The effect of e-portfolio application on reflective thinking and learning motivation of primary school teacher candidates

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of e-portfolio application on reflective thinking and learning motivation of primary school teacher candidates. The study group of the research consists of primary school teacher candidates studying in the 3rd year of the Faculty of Education of a state university in Ankara. In the research, a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was used. Quantitative data of the study were collected using the Learning motivation scale, Reflective thinking scale and Performance tasks and independent samples t-test, two-factor ANOVA for mixed designs and Mann Whitney U-Test were used in the analysis of quantitative data. The qualitative data of the study were collected by applying a semi-structured interview form to the primary school teacher candidates in the experimental group through the interview technique. In addition, content analysis method was used in the analysis of qualitative data. When the results obtained from the research were examined, it was seen that there was a significant difference in favour of the experimental group in terms of reflective thinking post-test mean scores. Moreover, when the significance of the difference between the post-test mean scores in terms of learning motivation was examined, it was seen that there was a significant difference in favour of the experimental group. It was determined that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in favour of the experimental group in terms of the performance tasks administered to the primary school teacher candidates. As a result, it was concluded that e-portfolio applications have a positive effect on reflective thinking, learning motivation and performance tasks of primary school teacher candidates.

Comparison of the effectiveness of the electronic portfolio and online discussion forum methods in teaching professional belonging and ethical behaviors to nursing students: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Nursing is a profession that has had many ethical aspects and understanding professional belonging and ethics as a deep and complex process is one of the basic concepts in this field. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of training professional belonging and ethical behaviors in two methods: electronic portfolio and online discussion forum in nursing students.

METHODS

This study is a single-blinded randomized-controlled trial (RCT) with two parallel intervention groups and a third control group. The sample size was 90 selected by block randomization method. The educational contents of professional belonging and ethical behaviors were presented to the participants in two ways: electronic portfolio and online discussion forum. Demographic information form, professional belonging questionnaire, and ethical behaviors questionnaire were applied to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24 software. Respectively mean, standard deviation and repeated measured, analysis of variance tests was used in descriptive and analytic statistic. (P value < 0.05).

RESULTS

Comparison of the mean score of professional belonging and ethical behavior in the three stages of pretest, immediately after the test and four weeks after the test in all three groups was significant (P < 0.001). The control group had a higher mean score of professional belonging immediately after the test (108.18 ± 48.9) compared to the other two groups. Also, the online discussion forum group had a higher mean score on ethical behavior in four weeks after the test (104.2 ± 0.8) compared to the other two groups.

CONCLUSION

Training based on two methods of the electronic portfolio and online discussion forum increases and enhances the level of ethical behaviors in students. Therefore, the implementation of such methods of training can be useful in improving, promoting, and learning ethical behaviors in nursing students. On the other hand, training based on the two methods had a negative impact on professional belonging. Therefore, it is suggested that future studies be conducted with a greater focus on areas of professional belonging.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This research has been registered in Iranian Clinical Trial Registration Center (IRCT) with registration number "IRCT20180612040063N1" and registration date "16/07/2018".

Acceptance and validity of the methods used to implement a competency based medical education programme in an Intensive Care Department of a teaching referral center

OBJECTIVES

1. To determine the satisfaction of tutors and residents with a specific methodology used to implement CoBaTrICE. 2. To determine the reliability and validity of the global rating scales designed ad hoc to assess the performance of the residents for training purposes.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

All the residents and tutors of the ICU Department of the Hospital Universitario y Politécnico la Fe de Valencia.

INTERVENTION

CoBaTrICE implementation started in March 2016, it was based on: (1) Training the tutors in feedback techniques; (2) Performing multiple objective and structured work based assessments to achieve the competences of the program; and (3) The use of an electronic portfolio to promote learning reflection and to collect the evidence that learning was taking place.

METHODS

The acceptance of CoBaTrICE was explored through a satisfaction survey conducted after 9 months of implementation of the training program. The 15 residents and 5 tutors of the ICU Department were asked about the methodology of the formative assessments, the quality of the feedback, self-learning regulation and the electronic portfolio usefulness. The validity of the global rating scales was assessed through the tests alfa de Cronbach, reliability and generalizability indexes, and intraclass correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

The implementation of CoBaTrICE was satisfactory in all the dimensions studied. The global rating scales used for formative purposes showed reliability and validity.

CONCLUSIONS

The methodology used to implement CoBaTrICE was highly valued by tutors and residents. The global rating scales used for formative purposes showed reliability and validity.

