The use of ePortfolio in health profession education to demonstrate competency and enhance employability: A scoping review

The use of an ePortfolio to support the education of health and social care professionals is increasing in higher education. ePortfolios support the educational journey of students; however, it is unclear how they are used to demonstrate competency or enhance employability. The aims of this study were to explore the literature to identify the use of ePortfolios in health and social care higher education curricula to demonstrate competency or improve employability. Three electronic databases were searched to identify papers using scoping review methodology. Studies that were published between 2001 and 2019 were included. A total of 1530 articles were initially identified after duplicates were removed. Nine studies were included in the final qualitative synthesis following a robust review. Data were synthesised into themes that describe the role of ePortfolios in demonstrating competencies in higher education or improving employability they were (1) Self-Directed Learning, (2) Deeper Learning, (3) Expanding Literacies, (4) Successful Implementation. These studies highlight that ePortfolio is both a product and a process. ePortfolios support students to gather artefacts that demonstrate professional competency which can be applied in the job-seeking process. The ePortfolio development process applies social constructionist approaches to learning which support lifelong learning and enhance employability. The findings also highlight the importance of providing students with clear expectations of the role of an ePortfolio in their professional learning journey

Expert in my pocket: creating first person POV videos to enhance mobile learning

Worldwide, there has been a rapid increase in both the use of mobile technologies as a conduit for student learning and the use of wearable cameras to record sporting and recreational activities. The Expert in My Pocket project (EiMP) has combined these two technologies to produce a repository of freely available short videos and supporting materials to enhance student development of psychomotor clinical skills. The videos are presented from a first person point of view (1PPOV) with expert health professionals ‘thinking aloud’ as they demonstrate selected skills. Research indicates that students and educators overwhelmingly support the concept of EiMP videos and more importantly value the 1PPOV as an authentic view. This paper demonstrates the techniques and equipment employed to produce these videos, which consisted of a chest or head mounted GoPro camera operated via an iPad. Additionally, the paper explains another innovative feature, Quick Response (QR) Codes, that when linked to the videos placed on equipment assists with “just in time” mobile learning

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

Looking back, looking forward: A comparison of midwifery students’ experiences of completing portfolios of evidence for ANMAC as paper-based or electronic portfolio

Capper, TS ORCiD: 0000-0003-3464-1423Introduction: During their midwifery education, students are required to keep a portfolio which maintains a record of their clinical experiences, skills development and evidence of developing competence. It is commonplace for portfolios to be maintained in either electronic (ePortfolios) or paper format. The former is a relatively new concept with many academics and students facing challenges whilst navigating the technology. However, as competence in the use of technology has developed, ePortfolios have been adopted within Australia and across the world

Over scaling: a comparison of the use of paper based and ePortfolios at two regional universities

The aim of the project was to explore the experiences of midwifery students completing a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate their completion of statutory requirements ready for initial registration, and examine the challenges, issues and benefits of completing a paper-based versus electronic portfolio. This came about following a discussion with a colleague at CQU who was using paper based portfolios and was considering moving to electronic portfolios

The role of antenatal education in promoting maternal and family health literacy

BACKGROUNDAntenatal education (ANE) supports expectant parents in developing their knowledge, skills, and confidence in preparing for childbirth and early parenting. This is called health literacy, and it is part of the global healthcare system agenda that empowers women to participate fully in making decisions about their health and care before, during, and after birth. The aim of this study was to examine the perspectives of educators and ANE class participants on the extent to which existing courses are meeting this goal.METHODSA qualitative study, conceptualized within the health literacy framework, was conducted in Australia with 10 antenatal educators and 8 participants from antenatal classes. Data were collected through individual interviews and were analyzed using interpretive description.RESULTSThe findings revealed five themes relating to the participants’ experiences in either providing or attending antenatal classes. These included: “balancing provider influences with participant expectations,” “accommodating participant learning styles and preferences,” “influence of the environment on pedagogy and practice,” “empowering participants for decision-making,” and “reflections on what is and is not meaningful and effective.”CONCLUSIONSFindings from this study strongly suggest that to meet the needs of class participants, educators need to be mindful of their expectations. They should adopt a flexible approach to accommodate participants’ knowledge, goals, and preferences as well as characteristics of the context. Conceptualizing ANE within the framework of health literacy provides a clear, targeted approach to meeting the information needs of this important population that is focused on evidence-based safe practice across the birthing continuum and beyond

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

Capper, TS ORCiD: 0000-0003-3464-1423© 2020 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

Australian midwifery student's perceptions of the benefits and challenges associated with completing a portfolio of evidence for initial registration: Paper based and ePortfolios

Capper, TS ORCiD: 0000-0003-3464-1423© 2019 Portfolios are used in midwifery education to provide students with a central place to store their accumulative evidence of clinical experience for initial registration in Australia. Portfolio formats can be paper-based or electronic. Anecdotal discussion between midwifery students in Queensland debated the best format to document the requirements for the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) standard 8.11. Midwifery students using paper-based portfolios envisioned that an ePortfolio would be streamline, simple, safe to use, and able to be used anywhere with WIFI, while some students using an ePortfolio expressed a desire to have a paper-based portfolio as a hard copy. This situation called for evidence of a comparison to resolve the debate. The aim of this study was to investigate midwifery students’ experiences of the benefits and challenges between paper-based and ePortfolios when compiling evidence to meet the requirements for initial registration as a midwife in Australia (ANMAC, 2014)

Transformers changing the face of nursing and midwifery in the media

Aim: This paper reports an educational strategy designed to sensitise and empower students about the impact of media representations of nursing and midwifery on their public image. Background: Numerous studies continue to reveal that stories about nursing and midwifery presented in the mainstream media are often superficial, stereotypical and demeaning. Inaccurate portrayals of nursing damage our professional reputation with the public and potential consumers. It also sends the wrong message to future nursing students. Images are a powerful conductor of misinformation, suggesting to others that nurses are not important agents for social change. Methods: In 2012, a small team of academics designed a photography competition and judging process for undergraduate and postgraduate students of nursing and midwifery enrolled at a regional Australian university. Results: The winning entries were photographs of high quality and conveyed rich meaning. They provide an interesting and positive counterpoint to derogatory images often propagated by mainstream media. Conclusion: There is benefit in extending this project so that it: appeals to more students, builds leadership skills, leads to wider social change and benefits society. The intention is to develop the process of student engagement as an educational intervention, and explore experiences and outcomes with stakeholders