Jane Hislop on ePortfolios

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EPortfolios

I’m Jane Hislop from QMU, Edinburgh

I’ve used ePortfolio with:

• A Professional Studies module as the medium for submission of a reflective assignment

• Students on placement who complete an ePortfolio as part of their clinical studies

ePortfolios

Why I used EPortfolios:

• Firstly on the Professional Studies module, students need to look at:

a. Continued professional development

b. Critical reflection

c. Keeping evidence of their learning

• Secondly on the Clinical Studies module:

a. They are asked to keep a portfolio

b. The final assignment is a personal development plan

ePortfoliosAdvantages:• Provides a reservoir for storing information

• Lets students develop a web folio where they can personalise the style of the folio, linking to pictures, pro-formas and reflective tasks that they have undertaken

• they can also share information held in the web folio with:

• Each other• Their tutor• Potentially in the future with an employer

• The folio can also be used to submit assignments via a “gateway”

• This is particularly useful if the student is at a remote placement

ePortfolios I’ve used ePortfolio to encourage reflective

writing and practice:

• Firstly by looking at some of the tools that are available in ePortfolio eg

– the blog– the proformas, some of which can uploaded from the

professional bodies eg critical incident reports

• Secondly the web folio can be used in presenting the student’s reflective writing

• From this writing the student can make links to the ePortfolio tools eg using the blog as a diary or the pro-formas or linking to a SWOT analysis

• In this way all of these can become evidence within their reflective writing

ePortfoliosI think the main disadvantages are:

• Needing to be technically competent in using the software

• Requiring internet access

• Some people find it difficult to visualise the information in their ePortfolio and often want hardcopy

• It is a different way of working, electronically, and some people are not comfortable with that

• If you are thinking of using ePortfolio for assessment always check with your markers that they are happy/comfortable with marking online

• If you want students to submit assessments, ask them to submit to the “template” gateway two weeks before the deadline to pick up struggling students

ePortfoliosFinal Advice:• You need to factor in the period taken to

induct students and tutors into the ePortfolio system

• For example you should organise:– Practical demonstrations

– Hands on experience

• It is particularly useful if you set up a demo site so the students and tutors can see and try ePortfolio

• This moves the concept from the abstract to a reality