The identification of requirements for competency development during work-integrated learning in healthcare education

BACKGROUND

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is widely accepted and necessary to attain the essential competencies healthcare students need at their future workplaces. Yet, competency-based education (CBE) remains complex. There often is a focus on daily practice during WIL. Hereby, continuous competency development is at stake. Moreover, the fact that competencies need to continuously develop is often neglected.

OBJECTIVES

To ultimately contribute to the optimization of CBE in healthcare education, this study aimed at examining how competency development during WIL in healthcare education could be optimized, before and after graduation.

METHODS

Fourteen semi-structured interviews with 16 experts in competency development and WIL were carried out. Eight healthcare disciplines were included namely associate degree nursing, audiology, family medicine, nursing (bachelor), occupational therapy, podiatry, pediatrics, and speech therapy. Moreover, two independent experts outside the healthcare domain were included to broaden the perspectives on competency development. A qualitative research approach was used based on an inductive thematic analysis using Nvivo12© where 'in vivo' codes were clustered as sub-themes and themes.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed eight types of requirements for effective and continuous competency development, namely requirements in the context of (1) competency frameworks, (2) reflection and feedback, (3) assessment, (4) the continuity of competency development, (5) mentor involvement, (6) ePortfolios, (7) competency development visualizations, and (8) competency development after graduation. It was noteworthy that certain requirements were fulfilled in one educational program whereas they were absent in another. This emphasizes the large differences in how competence-based education is taking shape in different educational programs and internship contexts. Nevertheless, all educational programs seemed to recognize the importance of ongoing competency development.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study indicate that identifying and meeting the requirements for effective and continuous competency development is essential to optimize competency development during practice in healthcare education.

The use of eportfolios in pre-registration health professional clinical education: An integrative review

INTRODUCTION

ePortfolios are increasingly used in health professional clinical education. However, the nature of ePortfolios varies greatly amongst programs, as does the software, purpose, and institutional cost.

OBJECTIVES

An integrative review of the literature was conducted to determine how ePortfolios are being used in pre-registration health programs to enhance clinical learning.

DATA SOURCES

A systematic search of relevant databases (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Education Resources Information Center, Cochrane, Medline, ProQuest, PubMed, Turning Research Into Practice, and Web of Science) was performed and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Retrieved papers were assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool and findings were analysed.

REVIEW METHODS

A total of 272 records were identified. Thirty papers were assessed in detail. Five themes were identified by content analysis; feedback and communication; student-centred learning; experiences and competencies; access, attitudes, and digital literacy; and technological support.

CONCLUSIONS

ePortfolios offer a range of pedagogical benefits. Clinical learning is enhanced by student-focused ePortfolio design which includes clear learning outcomes; development of relationships with peers and instructors via ongoing communication and feedback; use of templates; links to time-saving applications; and guided, assessed reflections. Poor technological support, negative attitudes by clinical supervisors, unreliable access, instructor-focused design, and excessive or repetitive documentation in ePortfolio design hindered clinical learning.

How Getting Friendly with Bacteria Can Promote Student Appreciation of Microbial Diversity and Their Civic Scientific Literacy

ePortfolios are digital repositories where students can curate papers, projects, and reflections from individual or multiple courses across the disciplines and in a variety of formats to showcase their learning. This transparent and portable medium, which enables students to document their knowledge and abilities for assessment and career development, has been recognized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities as one of 11 high-impact practices. Using tailored rubrics, student assessment of learning gain surveys, and end-of-course exam questions, this study demonstrates how an ePortfolio assignment can be used in microbiology courses taken by majors and nonmajors to measure student learning outcomes in several course and program learning goals. Additionally, it helps students reflect on their learning and place it in a real-world context by connecting science, microbiology, and microbes with issues of social importance like cholera, gender equity, and antibiotic resistance. Writing from a first-person perspective and drawing on resources obtained in class and from their own research, students generate profiles for a chosen microbe and document the microbe's characteristics in creative ways. The ePortfolio assignment can also be partnered with creative work such as an art piece or a poem that highlights and showcases the microbe in a format that is accessible to the public to increase awareness of the role of microbes in our ecosystems. With careful design and construction of assignments, ePortfolios can also be leveraged to promote civic and scientific literacy by tying classroom content to real-world issues of civic importance.

