School of Medical Sciences, Pathology

ePortfolios for use in Professional Skills Building for Medical Science Students at

UNSW AustraliaDr Patsie Polly, Dr Thuan Thai, A/Prof Julian Cox, A/Prof Jia-Lin Yang and Kathryn Coleman

Course focus

Bachelor of Medical Science at UNSWThe BMedSci program• 3 year program (optional Honours year)• Exposure to a range of medical science disciplines (Anatomy,

Physiology, Pharmacology and Pathology)• ATAR = 94.00Our students• Almost all the students aim to get into Medicine (before, during

or after the program)• Many have not considered an alternative career pathUse• Hardly any use of ePortfolio in research-related degrees,

particularly in medical science in Australia (Hallam et al., 2008)

Pathways• Further studies• Research• Industry

Year 1Course: Perspective in Medical Science

Year 2Course: Processes in Disease

Skills Building Professional

Readiness

Year 3, Semester 2 Course: Cancer Sciences

Year 3, Semester 1 Course: Molecular Basis of Inflammation and InfectionYear 4

Honours

CareerAwareness

Program-wide use of ePortfolio @ UNSWMahara-Moodle

Program Aim

• Improve student graduate capabilities

Specific Aims:• Improve professional practice, perspective and reflective

practice amongst our medical science students• Develop competitive graduate employability and career

readiness skills • Improve student self-motivation

Pathways• Further studies• Research• Industry

Year 1Course: Perspective in Medical Science

Year 2Course: Processes in Disease

Skills Building Professional

Readiness

Year 3, Semester 2 Course: Cancer Sciences

Year 3, Semester 1, PATH3205 Course: Molecular Basis of Inflammation and InfectionYear 4

Honours

CareerAwareness

Program-wide use of ePortfolioCourse use of ePortfolio

Course (PATH2201) Aim

• Improve Research Skills: Written Communication

Specific Aim• Develop research practices, formulation of a research

question, critical thinking, evaluation and reflection on skills learned

PATH2201 Assessment Strategy

Professional Readiness

Written Annotated Bibliography and Article Evaluation = 20%‘self-directed interest’

ePortfolio (5%):Building capabilities in research through written communication

Sample student ePortfolio from PATH2201

Awareness of personal weakness and strategies for improvement

Skills awareness

I would like to continue studying Pathology next year. I have been able to apply things I learnt in this course to my life and it has also allowed me to formulate many questions which I hope to pursue and answer in both further study and research.

I believe it was a great opportunity to really be in the shoes of what it feels like to be a researcher. Finding a research question, a thesis, a hypothesis, developing a method from scratch etc. These skills are essential if I were to go into this scientific research field and hopefully contribute something great towards the scientific community.

Awareness of transferable and career-specific skills (beyond 2nd year)

Recognition of research skills and professional development

PATH2201 Skills Ability Survey2012

(entry=146, exit=120)2013

(entry=161, exit=114)I am aware of careers program and services at UNSW

I know at least 3 different jobs I could do when I graduate (not different employers but different job titles)

I can apply what I learn in my undergraduate degree to my job of interest

I know which degree-specific (technical) skills are needed to get the kinds of graduate jobs I am interested in

I know which transferable (non-technical) skills are needed to get the kinds of graduate jobs I am interested in

I am confident presenting my work in a written format I am confident in given oral presentations I have good negotiation skills I can work well as part of a team I can work well independently I have good organisational skills I am good at planning I can manage my time effectively I have good leadership skills I am confident using computers and other forms of technology I am confident searching for scientific literature I have good observational skills I am confident collecting and recording data I have good data interpretation skills I can think critically and evaluate different concepts I have good problem solving skills I am confident referencing information and providing appropriate citations

0 1 to 4% 5 to 9%

Course (PATH3205) Aim

• Improve Research Skills: Oral and Written Communication

Specific Aim• Develop research practices, critical thinking, evaluation and

reflection on skills learned• Develop teamwork, laboratory work, communication skills

PATH3205 Assessment Strategy

ePortfolio:Building capabilities in research

through research team oral presentations and laboratory based

findings

Professional Readiness

Research TeamPresentations = 20%

Collaborative by ‘teacher design’

Research Laboratory Report = 10%

Collaborative by ‘self-directed interest’

Sample student ePortfolio from PATH3205(Course-orientated)

Identification of career-specific skill

Course feedback

Awareness of professional

practice

I am aware of careers program and services at UNSW

I can apply what I learn in my undergraduate degree to my job of interest

I can effectively search for graduate jobs I am interested in

I know the timelines involved in the graduate recruitment process

I know which transferable (non-technical) skills are needed to get the kinds of graduate jobs I am interested in

I know how to effectively present myself at a job interview

I am aware of my personal work-related strengths (e.g. organised, team player, etc)

I can identify potential challenges and obstacles to getting a graduate job

I know how to review and change my plans and ideas as personal priorities and circumstances change

0 20 40 60 80 100

Average Student Confidence

EntryExit

(%)

Career awareness and readiness• I know the timelines involved in the graduate

recruitment process (14%)• I understand the graduate recruitment process

(11%)

Technical & transferrable skills• I know which degree-specific (technical) skills are

needed to get the kinds of graduate jobs I am interested in (12%)

• I know which transferable (non-technical) skills are needed to get the kinds of graduate jobs I am interested in (9%)

Entry: 60 students Exit: 55 students

**

***

****

**

PATH3205 Career Ability Survey

Sample student ePortfolio from PATH3205

Reflection on team work

Evidence of peer learning and development of social skills

Awareness of professional skills and practice

I feel that I am more prepared and confident in my preparation for these types of presentations and I ultimately feel that I am more prepared for honours because of the group work and individual work that I participated in throughout this assignment and of course, I believe that through participating in this assignment, I have learned fundamental techniques that will greatly benefit me in my scientific future.

I can see now that through collaboration with others, a lot more can get done! I didn’t know that I had these leadership qualities in me, and I didn’t know that I had the ability to play ‘hard ball’ when some people in the group weren’t meeting dead lines.

Awareness of transferable skills/ application for future studies

Reflection on team work/ career awareness

Self reflection and awareness/ transformation/ appreciation of personal skills

Pathways Further studies Research Industry

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 3

Year 4

Lon

git

ud

inal,

Pro

gra

m-w

ide u

se o

f eP

ort

folio

Skills Building

ProfessionalReadiness

CareerAwareness

Anatomy Pathology Pharmacology Physiology

Transverse, Cross-context and cross-discipline

ePortfolio Use in the Medical Sciences

Conclusion

• BMedSci are academically successful BUT unaware of the professional skills developed during the program and career pathways

• ePortfolio as a reflective tool assessment tasks that build authentic skills improves student capabilities and career awareness

Select

Collect

ReflectCurate

Present

Self appraisal

Gathering occupational information

Goal setting and selection

Planning and problem solving

Self awareness

Decision making

Opportunity awareness

Transition learning

Yang et al, 2014