Patsie Polly 2014 - ePortfolio use for development of professional skills in Medical Science students at UNSW Australia
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Explicit alignment of course assessment with learning outcomes encourages students to evidence their learning and consider how assessment develops their professional skills beyond their study program. ePortfolios were used to address professional skills building and career preparedness for Medical Science undergraduates at UNSW Australia. Processes in Disease (2nd yr foundational) and Molecular Basis of Inflammation and Inflammation (3rd yr specialist) Pathology courses used Mahara ePortfolio in Moodle, linked to assessment tasks that build authentic written research communication skills: an annotated bibliography (2nd yr) and a research laboratory report (3rd yr). We measured changes seen upon student engagement with an ePortfolio using: a) two sets of marking criteria assessing the writing and associated co-curricular reflection tasks and b) skills and career ability surveys capturing improved student confidence, acquired skills and perceptions of themselves as professionals. Student reflective practice and professional skills in research thinking and writing were observed with ePortfolio use.
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Patsie Polly 2014 - ePortfolio use for development of professional skills in Medical Science students at UNSW Australia
- 1. ePortfolios for use in Professional Skills Building for Medical Science Students at UNSW Australia Dr Patsie Polly, Dr Thuan Thai, A/Prof Julian Cox, A/Prof Jia-Lin Yang and Kathryn Coleman School of Medical Sciences, Pathology Course focus
- 2. Bachelor of Medical Science at UNSW The BMedSci program • 3 year program (optional Honours year) • Exposure to a range of medical science disciplines (Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology and Pathology) • ATAR = 94.00 Our students • Almost all the students aim to get into Medicine (before, during or after the program) • Many have not considered an alternative career path Use • Hardly any use of ePortfolio in research-related degrees, particularly in medical science in Australia (Hallam et al., 2008)
- 3. Pathways • Further studies • Research • Industry Program-wide use of ePortfolio @ UNSW Mahara-Moodle Skills Building Professional Year 3, Semester 1 Course: Molecular Basis of Inflammation and Infection Year 1 Course: Perspective in Medical Science Readiness Year 2 Course: Processes in Disease Year 4 Honours Year 3, Semester 2 Course: Cancer Sciences Career Awareness
- 4. Program Aim • Improve student graduate capabilities Specific Aims: • Improve professional practice, perspective and reflective practice amongst our medical science students • Develop competitive graduate employability and career readiness skills • Improve student self-motivation
- 5. Pathways • Further studies • Research • Industry PCroougrrsaem u-swe iodfe e uPsoer otffo eliPoortfolio Skills Building Professional Year 3, Semester 1, PATH3205 Course: Molecular Basis of Inflammation and Infection Year 1 Course: Perspective in Medical Science Readiness Year 2 Course: Processes in Disease Year 4 Honours Year 3, Semester 2 Course: Cancer Sciences Career Awareness
- 6. Course (PATH2201) Aim • Improve Research Skills: Written Communication Specific Aim • Develop research practices, formulation of a research question, critical thinking, evaluation and reflection on skills learned
- 7. PATH2201 Assessment Strategy Professional Readiness ePortfolio (5%): Building capabilities in research through written communication Written Annotated Bibliography and Article Evaluation = 20% ‘self-directed interest’
- 8. Sample student ePortfolio from PATH2201 Awareness of personal weakness and strategies for improvement Skills awareness
- 9. I would like to continue studying Pathology next year. I have been able to apply things I learnt in this course to my life and it has also allowed me to formulate many questions which I hope to pursue and answer in both further study and research. I believe it was a great opportunity to really be in the shoes of what it feels like to be a researcher. Finding a research question, a thesis, a hypothesis, developing a method from scratch etc. These skills are essential if I were to go into this scientific research field and hopefully contribute something great towards the scientific community. Awareness of transferable and career-specific skills (beyond 2nd year) Recognition of research skills and professional development
- 10. PATH2201 Skills Ability Survey 2012 (entry=146, exit=120) 2013 (entry=161, exit=114) I am aware of careers program and services at UNSW I know at least 3 different jobs I could do when I graduate (not different employers but different job titles) I can apply what I learn in my undergraduate degree to my job of interest I know which degree-specific (technical) skills are needed to get the kinds of graduate jobs I am interested in I know which transferable (non-technical) skills are needed to get the kinds of graduate jobs I am interested in I am confident presenting my work in a written format I am confident in given oral presentations I have good negotiation skills I can work well as part of a team I can work well independently I have good organisational skills I am good at planning I can manage my time effectively I have good leadership skills I am confident using computers and other forms of technology I am confident searching for scientific literature I have good observational skills I am confident collecting and recording data I have good data interpretation skills I can think critically and evaluate different concepts I have good problem solving skills I am confident referencing information and providing appropriate citations 0 1 to 4% 5 to 9%
