Citation
Birks, M., Hartin, P., Woods, C., Emmanuel, E., & Hitchins, M. (2016). Students’ perceptions of the use of eportfolios in nursing and midwifery education. Nurse Education in Practice, 18(2016), 46-51.
Abstract
ePortfolios have been introduced into many higher education degrees in the past decade in an effort to help students to link theory, practice and personal experiences. This pilot study used a survey to examine ePortfolio use from the perspective of undergraduate nursing and postgraduate midwifery students. Fifty-seven students from a regional Australian university completed an online questionnaire which contained questions about the following areas of ePortfolio use: understanding of the tool; psychological perceptions; challenges around use; assessment; outcomes of use; benefits; maintenance of the ePortfolio; and enhanced learning. The majority of respondents were female, undergraduate students, aged 21–30 years. Results indicated that many students found ePortfolio use frustrating; in particular, technological and logistical challenges in using ePortfolios were highlighted. Most students, however, noted ePortfolios could be useful repositories for documents, reflections and learning experiences. Undergraduate students were more likely than postgraduate students to see the positive potential of ePortfolio use. The findings, coupled with the literature, raise questions about the effectiveness of ePortfolio use in nursing and midwifery education and, particularly, whether ePortfolios have been implemented with misguided and misinformed good intention. Further research is required to better understand the logistical and technological aspects of successful implementation of ePortfolios and fully capitalise on their benefits for nursing and midwifery education.
Annotation
Despite the rising popularity of e-Portfolios, there is limited evidence of their effectiveness, particularly whether students “feel ePortfolio use helps them to develop personally and professionally” and assess “their learning and competence”. (p. 47). In this article, researchers therefore used a pilot study to survey undergraduate nursing and postgraduate midwifery students from a university in Australia about ePortfolio use: understanding, perceptions, challenges, assessment, outcomes, benefits, maintenance, and “enhanced learning” (p. 46). While most students acknowledge that e-Portfolios could be useful for storing “documents, reflections and learning experiences”, undergraduate students were more likely to see the potential of use vs. postgraduate students (p. 46). Furthermore, many found e-Portfolio use frustrating, highlighting “technological and logistical challenges” (p. 46). These challenges may not only overshadow “the potential benefits of ePortfolio use in higher education settings” (p. 47), but also raise questions about the effectiveness of use of this technology for this group of students, including whether e-Portfolios were “implemented with misguided and misinformed good intention” (p. 46).