Implementing an ePortfolio into the Bachelor of Nursing - Emma Collins (Otago Polytechnic)
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In 2015 an ePortfolio platform called Pathbrite was implemented into the Bachelor of Nursing programme at Otago Polytechnic, a leading provider of nursing education in Dunedin, New Zealand. This presentation will discuss the results of a research project which explored the attitudes of staff and students towards the implementation of this eportfolio platform for showcasing clinical nursing experiences. The research project was a mixed methodology study and ethics approval was granted by the Otago Polytechnic Ethics committee. Quantitative data collection was in the form of a survey, from both staff and students. Both groups were then invited to a focus group which provided valuable qualitative data, and furthered explored data from the survey. Data was then analysed using the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989), and a number of recommendations to implement into the Bachelor of Nursing programme in 2016 were made.
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Implementing an ePortfolio into the Bachelor of Nursing - Emma Collins (Otago Polytechnic)
- 1. IMPLEMENTING AN ePORTFOLIO INTO THE BACHELOR OF NURSING Emma Collins Ray O’Brien Otago Polytechnic Dunedin, New Zealand
- 2. Implementation of highly structured ePortfolio platform in Bachelor of Nursing: evaluation of pilot
- 3. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND • ePortfolio platform was chose in 2014 • Implemented in 2015 to year 1 and year 2 Bachelor of Nursing students • Dedicated staff • Decisions for 2016 were made prior to the research being completed
- 4. SUBSCRIPTION VERSION Features of the subscription version •Highly structured •Online marking and feedback available •Moodle integration •Showcase portfolios •Programme portfolios
- 5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Mixed method sequential explanatory design – Quantitative – staff and student survey – Qualitative – focus groups with staff and students ‘research in which the investigator collects and analyses data, integrates the findings, and draws inferences using both qualitative and quantitative approaches or methods in a single study or program of inquiry’ Tashakkori and Creswell (2007, as cited in Schneider, Whitehead, LoBiondo-Wood and Haber, 2016)
- 7. Based on Ivankova, Creswell and Stick (2006)
- 8. QUANTITATIVE DATA - Students Technology Acceptance Model Student quantitative data Usefulness of ePortfolio platform 3.48 Perceived Ease of Use 3.14 Attitudes to ePortfolio platform 3.12 Behavioural intentions towards Pathbrite ePortfolio 3.44
- 9. QUANTITATIVE DATA - Staff Technology Acceptance Model Staff quantitative data Usefulness of ePortfolio platform 3.40 Perceived Ease of Use 3.60 Attitudes to ePortfolio platform 3.08 Behavioural intentions towards Pathbrite ePortfolio 3.67
- 10. QUALITATIVE DATA - Students Usefulness of ePortfolio Platform “I found it really good to go back and again and see exactly what I had done” Perceived Ease of Use “good, easy to use” “enjoyable” “pretty straight forward” Attitudes to ePortfolio Platform “There are some benefits for our privacy. It would be easy to leave paper lying around, whereas the site is password protected” Behavioural Intentions “So we can carry on? So when we finish this year and go on to further study or go off to work in the UK or wherever how long have we got to access the portfolio?”
- 11. QUALITATIVE DATA - Staff Usefulness of ePortfolio Platform “To me they are probably getting a higher level of feedback because it is written in context and in the place. I can be specific” Perceived Ease of Use “I’ve uploaded templates I’ve change things and given feedback to students. They really like it. Recently there has been a few students coming back and saying that they could not upload something and that’s where it was difficult for me because I didn’t know Pathbrite well enough to help them” Attitudes to ePortfolio Platform “I was a sceptic at the start of the year as I’m not too IT savvy . Now I’m know there have been some gremlins in the system but once they were ironed out it was all sorted” Behavioural Intentions “we’ve started and it needs to be developed”
- 12. DISCUSSION Usefulness of ePortfolio Platform Students: •Reflective practice •Future focused •Links to being a RN and Nursing Council requirements Staff: •Useful for on-going nursing practice for demonstrating competence •Could clearly give feedback •Time consuming
- 13. DISCUSSION Perceived Ease of Use Students: •Students found it easy to use •Some needed more support than others Staff: •Some found it easy, and some needed considerable support •Increase staff capability •Easier to spot students who were struggling
- 14. DISCUSSION Attitude to ePortfolio Platform Students: •Generally positive •Neutral in the depth of learning it provided •A number of aspects the students liked, as well as didn’t like Staff: •Staff were not keen at first, but getting used to it now •Staff could see many positive aspects •It was surmised from the data that there was an overall positive attitude from staff
- 15. DISCUSSION Behavioural Intention towards Pathbrite ePortfolio Students: •Students could see the future benefit, and use of it in their on-going practice •Good intention to use, but with more support and training Staff: •Majority were supportive in the on-going use and development of the platform
- 16. RESULTS SUMMARY
- 17. CONCLUDING RESULTS Overall both staff and students have accepted this new piece of technology, but not overwhelmingly so
- 18. RECOMMENDATIONS • Continue to use ePortfolios in 2017 and beyond • Consider rolling out to other programmes in the school • Workload allocation for resource person for the school • Liaise with other schools at OP to increase capacity • Liaise with other nursing schools
- 19. CONCLUSION • Work ready graduates with skills for life • Future focused
Editor's Notes
- (Introduce self, state where from and role) In 2015 an ePortfolio platform called Pathbrite was implemented into the Bachelor of Nursing programme at Otago Polytechnic, a leading provider of nursing education in Dunedin, New Zealand. This presentation will discuss the results of a research project which explored the attitudes of staff and students towards the implementation of this eportfolio platform for showcasing clinical nursing experiences.
