Master of Midwifery: A postgraduate programs first use of ePortfolios Christine Slade & Keith Murfin Centre for Support and Advancement of Learning and Teaching (C~SALT) Michelle Gray & Kendall George Lecturers Midwifery & Nursing University of the Sunshine Coast (USC)

The USC ePortfolio Journey

Early Adoption 2013 First postgraduate program to use ePortfolios Theory of Midwifery Practice (14 students) & Midwifery Practicum (11 students) Short implementation phase - staff & students learning together Timeframes did not allow embedding into assessment

Reasons for Change Master of Midwifery was reaccredited in 2013 Graduate Requirements Standard for registration requires documentation of 20 continuity-of-care follow journeys, 40 births Additional 100 antenatal and postnatal examinations This is a significant burden of data collection and storage PebblePad offered suitable e-alternative

The Approach Created templates Assets submitted to ATLAS for formative feedback Initially this approach encouraged engagement but became time consuming for the lecturer Webfolios introduced to drastically reduce volume Using ePortfolios avoided duplication required in paper based version – academic view

Semester 2 However, it did not go smoothly… Other students did not engage, preferring to submit hard copies. The ePortfolio was not an assessment item and therefore not seen as essential Four students chose to use PebblePad option

What were the Problems? Premature introduction Short time frame for training of staff No time to embed into the course learning outcomes Variance in IT literacy of staff and students Different expectations Student resistance Seen as additional work because not assessed Students did not see benefits

Lessons Learned Embed ePortfolios in assessment and course outline Workshop student introduction in tutorial time Increased familiarity of teaching staff with the platform improves preparation for these workshops Consider length of program and workloads Importance of having support

How is it now? 2014 cohort - PebblePad embedded into program via Assessments Staggered learning activities E-portfolios introduced positively e.g. video before semester starts and flipped classroom approach Confident staff able to support students Ongoing support by C~SALT

Michelle Gray Master of Midwifery ePortfolio Coordinator (click on image to play video)