- 11. Course (PATH3205) Aim • Improve Research Skills: Oral and Written Communication Specific Aim • Develop research practices, critical thinking, evaluation and reflection on skills learned • Develop teamwork, laboratory work, communication skills
- 12. PATH3205 Assessment Strategy Professional Readiness ePortfolio: Building capabilities in research through research team oral presentations and laboratory based findings Research Team Presentations = 20% Collaborative by ‘teacher design’ Research Laboratory Report = 10% Collaborative by ‘self-directed interest’
- 13. Sample student ePortfolio from PATH3205 (Course-orientated) Identification of career-specific skill Awareness of professional practice Course feedback
- 14. PATH3205 Career Ability Survey 0 20 40 60 80 100 I am aware of careers program and services at UNSW I know at least 3 different jobs I could do when I graduate (not different… I can apply what I learn in my undergraduate degree to my job of… I can make an action plan to get a graduate job I can effectively search for graduate jobs I am interested in I understand the graduate recruitment process I know the timelines involved in the graduate recruitment process I know which degree-specific (technical) skills are needed to get… I know which transferable (non-technical) skills are needed to get the… I can write a tailored resume and cover letter with achievement statements I know how to effectively present myself at a job interview I know my personal work-related values (e.g. high salary, working… I am aware of my personal work-related strengths (e.g. organised, team… I am aware of my personal work-related weaknesses (e.g. time management,… I can identify potential challenges and obstacles to getting a graduate job I know how to formulate strategies to address potential challenges and… I know how to review and change my plans and ideas as personal priorities… (%) Average Student Confidence Entry Exit Technical & transferrable skills • I know which degree-specific (technical) skills are needed to get the kinds of graduate jobs I am interested in (12%) • I know which transferable (non-technical) skills are needed to get the kinds of graduate jobs I am interested in (9%) Career awareness and readiness • I know the timelines involved in the graduate recruitment process (14%) • I understand the graduate recruitment process (11%) Entry: 60 students Exit: 55 students ** *** *** * **
- 15. Sample student ePortfolio from PATH3205
- 16. Reflection on team work Evidence of peer learning and development of social skills Awareness of professional skills and practice
- 17. I feel that I am more prepared and confident in my preparation for these types of presentations and I ultimately feel that I am more prepared for honours because of the group work and individual work that I participated in throughout this assignment and of course, I believe that through participating in this assignment, I have learned fundamental techniques that will greatly benefit me in my scientific future. I can see now that through collaboration with others, a lot more can get done! I didn’t know that I had these leadership qualities in me, and I didn’t know that I had the ability to play ‘hard ball’ when some people in the group weren’t meeting dead lines. Awareness of transferable skills/ application for future studies Reflection on team work/ career awareness Self reflection and awareness/ transformation/ appreciation of personal skills
- 18. ePortfolio Use in the Medical Sciences Pathways Further studies Research Industry Year 3 Year 2 Year 1 Career Awareness Year 3 Year 4 Longitudinal, Program-wide use of ePortfolio Transverse, Cross-context and cross-discipline Skills Building Professional Readiness Anatomy Pathology Pharmacology Physiology
- 19. Conclusion • BMedSci are academically successful BUT unaware of the professional skills developed during the program and career pathways • ePortfolio as a reflective tool assessment tasks that build authentic skills improves student capabilities and career awareness
- 20. Select Collect Present Self appraisal Opportunity awareness Gathering occupational information Planning and problem solving Transition learning Goal setting and selection Self awareness Decision making Curate Reflect Yang et al, 2014
Editor's Notes
- We envision use of ePortfolio as a capstone activity that will link assessments, addressing elements of authentic skills development, primarily in research-themed individual and group work, in different courses to enhance career capabilities/awareness with the ultimate effect of improving life-long learning and graduate employability.