Training to Support ePortfolio Users During Clinical Placements: a Scoping Review

ePortfolios are frequently used to support students' competency development, and teachers' and clinical mentors' supervision during clinical placements. User training is considered a critical success factor for the implementation of these ePortfolios. However, there is ambiguity about the design and outcomes of ePortfolio user training. A scoping review was conducted to consolidate evidence from studies describing the design of ePortfolio user training initiatives and their outcomes. The search yielded 1180 articles of which 16 were included in this review. Based on the results, an individual, ongoing training approach which grounds in a fitting theoretical framework is recommended.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01583-0.

A micro-credentialing methodology for improved recognition of HE employability skills

Increasingly, among international organizations concerned with unemployment rates and industry demands, there is an emphasis on the need to improve graduates' employability skills and the transparency of mechanisms for their recognition. This research presents the Employability Skills Micro-credentialing (ESMC) methodology, designed under the EPICA Horizon 2020 (H2020) project and tested at three East African universities, and shows how it fosters pedagogical innovation and promotes employability skills integration and visibility. The methodology, supported by a competency-based ePortfolio and a digital micro-credentialing system, was evaluated using a mixed-method design, combining descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis to capture complementary stakeholder perspectives. The study involved the participation of 13 lecturers, 169 students, and 24 employers. The results indicate that the ESMC methodology is a promising approach for supporting students in their transition from academia to the workplace. The implementation of the methodology and the involvement of employers entails rethinking educational practices and academic curricula to embed employability skills. It enables all actors to broaden their understanding of the relationship between higher education and the business sector and to sustain visibility, transparency, and reliability of the recognition process. These findings indicate that there are favourable conditions in the region for the adoption of the approach, which is a meaningful solution for the stakeholder community to address the skills gap.

Creating an LMS ePortfolio Building System That Enhances the Quality of College Life from One That Supports Self-Regulated Learning

During the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the ability to be a self-regulated learner has become more important with the introduction of online classes. These changes mean that students are now required to review their learning strategies and self-manage their learning time. We have developed a new "ePortfolio system" with the aim of building a system that fosters self-regulated learners and can visualize students' learning outcomes. This paper introduces the concepts of our ePortfolio system as a Learning Management System ePortfolio building system that will provide enhanced functions and become a university-wide initiative.

Online learning and teaching approaches used in midwifery programs: A scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this scoping review was to map and identify existing literature that described online learning and teaching approaches used in midwifery education.

DESIGN

An extensive search of multiple databases and gray literature was undertaken following the JBI standards, using predefined selection criteria and following the PRISMA guidelines.

METHODS

This scoping review included studies published in English between 2010 and 2020 that explored the online approaches to learning and teaching for undergraduate midwifery students. The articles were reviewed by three reviewers and content analysis was undertaken.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven articles were included in the review. Results suggest that student engagement is one of the main components of effective teaching in online midwifery education. Online learning resources need to engage the student and promote two-way communication that facilitates and motivates learning.

CONCLUSIONS

Adequate training and support for academic staff and students is essential for the online delivery of midwifery education.

The ePortfolio in UK cardiology training: time for a new digital platform?