- This is the title of the project The data collection occurred after semester 1 in 2015, approximately this time last year, and the data was analysed and presented to management this year. Ethics approval was granted by the Otago Polytechnic ethics committee
- Approximately 220 students used this platform in 2015 In 2015 the School of Nursing commenced using an ePortfolio platform with year 1 and year 2 students in the Bachelor of Nursing programme, following extensive work to find a suitable provider which was discussed at this forum last year. Pathbrite was eventually chosen as the preferred platform. During semester two, 2015, a research project was commenced to evaluate the implementation of this new piece of technology, to determine whether or not the implementation of this platform was successful or not. When Pathbrite was chosen this involved using the paid subscription version, or as we referred to it as, the courses function. Staff that were involved were myself, and Ray O’Brien from our online learning team. While the plan was to pilot the platform for six months, collect data and report towards the end of 2015, the revised budget time lines required in 2015 meant that a decision on whether use of Pathbrite should continue in 2016 was required before data was collected. Based on anecdotal evidence including the low number of help desk enquires from student or staff, evidence that both staff and student are actively engaged with submission and marking of submissions through Pathbrite and the time pressure of the revised budget time line, it was recommended that the School of Nursing continue to use Pathbrite into 2016, but that the role out to other schools would not be promoted. This included the extension into the 2016 third year of the Bachelor of Nursing so the 2015 year two student had a consistent experience as they progressed.
- I think it is important to mention here why we chose to go with the subscription version rather than the free version, or any free version for that matter. the highly structured way that the students receive instructions and examples to guide them through the compilation of the eportfolio the online marking and feedback functions available to teachers which makes it easier to assess and for the students to see feedback the Moodle integration for both access and grading showcase portfolios - for life programme portfolio (individual portfolios constructed across several courses or years of course)
- It was decided by the researchers that rich data was needed, therefore a mixed methodology approach was chosen to maximise what could be gleaned from a relatively small sample size. The quantitative data was gathered first with a survey for students, and a similar survey for. After the survey was completed, focus groups were conducted using questions that emerged from the survey results (Appendix C). The research methodology chosen was the mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. Mixed methods research is defined by Tashakkori and Creswell (2007, as cited in Schneider, Whitehead, LoBiondo-Wood and Haber, 2016) as ‘research in which the investigator collects and analyses data, integrates the findings, and draws inferences using both qualitative and quantitative approaches or methods in a single study or program of inquiry In this particular design, the two paradigms are separated out and then completed in a linear fashion. Therefore this involves ‘collecting and analysing first quantitative and then qualitative data in two consecutive phases within the one study’. The quantitative data collection should inform the qualitative aspect of the study. The two phases are then connected and integrated (Ivankova, et al., 2006).
- Most of you will all be aware of this, but as a nurse, I wasn’t aware of this model prior to this study, so I will briefly explain it in case there are others out there like me. The data collection was designed with the use of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The TAM was also used in the data analysis. The TAM was developed in 1989 by Davis, and seeks to understand mitigating factors of introducing a new piece of technology. The TAM developed by Davis (1989), states that the success of a system can be determined by user acceptance of a system, measured by three factors: perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and attitudes towards usage (ATU) of the system (Shroff, Deneen and Ng, 2011). There have been others who have used the TAM with integrating an ePortfolio into undergraduate nursing which were interesting reads. There have been various adaptations to the TAM over the years, but it was decided to keep with a relatively simple version of the model. The four parts to this basic model were slightly adapted to suit our study, and is presented above.
