Nurse Educator
Nurse Educator Vol. 40, No. 5, pp. 263-265 Copyright * 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Operationalizing the Student Electronic Portfolio for Doctoral Nursing Education Melissa Willmarth-Stec, DNP, APRN, CNM, RN & Teresa Beery, PhD, RN There is an increasing trend toward use of the electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) in Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. E-portfolios can provide documentation of competencies and achievement of program outcomes while showcasing a holistic view of the student achievement. Implementation of the e-portfolio requires careful decision making concerning software selection, set-up, portfolio components, and evaluation. The purpose of this article is to describe the implementation of an e-portfolio in a Doctor of Nursing Practice program and provide lessons learned during the implementation stage. Keywords: Doctor of Nursing Practice program; electronic portfolio; graduate nursing education; nursing education; portfolio
T
he use of student portfolios for documentation of competencies and achievement of program outcomes has long been a component of higher education. In fact, personal portfolios are a graduation requirement at many colleges and universities.1-3 Much literature exists describing the use, content, and context of the electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) in a variety of settings. In the case of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education, portfolio requirements are often developed around the achievement of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials for Doctoral Education4 and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty criteria for nurse practitioner Scholarly Projects in the Practice Doctorate Program.3,4 Although the literature and technology on e-portfolios are rapidly evolving, in 2009, Clark et al1 wrote a foundational overview of the shift toward e-portfolios in higher education that attributed the trend to 4 basic concepts: pedagogical change, digital communications, accountability, and fluidity. Pedagogical change in higher education shifts the emphasis from faculty centered to student centered, encouraging a partnership in the learning environment. This pedagogical shift enables expansion of student learning through the use of digital communications technology. Whereas the use of e-portfolios integrates student-centered learning, e-portfolios also build on the concept of accountability by providing a platform for determination of measures of learning and outcomes assessment. The Author Affiliations: Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing, and Director DNP Program and Chair, College of Nursing Evaluation Taskforce (Dr Willmarth-Stec); Professor of Nursing, College of Nursing and Director, Center for Education Research (Dr Beery), University of Cincinnati, Ohio. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Correspondence: Dr Willmarth-Stec, College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, 3110 Vine St, 204 N Procter Hall, Cincinnati, OH 43219 (melissa. [email protected]). Accepted for publication: January 25, 2015 Published ahead of print: March 13, 2015 DOI: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000161
Nurse Educator
digital manner of e-portfolios allows portability and fluidity, allowing students to move from 1 educational setting to another. These elements are integral in the conceptualization of the use of e-portfolios in nursing education. E-portfolios provide a 360-degree view of personal and professional achievement that is available digitally for review by self and others.2 In addition, the electronic platform allows documentation in a wide variety of formats (eg, audio, video) not available in the more traditional paper portfolio. This process can produce a dynamic and comprehensive overview of the student’s experiences and achievements over the course of an academic program. The e-portfolio provides a meaningful basis for evaluating the attainment of program objectives as well as national standards, by incorporating the concepts outlined above.1-3,5-7 Several authors have described the development and components of the typical e-portfolio2,3,5; however, there is little written about operationalizing the implementation process. This article describes the operationalization of the student e-portfolio and the methods by which the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing (UCCON) achieved a successful implementation.