The UK cardiology specialist training programme utilises the National Health Service (NHS) e-Portfolio to ensure adequate progression is being made during a trainees' career. The NHS e-portfolio has been used for 15 years, but many questions remain regarding its perceived learning value and usefulness for trainees and trainers. This qualitative study in the recent pre-COVID era explored the perceived benefits of the NHS e-Portfolio with cardiology trainees and trainers in two UK training deaneries. Questionnaires were sent to 66 trainees and to 50 trainers. 50% of trainees felt that their development had benefited from use of the ePortfolio. 61% of trainees found it an effective educational tool, and 25% of trainees and 39% of trainers found the ePortfolio useful for highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. 75% of trainees viewed workplace based assessments as a means to passing the ARCP. The results show that the NHS ePortfolio and workplace based assessments were perceived negatively by some trainees and trainers alike, with many feeling that significant improvements need to be made. In light of the progress and acceptance of digital technology and communication in the current COVID-19 era, it is likely to be the time for the development of a new optimal digital training platform for cardiology trainees and trainers. The specialist societies could help develop a more speciality specific learning and development tool.

Key ePortfolio features and strategies for student success in a competency-based clinical research program

BACKGROUND

Student ePortfolios provide an interactive space for faculty, student peers, and potential employers to view skillsets and reflective expressions of students.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY

The adoption of ePortfolios in an interdisciplinary, competency-based, master's degree program in clinical research at a university in the Midwestern United States is described. Students submitted their ePortfolios as their culminating assessment. A survey was used to collect objective and open-ended responses from 104 students between 2015 and 2019 followed by a voluntary post-survey interview. Two ePortfolio platforms and instructional methods were compared.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY

A user-friendly platform enhanced student engagement and reduced student and faculty frustration with the ePortfolio requirement. Thirty-seven students and alumni responded to an ePortfolio survey, and five students shared their experiences in a post-survey interview. Students described positive experiences related to their academic program and job search as a result of completing the ePortfolio. However, alumni were not strongly motivated to maintain their ePortfolio post-graduation. ePortfolios provide evidence of student acquisition of core competencies in a professional graduate degree. Facilitating the process of ePortfolio creation with instruction guides, exemplar ePortfolios, and an evaluation rubric support student success. A user-friendly ePortfolio platform with social media linking features will enhance exposure of the student's work to key stakeholders during and after their academic program. If the ePortfolio is to have an impact on a student's professional trajectory after graduation, it should contain meaningful examples of academic work that can be shared publicly and allow updating of ePortfolio content.

Midwifery student's perceptions of completing a portfolio of evidence for initial registration: A qualitative exploratory study

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) has set regulatory standards, that require midwifery students to verify how they have met ANMAC standard 8.11 requirements prior to registration as a midwife. The most common formats for recording achievement of the ANMAC requirements are paper-based or electronic portfolios. Research was conducted to compare student's experiences of completing their university portfolio format. Focus group interviews were held at two south east Queensland universities. This study has found that there is disparity between universities in the level of detail documenting evidence of midwifery experiences. The paper-based portfolio was criticised for not having sufficient space for the students to explain the extent of their experiences, in contrast students completing the ePortfolio felt their reflective entries were excessive. Some students felt the portfolio was not being used to its full potential with suggestions that all experiences that fall within the midwife scope of practice should be recorded as evidence of practice experiences. Students felt the current ANMAC Standard 8.11 requirements limit the range of experiences and are repetitive in requiring up to 100 recordings for some experiences. No nationally agreed format exists of how students are required to document their required ANMAC experiences.

The Capstone ePortfolio in an Undergraduate Public Health Program: Accreditation, Assessment, and Audience

