Using ePortfolios in students’ preparation for professional practice:

lessons from the ePrePP projectDr. Bettie Higgs

University College Cork

Katie O’Sullivan

Tralee Institute of Technology

Health Sciences collaborating• Medicine

• Pharmacy

• Nursing and Midwifery

Focus on

• Inter-professional learning

• Assessment and feedback

• Building digital resources

Rationale for using an ePortfolio: Efficiency

Substitution

• Straight substitution of paper-based by digital

• Supporting traditional teaching and learning structures

Augmentation: Substitution with some functional improvement

• On-site submission/return of work replaced by remote online

• Online marking and feedback

• A record of submission and return dates

• Coping mechanism for increased student:staff ratios

(There are other ways of doing these things, eg. VLEs, LMSs)

Rationale for using an ePortfolio: Effectiveness

Substitution with Pedagogical improvement

• More timely feedback

• Both tutor and student have a record of past feedback

• Facilitating better use of feedback to improve future work

Beginning to effect how students learn

Rationale for using an ePortfolio: Enhancement and TransformationWhat are the possibilities for student learning?

• Students engaged in self assessment and peer-assessment and feedback (usually formative)

• Academic-Tutor assessment and feedback (usually formative or summative)

• Work-place Tutor assessment and feedback (can be formative and/or summative)

• Student-tutor dialogue

• Students build capacity to critically self-reflect

• Build a diverse and inclusive network to engage in discourse around learning

• Build capacity to re-assess assumptions and come to new understandings

Choosing the ePortfolio : PebblePad

• Matching needs analysis with ePortfolio specification

• PebblePad met requirements for health care students

• Closed and more secure than open source for sensitive information

• PebblePad integrates with the Blackboard VLE

• Students have their portfolio for life – free

Lesson learnt so far: Tutor feedback

• “PP is very complex”

• “Technical support is needed”

• “There is a lot of initial work involved in creating and building templates…..testing and taking feedback…. and rebuilding…”

Lesson learnt so far: Tutor feedback

“I like it – in fact I love it – once I was trained. I’m in charge of my own templates – I don’t need a learning technologist to help me if I need to change something. So yes, need training at the start – but then you’re in charge”

Complexities

• From a reporting perspective – you can’t generate a general report for an individual student across modules

• It is difficult to share templates across institutions. Templates need to be installed separately at each institution

• Linking students to work-based tutors, as they change frequently

• Support is very good from PP team. • PP is looking for solutions.

Student feedback

Please indicate how successful you were in accessing Pebble Pad eportfolio Very successful - I managed to use thetool for the purpose of documenting;clinical reflection, clinical outcomes,competencies, lab work, course work

Quite successful - I managed to log in andcomplete the tasks required

Not very successful - I managed to log into Pebble Pad but could not complete thetasks required

Very unsuccessful - I tried but did notmanage to log in at all

Student feedback

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50

Pebble pad eportfolio was generally easy touse

I had sufficient support to use Pebble Padeportfolio

Technical issues limited my use of pebble padeportfolio

Please indicate your agreement with the following statements in relation to Pebble Pad's usability

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00

Online instructions about the site, such as the user manual (helpsection)

Individual guidance (email  or phone) from module leader, clinicalmodule leader

Individual guidance (email or phone) from IT department

No support - I just worked it out for myself

Which types of support did you utilize in learning how to use Pebble Pad eportfolio ?

2.84 2.86 2.88 2.90 2.92 2.94 2.96 2.98

Overall the Pebble Pad eportfolio was helpful for mylearning in clinical reflection, clinical learning outcomes,

competencies, lab work , course work.

I consider it a useful experience, learning how to usePebble Pad eportfolio

I think the Pebble Pad eportfolio will have otherapplications

Overall impact of Pebble Pad

Over to Katie……...