JCPSLP
Volume 16, Number 3 2014
139
Clinical education
artefacts, together with their reflections on learning” (AeP,
2009, p. 2). The advantages of ePortfolios over traditional
paper portfolios are ease of access, revision and updating,
increased storage capacity, the inclusion of multimedia
materials such as video and audio, use of hyperlinks; and
the development of technological skills (Chou & Chen,
2008; Tochel et al., 2009).
A report documents how countries, such as Wales and
the Netherlands, are using ePortfolios for all citizens (not
just students) to support transitions, career development
and lifelong learning, and recommends Australia follows suit
(Leeson & Williams, 2009).
Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) requires practising
speech pathologists to continue learning and be certified
in a commitment to self-regulation in line with other non-
registered professions (SPA, 2014). An ePortfolio may be
an effective tool for monitoring such a process (Gordon &
Campbell, 2013), yet there is no research exploring this for
speech pathologists (SPs).
In Australia, universities offering speech pathology
programs need to demonstrate to Speech Pathology
Australia how their students meet the entry level
requirement for the profession, using the Competency
Based Occupational Standards for Speech Pathology
(CBOS; SPA, 2011). As well as traditional on-campus
teaching, universities ensure students have clinical
practicums under the supervision of qualified practising
speech pathologists. Students in speech pathology (SP)
courses often report a disconnect between taught theory
and applying that knowledge in clinical settings (Walden,
2010); therefore strengthening clinical practicum–theory
links is important. An ePortfolio can be used as a learning
tool to support students to make these links (Buckley et al.,
2009).
Universities need to evaluate the student’s learning
in the clinical practicum. According to Yorke (2011),
an appropriate and valid assessment would include an
assessment of actual performance along with a record
of performance and a reflection on learning in a portfolio
format. The SP profession has a valid and reliable
assessment of performance in COMPASS® (McAllister,
Lincoln, Ferguson & McAllister, 2013) and the process
of developing an ePortfolio for assessment would further
demonstrate entry-level skills to university staff. For
students, therefore, an ePortfolio is a tool for learning
In order to graduate, speech pathology
students need to effectively apply taught
theory to clients in their clinical practicum.
Following graduation, students showcase
their competency to employers in a
challenging and competitive employment
environment. Once employed, they engage in
lifelong learning, demonstrating ongoing
competency to practice. An ePortfolio is a
collection of artefacts and reflections from
clinical experiences that can be used as
learning, assessment and showcasing tool.
An ePortfolio was embedded across the new
speech pathology course at Edith Cowan
University. Student perceptions of the utility
of the ePortfolio for learning and showcasing
were investigated by questionnaire. Students
were engaged with the ePortfolio, seeing it
more as an organisational than learning tool.
They were negative about the time required
to complete an ePortfolio and did not see the
link with their future career. With additional
support and a more flexible and user-friendly
software platform, an ePortfolio may be of
use as a learning tool for students and for
professional self-regulation.
P
aper-based portfolios have been used as an
assessment tool in higher education and to
demonstrate learning for promotion or appraisal in
the workplace for over twenty years (Klenowski, Askew, &
Carnell, 2006). Since the advent of Web 2.0 technologies,
the use of electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) has substantially
increased in many universities across the world (Hallam
& Creagh, 2010), and ePortfolios are used in disciplines
such as teaching, nursing and medicine (Chou & Chen,
2008). The term “ePortfolio” has many definitions in the
literature depending on its context and purpose (Hallam
& Creagh, 2010). The Australian ePortfolio Project (AeP)
defines an ePortfolio as: “an electronically stored collection
(or archive) of a student’s experiences, achievements and
Implementation of an
ePortfolio
Perspectives of speech pathology students
Abigail Lewis and Katrina Strampel
KEYWORDS
EPORTFOLIO
FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
PROFESSIONAL
COMPETENCY
STUDENTS
SUMMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
THIS ARTICLE
HAS BEEN
PEER-
REVIEWED
Abigail Lewis
(top) and Katrina
Strampel