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) degree program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) was launched in 2007, and was initially accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health in 2009. We admit approximately 40–45 students each fall to the upper division major, through a competitive admissions process. During the junior and senior years, BSPH majors complete a core set of required courses including internship; 18 credit hours of restricted electives; and any minor offered by the university (except public health). During 2014–2015, the Department of Public Health Sciences was one of five campus units supported by UNC General Administration to pilot the use of ePortfolios as a tool to help students integrate learning across the courses that make up the major. The pilot program continued for 2 additional years, to promote enduring faculty efforts. We subsequently outline the development and implementation of ePortfolio pedagogy in the BSPH program at UNC Charlotte, including preliminary assessment of outcomes the past 3 years. The adoption of ePortfolios has been instrumental in students' educational experiences for over 2 decades. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has advocated that “ePortfolios allow faculty and other educational professionals to help students organize their learning; preserve the variety of forms in which their learning occurs; and reflect upon their learning.” We have learned that effective student ePortfolios do not arise in a vacuum. In collaboration with like-minded campus colleagues including those associated with the university's Communication Across the Curriculum program, we have encountered contributing forces related to the process of “collection, selection, and reflection” including intentional assignments that yield effective student artifacts; and authentic feedback to students through adoption and modification of the AAC&U VALUE rubrics. We conclude that internal and external forces drive the development of ePortfolio content; students embrace opportunities to document learning when those opportunities are structured; the development of the ePortfolio is relational—consistent with student attributes; and ePortfolios enable evidence-based approaches to meet accreditation demands, assessment needs, and workforce expectations.

Which resources are most helpful to support development of an ePortfolio?

AIM

To identify which resources BSc Nursing students found most beneficial in developing and maintaining their ePortfolio.

DESIGN

This study evaluates the benefit of resources available in developing and maintaining an undergraduate nursing student ePortfolio. A mixed-methods approach was taken during 2016, using an internet polling tool. The polling tool was available for 3 months before closing and was available to all fields of BSc Nursing student from any year of their 3-year nursing programme.

FINDINGS

The qualitative data was coded thematically and generated three themes: student workshops, textual guidance and pre-recorded video support. The quantitative data identified that the most beneficial resource was the student workshops facilitated by student academic mentors (SAMs).

CONCLUSION

SAMs provide an invaluable service to students, by sharing their knowledge and experiences, while enhancing a student's perceptions of self-efficacy.

Assessment in a global context: An international perspective on dental education

Assessments are widely used in dental education to record the academic progress of students and ultimately determine whether they are ready to begin independent dental practice. Whilst some would consider this a "rite-of-passage" of learning, the concept of assessments in education is being challenged to allow the evolution of "assessment for learning." This serves as an economical use of learning resources whilst allowing our learners to prove their knowledge and skills and demonstrating competence. The Association for Dental Education in Europe and the American Dental Education Association held a joint international meeting in London in May 2017 allowing experts in dental education to come together for the purposes of Shaping the Future of Dental Education. Assessment in a Global Context was one topic in which international leaders could discuss different methods of assessment, identifying the positives, the pitfalls and critiquing the method of implementation to determine the optimum assessment for a learner studying to be a healthcare professional. A post-workshop survey identified that educators were thinking differently about assessment, instead of working as individuals providing isolated assessments; the general consensus was that a longitudinally orientated systematic and programmatic approach to assessment provide greater reliability and improved the ability to demonstrate learning.

How to succeed as a junior doctor

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) organised an inaugural 1-day conference, the aim of which was to look into some of the key issues that junior doctors need to address when beginning their careers. The target audience was medical students but a few foundation doctors were also in attendance. The conference also helped to increase RCP engagement with medical students and foundation doctors. The day was co-chaired by Professor Kate Thomas (vice dean, University of Birmingham) and Dr Andrew Macleod and Dr Kanwaljit Sandhu (RCP regional advisors for the West Midlands).

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.

Creating a faculty community that values curricular assessment and improvement: one DNP program's experience

Developing faculty ownership of ongoing curricular improvement presents educational and management challenges for schools of nursing, yet little has been published about which components help build a faculty community that values curricular assessment and improvement. The purpose of this case study was to describe key features of and faculty satisfaction with one school of nursing's doctor of nursing practice curricular assessment process, with a description of key considerations for developing an ePortfolio-supported curricular assessment process. ePortfolio matrices were used as a curricular organizing structure for mapping and scoring each completed student assignment to an American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essential descriptor using a rubric that measured evidence of student learning. Faculty satisfaction with the process was also evaluated. First-year results indicated high levels of faculty satisfaction with the assessment process. The initial findings led to four actions for curricular improvement and agreement to continue the assessment process biannually. The curricular assessment was successful in generating faculty satisfaction, identifying needed areas to improve the curriculum, and obtaining faculty agreement to continue the process. A faculty community supportive of curricular assessment is essential to a transformational learning environment that prepares future nursing leaders.

