Abstract

Effective embedding and integration of ePortfolios in medical and dental curricula

Author(s): Mr Simon Cotterill,Mr Paul Horner,Mr David Teasdale,Dr Janice Ellis,Professor J Mark Thomason,Mr Chris Vernazza,Dr Philip Bradley,Mr John Peterson,Mr Gordon Skelly,Dr Steve Ball

The extent to which ePortfolios and Personal Development Planning (PDP) are embedded in medical and dental education curricula can be an important factor in engagement. This paper identifies different ways in which ePortfolios can be embedded and integrated with the curriculum. This draws on the wider literature and on specific case studies from undergraduate medicine and dentistry at Newcastle University (UK). We also provide early evaluation of a new approach for embedding portfolio learning within online curriculum maps. Different types of embedding and integration are identified in these case studies and most are generalizable to other contexts.