142
JCPSLP
Volume 16, Number 3 2014
Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology
Engagement
Students answered questions eliciting their level of
engagement (perceived value, learning achieved and time
invested) with the ePortfolio and the results are shown in
Table 5. Students were positive about the value and
usefulness of the ePortfolio but fourth years felt the
workload was excessive and not a worthwhile investment
Table 6: Students’ perspectives of the educational
value of the ePortfolio
Student cohort
2nd
3rd
4th
The ePortfolio helped me to focus on my
training
3.3 2.5
2.9
The ePortfolio helped me to achieve
learning objectives
3.7 2.8
2.7
Average:
3.5 2.7
2.8
Note. 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly
agree (5).
of time. There were several comments about the excessive
time required to manage the technology of the software
platform as well as the requirements of the task itself:
“This
system is too time consuming and requires far too much
effort”
(third year).
Educational value
Within the questionnaire, educational value statements
explored how students perceived the ePortfolio as an enabler
for developing skills and achieving learning objectives. Table
6 shows the students in the later years of the course did
not see the educational value of the ePortfolio. Many
students recognised the ePortfolio was useful as an
organisational tool rather than a learning tool:
“It is a great
way to collate and organise your evidence”
(third year).
Table 7. Students’ perspectives of the My reflection
part of the ePortfolio
Student cohort
2nd
3rd
4th
Reflection is a difficult concept to
understand
2.0 2.7
2.4
Reflection on my practicum enables me
to reflect deeply about my learning in clinic 3.7 3.2
4.0
The ePortfolio allows me to exemplify
increasing depth of reflection
3.7 3.1
3.1
The reflections helped me identify my
strengths and areas for improvement
on prac (the clinical practicum)
3.7 3.4
3.1
Average of positive statements:
3.7 3.2
3.4
Note. 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly
agree (5). The shaded statement is negative therefore scores are
interpreted differently.
Reflection
Statements relating to the Reflections section of the
ePortfolio (Table 7) suggest that although SP students
understood the concept of reflection they did not perceive
that the ePortfolio contributed to the development of
reflection. Some students thought reflections were one of
the most useful things but others felt there were too many:
“helping me learn how to reflect on my learning”
(third year);
“completing too many reflections to meet assessment
criteria that I don’t get much out of”
(third year).
Table 8. Students’ perspectives regarding their
development of skills
Student cohort
2nd
3rd
4th
My evidence of competency
The ePortfolio allows me to analyse the
competencies I need to be a graduate
entry level Speech Pathologist as
detailed in CBOS and COMPASS
®
3.7 3.4
3.9
The ePortfolio allows me to construct a
repository for the selection of evidence
towards gaining competency
3.7 3.5
3.4
The ePortfolio allows me to evaluate
the evidence I collect
4.0 3.1
3.7
The ePortfolio helps me generate
specific short-term personal learning
outcomes (goals) relating to the
competencies
4.0 3.3
3.4
Average:
3.9 3.3
3.6
My records
Records enables me to see how I’m
progressing towards covering all range
indicators and units of competency
3.7 3.6
3.9
The records allow me to record my
clinical experiences so future
placements/experiences can be planned
to build on these and fill in any gaps
4.0 3.7
3.7
Average:
3.9 3.7
3.8
Note. 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly
agree (5).
Development of skills
Students’ perceptions of the use of an ePortfolio to
accomplish specific tasks varied, with students being
positive in second year, less positive in third year, then more
positive in fourth year, as shown in Table 8.
Table 5. Students’ level of engagement
Student cohort
2nd
3rd
4th
In general the ePortfolio is of value and a
useful experience
3.3 3.1
3.1
The ePortfolio is a worthwhile investment
of my time
3.5 2.8
3.0
Average of positive statements:
3.4 3.0
3.1
The ePortfolio involves excessive work
2.8 3.5
4.3
Note. 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree
(5). The shaded statement is negative therefore scores are interpreted
differently.
