a quantitative study of its influence on Log use by medical students

Does a summative portfolio foster the development of capabilities such as reflective practice and understanding ethics? An evaluation from two medical schools

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