Software Selection Hundreds of software packages exist to build e-portfolios. Selecting appropriate software has far-reaching implications for the success of the e-portfolio. A number of nursing programs have self-developed electronic resources within their own organization using library resources, shared software, and clinical management systems.3,5,8,9 Commonly used programs include Adobe Pro, E-value, and other Web-based products such as ePortfolio and Evernote. When selecting a system, it is essential that stakeholders, including faculty, students, and technology support personnel, are aware of the available features of the software and the goals of the nursing program in question. Volume 40 & Number 5 & September/October 2015
Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
263
Effective e-portfolio software allows the user to collect, store, and organize work in digital space and that is accessible to faculty and students. Software platforms that allow for multiple types of input, including text documents, photos, spreadsheets, presentations, and audio and video files, provide curricular opportunities for more robust assignments and objectives. Additional features to consider may include usability, communication and collaboration, technological requirements, cost, and portability. The ability for users to share and unshare content at any time with faculty and advisors is fundamental to the success of the e-portfolio.10,11 Students need a system that is intuitive, is easy to use and organize, and has the ability to label work that applies to specific e-portfolio components. Faculty requirements include software that allows easy access, functionality for effective student feedback, and a mechanism for verification of accomplishment of the portfolio requirements. For both students and faculty, a major consideration for the selection of software includes the availability of technologic support for the software at the organizational level. The e-portfolio has been a requirement in our DNP program since its inception in 2011. In the initial stages, the e-portfolio was implemented with a cumbersome process through a web application framework without consideration for usability, technology support, and longevity. The initial implementation was problematic in several regards, including the inability to edit and provide direct feedback to students, lack of labeling and indexing, and difficulty with uploading and downloading large files. The integration of iPads offered a new opportunity for how e-portfolios were approached. Our DNP program began an iPad-based initiative in the fall of 2013. Sophomore BSN and DNP students were required to purchase iPads for use in every class and given extensive instruction addressing iPad functionality and utility within the program. Faculty members were recruited into similar training sessions on how to integrate the iPad into the curriculum and develop assignments with meaningful use of this technology. Faculty also learned how to use iPad-based apps, such as iAnnotate and Jot, which increased their productivity and improved the timeliness and quality of feedback given to students. The infrastructure and support for these devices were originally conceptualized for the BSN program but were easily adapted for the DNP program. The UCCON Center for Academic Technology and Educational Resources (CATER) worked collaboratively with the DNP program director and faculty to compare options for the portfolio requirement in the DNP. The search was limited to software that had an iOS app and was also Web based, which significantly decreased the number of options. Using these inclusion criteria, there were many available options. The decision was made to adopt Evernote for the e-portfolio because of the high functionality of use for both the student and the faculty member, the level of support available from the CATER staff, and the ability to use the portfolio to help demonstrate the achievement of programmatic outcomes and attainment of AACN DNP Essentials.
Operationalizing e-Portfolio Software Set-up After the appropriate software system was chosen, students and faculty were oriented to the software and to the required 264
operating system. The e-portfolio software was used to organize students in 2 ways. First, students established a folder for each course in which they were enrolled as a mechanism for course management and feedback. Then, students also established a student-specific portfolio folder. The portfolio folder was used for the student to collect and organize all work that was completed in the DNP program. By using the e-portfolio software for course management, students could copy assignments from a course folder to the portfolio. After each folder was established, students allowed course faculty and advisors access to the folders. Each folder used a standard naming convention to ensure faculty ease of use from student to student.