Designing, implementation, and evaluation of internship comprehensive system for assessment and monitoring

BACKGROUND

During the past decade, the benefits of using portfolios, especially electronic portfolios, were recognized. Due to the lack of using portfolios and especially electronic portfolio in the clinical evaluations of internship training in medical schools of Iran, this study has designed, implemented, and evaluated a comprehensive system for monitoring and evaluating the activities of interns.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was a software development study in the three phases of design, implementation, and evaluation. All stages of the project were carried out in the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences during 2019-2020. The software design phase was performed using the Rapid Application Development Methodology (RAD model). In the implementation phase, it was used as a pilot study in the internal department of the medical school. System evaluation was performed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Data were analyzed using the content analysis for qualitative data and descriptive statistical analysis using the SPSS software for quantitative data.

RESULTS

In the educational standards survey, in 10 items, the percentage of choosing "perfectly fit" and "fit" was above 90% (high quality). In the technical standards questionnaire, out of 35 items related to software technical quality, eight items were of acceptable quality and 27 of them were partially acceptable. In the Student Satisfaction Questionnaire, in 9 items, interns' satisfaction with the system was high or very high, and in either case, there was little or no dissatisfaction or satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Positive educational effects can be used in all clinical settings if modification and improvement of the software continues, with slight modifications.

Electronic portfolio use in pediatric residency and perceived efficacy as a tool for teaching lifelong learning

BACKGROUND

Residency programs use electronic portfolios (efolios) to organize data, track resident performance, and sometimes teach and assess lifelong learning (LLL) skills. Published studies on efolios in graduate medical education are mostly descriptions of implementation at individual institutions.

METHODS

An anonymous online survey was sent to 199 pediatric residency program directors across the United States. Efolio usage patterns were described and compared between program directors that perceived efolios effective at fostering LLL and those that did not.

RESULTS

Surveys were completed by 82 of 199 program directors (41%), and 55% used efolios. The 20% (9 of 45) of program directors that believed efolios were effective at teaching LLL more often used self-assessment (88% vs. 50%, p = 0.05) and goal-setting (75% vs. 40%, p = 0.03) functionalities. Common efolio challenges included limited usability and difficulty integrating data. Most non-users (65%) would like to invest in efolios.

CONCLUSIONS

Respondents reported technical and convenience-related challenges to efolio use, which need to be addressed for efolios to meet their potential as valuable learning tools. The use of self-assessments and goal-setting features was associated with program directors' perceptions that efolios were effective at fostering LLL.

Student perceptions of digital badges in a drug information and literature evaluation course

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The purpose of this article is to describe student perceptions of implementation of digital badges in a drug information and literature evaluation course.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

Two digital badges were developed as voluntary learning opportunities. Student perceptions were obtained through pre- and post-survey instruments consisting of selected questions from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire.

FINDINGS

The response rate was 69% (106/153). At baseline, 53% of respondents agreed that digital badges could help them better understand course material. More students agreed they would share earned digital badges on LinkedIn (68%) than Facebook (19%). Most students who earned digital badges agreed that badges helped increase their confidence in course material (73%), focus on specific learning objectives (55%), look deeper into course competencies (64%), and were a useful adjunct to the traditional teaching method (82%).

DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY

Digital badges were perceived by students as a positive adjunct to learning and may provide a novel mechanism for development of an electronic skills-based portfolio.

Evaluation of the free, open source software WordPress as electronic portfolio system in undergraduate medical education

BACKGROUND

Electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) are used to document and support learning activities. E-portfolios with mobile capabilities allow even more flexibility. However, the development or acquisition of ePortfolio software is often costly, and at the same time, commercially available systems may not sufficiently fit the institution's needs. The aim of this study was to design and evaluate an ePortfolio system with mobile capabilities using a commercially free and open source software solution.

METHODS

We created an online ePortfolio environment using the blogging software WordPress based on reported capability features of such software by a qualitative weight and sum method. Technical implementation and usability were evaluated by 25 medical students during their clinical training by quantitative and qualitative means using online questionnaires and focus groups.

RESULTS

The WordPress ePortfolio environment allowed students a broad spectrum of activities - often documented via mobile devices - like collection of multimedia evidences, posting reflections, messaging, web publishing, ePortfolio searches, collaborative learning, knowledge management in a content management system including a wiki and RSS feeds, and the use of aid tools for studying. The students' experience with WordPress revealed a few technical problems, and this report provides workarounds. The WordPress ePortfolio was rated positively by the students as a content management system (67 % of the students), for exchange with other students (74 %), as a note pad for reflections (53 %) and for its potential as an information source for assessment (48 %) and exchange with a mentor (68 %). On the negative side, 74 % of the students in this pilot study did not find it easy to get started with the system, and 63 % rated the ePortfolio as not being user-friendly. Qualitative analysis indicated a need for more introductory information and training.

CONCLUSIONS

It is possible to build an advanced ePortfolio system with mobile capabilities with the free and open source software WordPress. This allows institutions without proprietary software to build a sophisticated ePortfolio system adapted to their needs with relatively few resources. The implementation of WordPress should be accompanied by introductory courses in the use of the software and its apps in order to facilitate its usability.