My project proposal grew out of the results of a SoTL mini-grant study, “Writing Across the Nursing Curriculum.” Briefly, the literature shows that academic literacy for nurses, specifically reading and writing within the nursing discipline, contributes to improved patient care quality, safety, and satisfaction. Narrative pedagogy has been shown to enhance the student’s ability to “think like a nurse.” Engagement in reflective practices, including writing, has also been found to mitigate factors contributing to stress, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma in nursing practice. The project consists of “scaling up” the incorporation of ePortfolio from the three nursing courses where it has been developed over the past several semesters to eventually include the remaining nursing courses. Ultimately, my goal is for nursing students to use ePortfolio to engage in deeper reflective practices to develop their clinical judgment and professional identity as they progress through the program.
As the FLC winds down and I assess the current state of my project, I can see several successes and opportunities. Within my own two courses this semester, the student ePortfolio reflections reveal a depth and breadth of exploration and achievement of course objectives that was not readily apparent in more traditional assignments in previous semesters. The students are also demonstrating greater proficiency in managing their ePortfolios, with less reliance on technical support and more organized and visually appealing sites. Additionally, the number of nursing courses incorporating ePortfolio in some way has more than doubled. Below are examples of student posts demonstrating that evolution and my reflection on that evolution. At the end of this post is a recording of my final reflection on this ePortfolio project.
An unexpected benefit of the FLC has been a wonderful new collaboration with Lori Rand, Online Writing Specialist. She has helped tremendously with clarification of the “why”, “what”, and “how” of reflective writing assignments. She also developed a script and reflective writing video to share with the students, which has provided a framework for their reflections.
So, what’s next on the horizon? As I’ve reviewed the students’ posts, I realize the instructions and writing prompts for the ePortfolio reflections need revision to more clearly and explicitly describe the expectations. I need to develop a rubric to define “deeper reflection” and/or examine clinical judgment. In searching the scientific literature, I’ve discovered several rubrics that can potentially cover both bases. I also need to develop a rubric for assessing and evaluating elements of their ePortfolio sites (visibility and organization, reflection, integration, deep learning). The collaborative relationship Lori and I have developed, as well as Jen Gennaco’s technical and creative expertise, will nicely support these goals. Lastly, as more nursing courses incorporate ePortfolio, we need to move beyond the “Collect, Select, and Reflect” stages to begin to “Connect” learning across the courses. More to come!
Hi Deb!
I appreciate the time and attention you have given to your project! Your summary and reflection offer a good overview of your work thus far, an assessment of the project at this stage, and an outline of future action steps to improve the process. As you know, I, too, have been thinking of our next steps to “connect” Nursing students’ ePortfolio content. Despite the pandemic, this term has brought the highest level of integration of ePortfolio to multiple Nursing courses and cohorts. As we move forward, we have an interesting opportunity to continue to build not only students’ reflective practices but also to strengthen integrative social pedagogy, which will allow for students to continue to build their collaborative skills and share their learning with an authentic audience. By systematically incorporating peer review activities and collaborative projects, we are highlighting the students’ developing sense of belonging to a nursing community of practice while also offering additional feedback from a variety of perspectives (in this case, not only instructors but also peers).
Further, Nursing faculty and Student Academic Success Center staff have developed a deeper relationship. According to our text High-Impact ePortfolio Practice, this is step toward learning-centered institutional change as ePortfolio use is “prompting connection and cooperation across departments and divisions,” which supports C2L’s value proposition 3 that “ePortfolio practice done well catalyzes learning-centered institutional change” (Eynon and Gambino 9).
Thank you for all your hard work in our FLC, and I look forward to collaborating more in the future!
Hi Deb!
I love the addition of your video about the FLC! The examples really highlight the progress you have made in refining the language and process of reflective practice for your students. I look forward to working with you and the Nursing faculty as you scaffold to help students use reflection to make meaningful connections between courses and experiences in the Nursing program. Thanks so much for making and sharing your video!