Components Components of the DNP portfolio can be divided into 3 categories: course work, project work, and student profile information. Students are required to include all course work in the e-portfolio. Inclusion of course assignments demonstrates specific work that students have accomplished in particular Essentials such as informatics, health policy, theory, and evidence-based practice, to name a few. Course work directly demonstrates competencies in the Essentials as the curriculum threads were designed around these same criteria. Project work can include evidence of the student’s project development, implementation, and evaluation of the DNP Capstone Project. These elements may include the literature review, project or business plan, institutional review board approvals, timeline development, and evaluation plan. Project work may cover several Essentials within 1 component. Finally, students are encouraged to add information about themselves. This may include their updated curriculum vitae, awards and honors achieved while in the program, invitations to speak, and various other examples of professional development. This requirement highlights the students professionally during the timeframe that they were a student. The e-portfolio is used as an evaluative method by which the faculty can assess if students have achieved endof-program outcomes based on the Essentials. Uploading Students can upload e-portfolio components in several ways. They can write notes directly by using the add button and writing or pasting information into the note. Depending on the software, students can e-mail or send elements through the Web or via cloud-based storage. Through these same functions, students can also add photos, videos, papers, and other written work to their e-portfolio. Students of UCCON are able to directly import e-portfolio items from their iPads into their portfolios using the share function and iCloud technology. Naming and Tagging Using standard assignment naming conventions for e-portfolios is considered best practice. Students name their e-portfolio files in a standard fashion using their unique student identifier, and the component is named based on the AACN DNP Essential it most clearly represents. For example, a paper written on a health policy that affects the student’s healthcare organization would be named, ‘‘Essential 5: Health Policy Assessment for X Organization.’’ Components of the student’s DNP Capstone project are named with the word ‘‘Project’’ in
Volume 40 & Number 5 & September/October 2015
Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Nurse Educator
the title. For example, the student’s literature review would be named ‘‘Project: Literature Review.’’ Setting a standard for naming conventions not only ensures that each student’s portfolio looks visually the same but also facilitates the evaluation of the portfolio by the faculty. Course work and project components often cover more than 1 of the AACN DNP Essentials. The e-portfolio software we use allows the student to create labels called tags for the notes within a folder. Tags help to provide indexing and are a mechanism for labeling when a particular note might apply to more than 1 category.12 Students are instructed to set up tags for each AACN Essential and for the DNP project during e-portfolio development. The indexing of tags is used as an evaluative method at the end of a student’s program.
Sharing Depending on the software, students can share individual notes at any time with any person they choose. They can share with other students if they are working collaboratively on assignments, although students share primarily with faculty and advisors. Individual notes can be e-mailed, shared via social media, or shared via a link to the note. Students can chose to share notes or entire folders such as the completed e-portfolio. Evaluation Even within the scope and breadth of DNP Capstone projects, the overall variety of components in e-portfolios still offers faculty the same robust views of the program achievements and attainment of the essentials for each student.13 Eportfolios are evaluated each semester by the UCCON DNP director and as needed by the student’s practicum faculty. Faculty can open e-portfolios and search by note name or tag to view all work a student has included in each Essential. At the end of the program, before graduation certification, the program director ensures that all appropriate components are included in the portfolio. Providing an evaluation method and an analysis of the e-portfolio solidifies the mastery of the DNP Essentials and shows worth to students that the e-portfolio is not just an academic exercise, instead demonstrating attainment of the program objectives and required accreditation Essentials.9,13
Discussion As academic programs consider the implementation of e-portfolio requirements, it is essential to consider several factors. Program directors should first determine the scope and purpose of the portfolio.1-3,5,9 Components of the portfolio should be clearly delineated before choosing software3 and stakeholder feedback incorporated into this decision. Administrators should be prepared to offer rationale as to why each component should be included.9 Once agreement
Nurse Educator
has been reached about the components, software for implementation can be considered. Software should be accessible, easily customized, have proven usability, be portable, and provide robust data for both students and faculty.8,9 Evaluation of the e-portfolio also should be considered at the onset of the process. Preimplementation planning should include the development of feedback guidelines for faculty and best practices for students that include the capacity to make the portfolio their own work.13 E-portfolios can be a valuable tool in nursing education if approached with vision, purpose, and adequate planning. The use of an e-portfolio system helps to instill an attitude of lifelong learning in students before embarking on their professional career track. When implemented after adequate planning, e-portfolios can best highlight the achievements of both students and academic programs.
