Using ePortfolio’s to assess undergraduate paramedic students: A proof of concept evaluation

The ePortfolio presents itself as potentially a highly useful assessment tool for students, encouraging self-reflectionand the development of both clinical skills and theoretical knowledge by students identifying strengths and gaps inknowledge. A survey of students after the completion the inaugural Emergency Health ePortfolio program revealedseveral strengths and weaknesses of the ePortfolio as an assessment tool of paramedicine students. The ePortfolioformat was perceived by many students to encourage reflection and help them recognise areas where improvement wasrequired. Certain students struggled to accurately identify the volume of information and concepts that should becovered while collating the ePortfolio which caused a degree of stress for some. The online format was another point ofcontention for students, with some enjoying the freedom of online education while others struggled to integratemultimedia components into their ePortfolios. The overarching student response was favourable and encouragedfurther implementation of the ePortfolio tool into the education of paramedicine students. This paper concludes that theePortfolio has the potential to be a powerful assessment and more importantly education tool if development of theconcept is continued into the future.