The Enhancing Learner Progression Project (eLP)
The use of e-portfolios has been steadily increasing over recent years. This utilisation of internet technology allows individuals to present their achievements, assessments and capabilities in an electronic format. They have the advantage over paper- based portfolios as assessments can take place remotely and work can be more easily organised. The European vision provides us all with access to an e-portfolio in 2010!
We will be able to use our e-portfolios to support the journey through education and work and be able to apply for jobs and courses on-line.
Government reports by Dearing and Schwarz and the recent ‘Harnessing Technology’ have highlighted the need to use some form of e-portfolio technology to assist the movement into and through higher education.
The Enhancing Learner Progression Project (eLP) is an exciting and innovative JISC-funded project being jointly run with the universities of Leeds, Bradford and Leeds Metropolitan. The project is investigating the use of e-portfolios at key stages of student transition.
The School of Medicine is involved in two strands of the project:
Students who are interested in a career in medicine or healthcare have been using the e-Portfolio to work through a series of exercises designed to act as a careers information, advice and guidance module. The aim is to realistically present the demands of the work and to provide assistance with the admission process, in these highly competitive areas. Applicants to the Leeds School of Medicine, for example, have a one in ten chance of being successful.
The e-Portfolio not only contains information for students but tutors, teachers and Connexions personal advisers will also find lesson plans, which link in with the DfES CEG requirements, to enable them to deliver lessons interactively if they wish.
Students who complete the exercises are provided with feedback on their entries by medical students and careers advisers.
The success rate of the e-portfolio has been impressive with the majority of students who completed the process gaining offers and interviews for their desired courses.
Comments from last year's cohort included:
“I really liked the mentor support. They were really good at making useful comments and suggestions”
“It did make you think about the qualities etc for Personal Statement also it helped me to think about the advantages and disadvantages of going to university”
There are currently 148 students from 4 institutions in the local area participating in the project in 2006/2007. Career areas include:
Medicine, Nursing, Midwifery, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Optometry, Pharmacy and Cardiology.
If you would be interested in finding out more about the project, or in taking part please contact Christopher Murray at C.Murray@leeds.ac.uk or on 0113 3437990.
The school is also involved in piloting the use of e-portfolios in post-graduate medical education and within the under and post graduate Nursing courses.
A group of Pre-registration House Officers are currently using e-portfolio technology to complete the mandatory ‘Curriculum for the Foundation Years in Postgraduate Education and Training’ and another group of Nurses currently on full-time courses are using the e-portfolio as a progress file to chart their progress and present work for assessment.
The evaluation of these groups will measure the effectiveness of e-portfolios in the transition from education to work.
See http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=bradfordelp&src=alpha for a full view of the entire project.