- Reflection and seeing feedback was commented on a lot by the participants They could see that this was a skill that they would need Students found it easy to use. There were a few technological glitches that frustrated students at times but they were managed Some preferred paper but could see the end result of doing this electronically Some students verbalised that the intended to use Pathbrite after graduation and access after graduation was discussed
- Feedback and moderation were the key themes that came through in of ‘usefulness’ This was interesting as the students felt that they didn’t get enough feedback but the staff felt that they gave a lot more than they ever did with paper Perceived ease of use Like the students, there were difficulties getting used to using the system, and the doo technological glitch. There were some significant issues from time to time, but they were always dealt with swiftly (either by myself or Pathbrite) Attitude Overall, positive, but the time it took using and getting used to the system was significant for some staff Behavioural Staff supported the continued use and rollout of the platform to year 3 students
- Students: A clear message that came out of the data for the students is that they valued the reflective capability of the ePortfolio. They felt that the platform did enable them to be a bit more reflective in their practice. Students also valued the future focus of the ePortfolio platform. They could see the links to the Nursing Council competencies for registered nurses (2012). Interestingly enough, students were fairly neutral in whether or not the ePortfolio supported them better than a paper portfolio. Overall however, students did find using an ePortfolio platform useful, rather than not, although not by a large margin. Staff: Overall staff found the system useful, especially when compared with a paper portfolio system. Staff could see the potential for it for ongoing nursing practice and the way that an ePortfolio system could be linked with providing evidence of ongoing competence. Giving feedback was a topic that came up frequently for staff. Staff clearly stated that students appear to be getting more feedback on Pathbrite, especially at formative assessment, and that this feedback is at a high quality than previous Time consuming
- Students: Overall, students found the system easy to use. Some students were obviously frustrated by aspects of the system and found it difficult, however most found it enjoyable, straightforward and relatively simple. Students were neutral in whether or not they received enough support. Obviously some needed more support than others. There were some skills that the students had difficulty with and they turned to the lecturing staff and their peers for guidance and support. Staff: Some staff found the platform easy to use, and others found it difficult to use. Staff did feel however that it didn’t take overly long to get used to the system once they got started, but would have liked more training and support with this, and continue to want this. There were a fair amount of technical issues that came up during the course of this research, that the researchers have either taken on board for further development, or have taken to Pathbrite to be addressed. Staff felt that it was easier to spot students who were struggling, and were able to support students better in their learning.
- Students: Most students had a positive attitude towards the ePortfolio platform. They were however neutral in the depth of learning that they received from it. They didn’t feel that the ePorfolio platform added to their workload. There were a number of aspects that the students did like. These included that it was accessible, convenient and private. They liked that it enabled resubmissions and reflection, and they could gain feedback from lecturers, although they clearly stated that they wanted more feedback, in a consistent and timely manner. Students also stated that the ePortfolio platform was sustainable, and saved on printing costs. They liked that they could view their work in one place, and that lecturers could also view their work, prior to seeing them on placement. There were aspects that the students did not like about the platform. Many of these were around technology problems (connectivity, browsers, time to upload), and some related to features of the platform that the students didn’t know about. (such as viewing it in Pathbrite, rather than in the moodle window, access after finishing the course, resubmissions, finding where feedback is written). Staff: Many staff were not keen on the introduction of an ePortfolio platform. Staff were daunted by a new piece of technology that they had to learn and become competent with. They were frustrated with the extra time it took to do things, and that the system didn’t always work as expected. Staff felt that ePortfolios made the moderation process much more transparent and robust. The online portfolios were easier to view, read and comment on the students work in a timely manner, before seeing the student at a set time. There was general agreement that the ePortfolio platform increases the depth of learning that the student experiences.
- Students: Students could see the benefit of having a skill in developing a portfolio electronically, in their future nursing practice. Many students indicated that they would use an ePortfolio tool in their ongoing practice. Students strongly felt that an ePortfolio could clearly demonstrate Nursing Council competencies, and they would potentially share the portfolio with an employer. They did feel that although it is a good skill and there was an intention to continue to use this platform, there was still the need for support, training, development and refinement of the use of the system . Staff: Overall, staff felt that using an ePortfolio system was the direction that the School needed to go in, and majority of staff were supportive in the ongoing use and development of the system. Staff appeared to accept that ePortfolios are inevitable and therefore they are committed to using it, but want to be using it well. Staff also felt that the students are gaining a highly transferrable skill by using it. Therefore the staff displayed a behavioural intention to continue using the platform, but, they wanted ongoing support, training, and time to use the system effectively.
- So, in summary…….
- I don’t think it has anything to do with this particular platform, I think it is more about a change in the way we do things. Nurses are very traditional with their paper portfolios and this is hard for them to give up. However, the question posed at the beginning of this project was to evaluate whether or not Pathbrite will be acceptable as an ongoing ePortfolio solution for undergraduate nursing students at Otago Polytechnic. While the school continued to progress and develop this tool in 2016, prior to this report coming out (such as roll out to year 3 BN students, some training and support for students through drop in clinics, work with students about portfolios for ongoing practice, creation of programme portfolios), there is still a considerable amount of work still to complete to truly consolidate this piece of technology.
- There are a number of recommendations that have come from this study (Read above) Other, more local recommendations include Work on consistency across staff in regards to how staff are viewing, marking and giving feedback to students increasing staff capability on-going support for students through a variety of ways such as increasing staff capability, dedicated resource person, drop in clinics, flow charts, other relevant resources, troubleshooting technological issues as they arise (tips and tricks for users) continued collaborative relationship with Pathbrite We already instigated drop in clinics this year for students, and are making a plan to continue work on this in 2017
- We, as a school continue to support the need for electronic portfolios. Our students will graduate with this skill and will hopefully go on to using an electronic portfolio in their clinical practice All RNs must have a portfolio to evidence practice, so what we are asking students to do is not just to do while they are here with us, it is a lifelong skill they are using. We are future focused and dedicated to getting it right – we are well on our way there
- If you would like references, please contact me