- Little to no use of ePortfolio in research-related degrees, particularly in medical science in Australia (Hallam et al., 2008) ePortfolio is a student centric resource for reflective practice on learning and research skills building Support students in recording their reflective perspectives on: Professional practices Professional / authentic skills development Personal achievements
- PATSIE: Our collaborative program wide approach-our process……. These students achieve well academically and have multiple career potentials but many students are unaware of their career options, employer expectations, the career development process and how to record personal achievements in general PATSIE: PATHWAYS Several choice of pathways are available to graduates. This includes: Further studies, such as doing a Masters or PhD. Graduates also have access to other post-graduate programs such Medicine, Pharmacy or Dentistry. Students also have the option of working in research. This includes academic research, clinical research and industrial research and development. Students can also apply their problem solving skills in technical support. Sales and marketing positions are also available to graduates.
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- PATSIE: Our collaborative program wide approach-our process……. These students achieve well academically and have multiple career potentials but many students are unaware of their career options, employer expectations, the career development process and how to record personal achievements in general PATSIE: PATHWAYS Several choice of pathways are available to graduates. This includes: Further studies, such as doing a Masters or PhD. Graduates also have access to other post-graduate programs such Medicine, Pharmacy or Dentistry. Students also have the option of working in research. This includes academic research, clinical research and industrial research and development. Students can also apply their problem solving skills in technical support. Sales and marketing positions are also available to graduates.
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- The course PATH3205 Molecular Basis of Inflammation and Infection is a Stage/Year 3, Semester 1 subject offered to students across a range of degree programs across the Faculties of Science and Medicine at the University of New South Wales. This course was chosen as it has a wide breadth of authentic assessment tasks and is a key semester 1 course for the Pathology specialisation in Year 3. Two key assessment tasks, a research laboratory report and a research team presentation, were used to facilitate development of professional skills in written and oral research communication and career readiness in medical research, as part of the program-wide pilot study in the Medical Science degree described above (Fig. 4). Students were asked to use the Mahara ePortfolio to document: 1. a narrative around the learning process shown through the research laboratory lectures and workshops, 2. demonstrate engagement, in a reflective manner, with that process, 3. build an awareness of their skills development, understand subject-related skills, personal values and relevance to their professional future, and 4. recognise strengths and weaknesses of the research laboratory and team presentations. The use of a digital portfolio space in this course encouraged these students to document and demonstrate their learning by building awareness of transferable and technical and professional skills required for different research areas in the field. The laboratory report writing task is authentic to research practice and offers a real world experience; it also allows students to think and write as reflective practitioners in determining their personal values, work experience, and strengths and weaknesses, through self-reflection upon learning across the many research laboratories and techniques presented as part of the PATH3205 course.
- We also conducted a career ability survey to assess the impact ePortfolio might have on student’s career awareness. It was administered in Weeks 1 and 13 of semester, representing ‘entry to’ and ‘exit from’ the PATH3205 course. The items covered in the survey can be seen in Figure 5. Survey data were obtained prior to commencement of any course activities and pre-ePortfolio use (Fig. 5, blue bars) and upon completion of the core assessment tasks described above (Fig. 5, blue + red bars). In support of the two distinctive types of ePortfolios, we found was that students significantly improved in self-confidence in areas relating to knowledge of degree-specific (technical) and transferable (non-technical) skills. Notably, students demonstrated a 12% improvement in self-confidence in knowing degree-specific skills (p=0.001), suggesting that the linkage between content knowledge and important technical skills covered throughout the course is made explicit and this is also reflected in the course-oriented contributions in Mahara ePortfolios. Students also demonstrated a significant enhancement in knowledge of transferable skills (p=0.021), indicating that the use of Mahara ePortfolios improved insight into the transferable generic skills gained throughout the course. Interestingly, students also showed significant increase in self-confidence in areas relating to career awareness, such as knowing the graduate recruitment process and the timelines involved. While not part of the formal curriculum, we think that raising such topics through the survey itself, or coverage of career-oriented topics in other courses, or participation in extracurricular activities, may have led to these effects. At the end of the course, we had a lot of student feedback saying that they would like more instructions on what was expected and perhaps even have a marking rubric. Based on these feedback, in the following year we streamlined the process by giving more explicit instructions on what was expected in student ePortfolios and we published a marking criteria, which I must add, is intentionally kept broad so that it does not stifle students’ creativity but offered them some direction.
