This document summarizes a trial using digital media to assess competencies of student nurses. It discusses that the university trains over 10,000 health and education students, including 1500 student nurses. It conducted a trial with 30 pediatric student nurses using electronic competency tracking on tablets without internet. The rationale is that this system allows for electronic completion and assessment of portfolios compared to traditional paper. It has potential to enhance practice learning, assessment, and support of mentors. Challenges include clinical governance, device storage, understanding of assessments, and engagement. The next steps are to introduce it to 180 student nurses in 2014 and 25 work-based learning students in 2016.

1. Siân Shaw & George Evangelinos
Senior Lecturer / Learning
Technologist
Using Digital Media
to Assess Practice
Competencies in
Student Nurses

2. • With over 10,000 students, we are the
largest provider of health, social care and
education courses across the East of
England. We currently train the majority
of nurses, midwives, operating
department practitioners and
paramedics and teachers across the
eastern region.
• 1500 Pre-Registration Student Nurses
• 'Outstanding' for the fit-for-practice
category in the NMC review of the
nursing and midwifery course provision
(NMC, 2013).

4. MyProgress Trial
• Trial 30 paediatric Student Nurses
• Electronic competencies on tablets
• Works in placement in without the
need for internet or Wi-Fi.
• Runs on MyKnowlegdeMap Server

5. Here is Edward Bear, coming
downstairs now, bump, bump,
bump, on the back of his head,
behind Christopher Robin. It is,
as far as he knows, the
only way of coming downstairs,
but sometimes he feels that there
really is another way, if only he
could stop bumping for a moment
and think of it.

6. Rationale
• MyProgress allows for the electronic
completion and assessment of student
professional development portfolios via both
a computer web based environment and / or
a mobile tablet device.
• The system, compared to the traditional
paper-based alternatives, will greatly
enhance the ability of lecturers to support and
monitor student progress while in placement
on an individual and group basis.
• It has excellent potential to enhance the
quality of practice learning, particularly
practice assessment and closely support
mentors with their role.

7. Quick Wins
•Rapid identification of students at risk of
failure and facilitation of early intervention, a
key contributor to retention and standard
completion.
•Review and support of mentors’ engagement
with assessment, ensuring consistent and
reliable assessment of practice across multiple
practice bases
•Increased good academic practice / precludes
the falsification of documentation through email
verified sign off of assessments

8. Potential
•Student & Mentor acquisition of digital literacy skills.
•Reduction in attrition rates
•Sustainability
•Reports / metrics can be ‘pulled’ from the system.
•Ability to develop innovative ways to assess students e.g.
OSCE function
•Attendance/ time sheets can be approved on the device
and accessed remotely by HEI
•Practice placement evaluations can be incorporated and
collected
•Employability - development of a CPD portfolio for CV
purposes (MyShowcase).

10. Challenges
• Clinical Governance
• Device Storage
• Student understanding of the
practice assessment.
• Mentor understanding of the
practice assessment
• Academic engagement
• Email addresses
• Locating completed assessments
• Cameras

11. Next Steps
This project will introduce the use of
electronic practice assessment to:
•Sept 2014 student nurses in
Cambridgeshire (n=180). Students
commence practice for year 2 in
February 2016.
•March 2016 work based learning
student nurses (n=25).

12. F
Can we really
Change?
•Find your lion
•Take ownership
•Small steps = big
results