Robyn Smith

1. Adopting an e-Portfolio as an assessment tool:
Investigating options, issues and future
possibilities
Dr Robyn Smyth Ms Catherine Studdert
Academic Developer JMP Project Manager - Occupational Therapy
School of Rural Medicine School of Health Sciences
Faculty of the Professions Faculty of Health
University of New England The University of Newcastle
Dr Graeme Horton Professor Ian Symonds Mr Brett Griffin
Senior Lecturer in Medical Education Dean of the JMP IT Project Officer
and General Practice Professor of Obstetrics
School of Medicine & Public Health School of Medicine & Public Health School of Medicine & Public Health
Faculty of Health Faculty of Health Faculty of Health
The University of Newcastle The University of Newcastle The University of Newcastle

2. Context
2
Joint Medical
Program
 Cross-institutional teaching of medical
students – rural/regional footprint
 200 students per year over wide
geographical base
 Assessment Committee working party
investigating potential use of e-Portfolio
 Chose Buzetto More & Alade’s 2008
Pentagonal e-Portfolio Model as
theoretical framework
 Approach taken: pedagogy to drive
choice of technology
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

3. 3
Where are we going?
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

4. Our Needs
Recording 4
Storing
Tracking Our Needs
Assessment
Feedback
Reflections
 Recording of valuable educational experiences for later
reference by students
 Interoperability and secure storage of sensitive information
 Tracking of clinical experiences, especially those which trace the
path to developing professionalism
 Assessment of student learning and competencies
 Provision of useful feedback to students
 Provision of a tool which encourages students to reflect on their
experiences and learning, which can form the basis of further
dialogue with mentors.
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

5. e-Portfolio: student-centred
5
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

6. 6
Current IT Architecture
17 October 2011 ePortfolios Australia Conference
2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

7. e-Portfolio
7
Student-Centred
e-Portfolios
Approach
 Cohesive electronic repositories
 Used for recording, storing and tracking students’
work, assessment items, feedback and evidence of clinical
experience and competencies
 Pedagogically and technologically progressive
 Student-centred approach
 Have the ability to adapt to their needs whilst learning in clinical
and non-clinical settings, and rural and urban locations.
 Promote reflective learning and planning
 Enhance communication
 Create a record of a student’s work and experience to support
their professional careers and life-long learning
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

8. Theory
8
Buzzetto-More &
Alade (2008)
Scholarly Approach
ANZAME09 poster
Our investigations have been guided by our conceptual framework
reflective of Buzzetto-More & Alade’s (2008) Pentagonal e-Portfolio Model:
I. Identify Needs (purpose, performance indicators and learning
outcomes)
II. Determination, Assessment & Budget (select systems
features, assess existing technology, determine type, determine
budget)
III. Select & Strategic Planning (select system, develop
implementation plan)
IV. Development (build into curriculum, develop
rubrics, assessment, allocate resources)
V. Implement & Grow Towards Continuous Improvement (prepare
students/staff, pilot, testing, evaluation, implementation)
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

9. Our
Investigation 9
Our Investigation
Available Software
Peer Experiences
 From niche medical suites to general e-Portfolio software
– None fit all our needs, but some are candidates
 Anecdotal reports that e-Portfolios are desired by our students
– Flexible
– Shows progress
– Supported
 Literature Review of e-Portfolio in Medical Programs
– Remember staff;
– Introduce early in program where possible
– Fit to purpose
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

10. Our dream IT Architecture 10
17 October 2011 ePortfolios Australia Conference
2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

11. 11
2010 Pilot - Overview
 Small group of Newcastle-based student volunteers in Year 4
Joint Medical Program
 Replaced paper-based portfolio assessment component
 Training and support mechanisms provided
 Volunteers participated in two focus group sessions
 Could at any time elect to submit the paper-based portfolio
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

12. 12
2010 Pilot e-Portfolio
 Using Mahara based foliospaces.com
 Using free accounts (50MB space)
 Students using Google Docs for documents (free 1GB space)
 Students had to present Work Integrated Learning (WIL) content
against course competencies whether in paper or electronic
 Students had freedom in media types they could present their
competencies within their e-portfolios
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

13. The e-Portfolio 13
Student Profile
• Student access
their e-Portfolio
‘Views’
• Communicate with
Academic Mentors
or Co-ordinators
• Access to the
support group
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

14. The e-Portfolio 14
e-Portfolio Section View
• ‘View’ part of overall
e-Portfolio
• Specific topic (view
on each Rotation
topic)
• Student use any tool
to record clinical
experiences (against
competency list)
• De-identification of
patient data
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

15. The e-Portfolio 15
Support Mechanism
• ‘Groups’ in foliospaces
– Forums
– Files
– Pages member list
• Restricted to volunteers,
academics and support
staff only
• Students can help each
other with online tools
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

16. 2010 Pilot – Informing 2011 Trial 16
 Students engaged and reflected more often on their clinical
experiences (than they thought they might otherwise have done)
 Described Mahara as easy to use
 Would loved to have had exemplars to peruse before building
their own e-Portfolios
 Targeted support: self-help vodcasts, 10-step e-Portfolio
setup, etc.
 Would like to use e-Portfolios, particularly in early years of the
program
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

17. Next project… 17
 Full cohort of Newcastle-based Year 4 JMP students in course
– Greater use of feedback to mentor students directly in
e-Portfolio
– Train more academic markers and mentors
– Greater use of online support snippets, forms and podcasts
– Use of Elluminate for one-on-one support and application
walk-throughs while on placement
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

18. 18
Theorising, Practising, Adapting..…
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp

19. 19
THANK YOU
17 October 2011
e-Portfolios Australia Conference 2011│www.newcastle.edu.au/jmp