Embracing ePortfolios to create innovation in learning

The University of Melbourne’s Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) team embarked on an innovative journey to integrate ePortfolios throughout its three-year program, providing students with agency to develop their professional identity and showcase their learning in a creative way.

The ambition 

To adopt a programmatic approach to assessment and implement ePortfolio pedagogy in response to a curriculum review. One goal was to address the inequity of written exam conditions used for most high-stakes assessment pieces that created untenable amounts of stress for some students. Another was to integrate assessments across subjects to provide a comprehensive view of student learning and help reinforce the application of knowledge within various contexts.

The challenge 

Transitioning from traditional written exams to more dynamic assessment tasks represented a significant shift. Led by course coordinator Associate Professor Karen Donald, the DPT teaching team recognised the need to rethink their assessment designs to align with the planned programmatic approach, and PebblePad’s flexibility allowed the team to explore its use for relevant assessment tasks. Most importantly, PebblePad could provide a digital space for students to demonstrate their learning in different ways and showcase their authentic learning styles and creativity.

The solution 

The team gradually replaced some written exams with tasks scaffolded in PebblePad that tested students’ knowledge, such as ‘paper patients’ (simulated patient cases). Students were required to plan and manage patient assessments within their workbooks, fostering a more equitable and less stressful assessment environment compared to a written exam. This approach not only reduced exam-related stress but also aligned more closely with the real-world scenarios students would encounter in their professional practice.

Learn more about the process used by the Doctor of Physiotherapy team to introduce a programmatic ePortfolio approach by reading our blog post. 

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