- The course PATH3205 Molecular Basis of Inflammation and Infection is a Stage/Year 3, Semester 1 subject offered to students across a range of degree programs across the Faculties of Science and Medicine at the University of New South Wales. This course was chosen as it has a wide breadth of authentic assessment tasks and is a key semester 1 course for the Pathology specialisation in Year 3. Two key assessment tasks, a research laboratory report and a research team presentation, were used to facilitate development of professional skills in written and oral research communication and career readiness in medical research, as part of the program-wide pilot study in the Medical Science degree described above (Fig. 4). Students were asked to use the Mahara ePortfolio to document: 1. a narrative around the learning process shown through the research laboratory lectures and workshops, 2. demonstrate engagement, in a reflective manner, with that process, 3. build an awareness of their skills development, understand subject-related skills, personal values and relevance to their professional future, and 4. recognise strengths and weaknesses of the research laboratory and team presentations. The use of a digital portfolio space in this course encouraged these students to document and demonstrate their learning by building awareness of transferable and technical and professional skills required for different research areas in the field. The laboratory report writing task is authentic to research practice and offers a real world experience; it also allows students to think and write as reflective practitioners in determining their personal values, work experience, and strengths and weaknesses, through self-reflection upon learning across the many research laboratories and techniques presented as part of the PATH3205 course.
- The second type of student ePortfolio that we saw were course-orientated. Here the student is able to identify career-skill skills. He write “…..” He also demonstrates an awareness of professional practice. He writes “………” And from an academic that teaches in this subject’s point of view, ePortfolio is also a simple way for students to give you feedback about the course.
- We also conducted a career ability survey to assess the impact ePortfolio might have on student’s career awareness. It was administered in Weeks 1 and 13 of semester, representing ‘entry to’ and ‘exit from’ the PATH3205 course. The items covered in the survey can be seen in Figure 5. Survey data were obtained prior to commencement of any course activities and pre-ePortfolio use (Fig. 5, blue bars) and upon completion of the core assessment tasks described above (Fig. 5, blue + red bars). In support of the two distinctive types of ePortfolios, we found was that students significantly improved in self-confidence in areas relating to knowledge of degree-specific (technical) and transferable (non-technical) skills. Notably, students demonstrated a 12% improvement in self-confidence in knowing degree-specific skills (p=0.001), suggesting that the linkage between content knowledge and important technical skills covered throughout the course is made explicit and this is also reflected in the course-oriented contributions in Mahara ePortfolios. Students also demonstrated a significant enhancement in knowledge of transferable skills (p=0.021), indicating that the use of Mahara ePortfolios improved insight into the transferable generic skills gained throughout the course. Interestingly, students also showed significant increase in self-confidence in areas relating to career awareness, such as knowing the graduate recruitment process and the timelines involved. While not part of the formal curriculum, we think that raising such topics through the survey itself, or coverage of career-oriented topics in other courses, or participation in extracurricular activities, may have led to these effects. At the end of the course, we had a lot of student feedback saying that they would like more instructions on what was expected and perhaps even have a marking rubric. Based on these feedback, in the following year we streamlined the process by giving more explicit instructions on what was expected in student ePortfolios and we published a marking criteria, which I must add, is intentionally kept broad so that it does not stifle students’ creativity but offered them some direction.
- And what we saw were some amazing ePortfolios, that were very rich in self reflection and overall creativity! [comment about the picture] In this example, the student reflected on the group presentation….
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- ePortfolios in Higher Education provide students with the opportunity to become owners of their learning as they select, record and present their work for assessment (Figure 1; Allen & Coleman, 2011; Housego & Parker, 2009; Mills, Butcher & Tilbrook, 2009). The use of ePortfolios in Australian higher education is characterised by portfolios for learning, assessment, reflection (Abrami & Barret, 2005; Barrett, 2005; Barrett, 2006) and for professional development and graduate recruitment (Hallam et al., 2008; Leece, 2005). These studies have indicated that the development of an ePortfolio for learning and assessment is supported by the life-wide approach to the technology as students ‘take’ their learning with them after graduation, beyond assessment submissions, as a career development tool (Leece, 2005).This form of reflection on learning and the act of curation of a view, enables the students to narrate and present their professional identity through the narrative of their learning journey. It has been suggested by medical educators that portfolio assessment provides a robust and successful method of assessing professional learning outcomes, including ethics, attitudes and aptitude for self-development, not readily assessed by traditional methods (Davis et al., 2001; Mills, Butcher & Tilbrook, 2009).