Opinions of the ePortfolio and workplace-based assessments: a survey of core medical trainees and their supervisors

Since the introduction of Modernising Medical Careers in 2005, the electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) and workplace based assessments (WPBAs) have become integral, yet anecdotally controversial, components of postgraduate medical training. In this multi-centre, survey-based study, we looked at core medical trainees and trainers in the Northwest London region and their opinions of the ePortfolio and WPBAs. Our results demonstrate mixed feelings regarding these tools, with 60% of trainees stating that their training had not benefited from the use of an ePortfolio. 53% of trainers felt that feedback sessions with their trainees were useful; however 70% of them cited difficulties in fitting the required number of assessments within their clinical schedule. Overall, if implemented correctly, the ePortfolio and WPBAs are potentially powerful tools in the education and development of trainee doctors. However, improvements in mentoring and feedback may be needed to experience the full benefits of this system.

Using an ePortfolio system as an electronic laboratory notebook in undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology practical classes

Despite many apparent advantages, including security, back-up, remote access, workflow, and data management, the use of electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) in the modern research laboratory is still developing. This presents a challenge to instructors who want to give undergraduate students an introduction to the kinds of data curation and notebook keeping skills that will inevitably be required as ELNs penetrate normal laboratory practice. An additional problem for the teacher is that ELNs do not generally have student-administrative functions and are prohibitively expensive. In this report, we describe the use and impact of an ePortfolio system as a surrogate ELN. Introduction of the system led to several pedagogic outcomes, namely: increased preparedness of students for class, encouragement of creativity and reflection with respect to experimental methods, greatly enhanced engagement between students and tutors, and it gave instructors the ability to scrutinize original data files and monitor student-tutor feedback cycles. However, implementation led to a disruption of tutor workloads and incurred new levels of accountability that threatened to undermine the initiative. Through course evaluations and other reflective processes, we reached an appreciation of how an ELN should be introduced into practical class teaching so that it not only becomes an appropriate aid for teaching the laboratory experience, but also becomes a life-long resource for students.

Evaluation of an eportfolio for the assessment of clinical competence in a baccalaureate nursing program

This paper reports a study undertaken to evaluate the implementation of an electronic portfolio (eportfolio) tool for the assessment of clinical competence in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Baccalaureate nursing programs increasingly use information and communications technologies to support student learning, assess and record progress. Portfolio based practice assessment and electronic portfolios represent growing trends to enhance learning via student reflection and self-identification of further learning needs. Using an action-research process, a mixed-methods evaluation strategy explored the efficacy of the eportfolio in its second year of use. Website tracking analytics and descriptive statistics were used to explore trends in eportfolio usage. Instructor and student surveys and focus groups were carried out at the end of the second year. Instructors valued the eportfolios convenience, improved transparency, an improved ability to track student progress, enhanced theory-practice links, and the competency based assessment framework. Students valued accessibility and convenience, but expressed concerns over assessment data openness and processes for standardization. Both groups felt that the eportfolio navigation required simplification. Electronic portfolios represent a technological evolution from paper-based clinical assessment systems. Although there appear to be many student and instructor advantages in using eportfolios, to maximize successful implementation, clinical teachers require additional training in this new pedagogic approach. Strategies to assist an institutional culture shift towards more transparent assessment processes may also need consideration.

A trainee's guide to surviving ePortfolio

NHS ePortfolio is currently the standard assessment method used for most UK training programmes, from the Foundation Programme to core and specialty training years. This article discusses the terminology used in online assessments and gives a hands-on guide for trainees in how to successfully use ePortfolio.