References 1. Clark JE, Eynon B. E-Portfolios at 2.0—surveying the field. Peer Rev. 2009;11(1):18-23. 2. Smolowitz J, Honig J. DNP portfolio: the scholarly project for the doctor of nursing practice. Clin Scholarsh Rev. 2008;1(1): 19-23. 3. Moriber NA, Wallace-Kazer M, Shea J, Grossman S, Wheeler K, Conelius J. Transforming doctoral education through the clinical electronic portfolio. Nurse Educ. 2014;39(5):221-226. 4. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. October 2006. Available at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/position/ DNPEssentials.pdf. Accessed August 30, 2014. 5. Green J, Wyllie A, Jackson D. Electronic portfolios in nursing education: a review of the literature. Nurse Educ Pract. 2014; 14(1):4-8. 6. Eynon B, Gambino LM, To ¨ ro ¨ k J. Completion, quality, and change: the difference e-portfolios make. Peer Rev. 2014;16(1):8-13. 7. Kirkpatrick JM, Weaver T. The doctor of nursing practice capstone project: consensus or confusion? J Nurs Educ. 2013;52:(8):435-441. 8. Sweat-Guy R, Buzzetto-More NA. A comparative analysis of common e-Portfolio features and available software. Issues in informing science & information technology education. 2007; 4:327. 9. Wassef ME, Riza L, Maciag T, Worden C. Implementing a competency-based electronic portfolio in a graduate nursing program. Comput Inform Nurs. 2012;30(5):242-248. 10. Evernote. 2015. Available at https://evernote.com/evernote/. Accessed September 4, 2014. 11. Evernote. Knowledge base article: share notebooks. Updated December 2014. Available at https://evernote.com/contact/support/ kb/#!/article/95751063. Accessed September 10, 2014. 12. Evernote. Knowledge base article: adding tags to a note. Updated January 2015. Available at https://evernote.com/contact/support/ kb/#!/article/28452448. Accessed September 10, 2014. 13. Fawns T, McKenzie K. How to ensure e-portfolios are a valuable resource to students’ learning. Nurs Times. 2010;106(30):21.
Volume 40 & Number 5 & September/October 2015
Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
265
Nurse Educator Vol. 40, No. 5, pp. 263-265 Copyright * 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Operationalizing the Student Electronic Portfolio for Doctoral Nursing Education Melissa Willmarth-Stec, DNP, APRN, CNM, RN & Teresa Beery, PhD, RN There is an increasing trend toward use of the electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) in Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. E-portfolios can provide documentation of competencies and achievement of program outcomes while showcasing a holistic view of the student achievement. Implementation of the e-portfolio requires careful decision making concerning software selection, set-up, portfolio components, and evaluation. The purpose of this article is to describe the implementation of an e-portfolio in a Doctor of Nursing Practice program and provide lessons learned during the implementation stage. Keywords: Doctor of Nursing Practice program; electronic portfolio; graduate nursing education; nursing education; portfolio
T
he use of student portfolios for documentation of competencies and achievement of program outcomes has long been a component of higher education. In fact, personal portfolios are a graduation requirement at many colleges and universities.1-3 Much literature exists describing the use, content, and context of the electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) in a variety of settings. In the case of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education, portfolio requirements are often developed around the achievement of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials for Doctoral Education4 and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty criteria for nurse practitioner Scholarly Projects in the Practice Doctorate Program.3,4 Although the literature and technology on e-portfolios are rapidly evolving, in 2009, Clark et al1 wrote a foundational overview of the shift toward e-portfolios in higher education that attributed the trend to 4 basic concepts: pedagogical change, digital communications, accountability, and fluidity. Pedagogical change in higher education shifts the emphasis from faculty centered to student centered, encouraging a partnership in the learning environment. This pedagogical shift enables expansion of student learning through the use of digital communications technology. Whereas the use of e-portfolios integrates student-centered learning, e-portfolios also build on the concept of accountability by providing a platform for determination of measures of learning and outcomes assessment. The Author Affiliations: Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing, and Director DNP Program and Chair, College of Nursing Evaluation Taskforce (Dr Willmarth-Stec); Professor of Nursing, College of Nursing and Director, Center for Education Research (Dr Beery), University of Cincinnati, Ohio. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Correspondence: Dr Willmarth-Stec, College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, 3110 Vine St, 204 N Procter Hall, Cincinnati, OH 43219 (melissa. [email protected]). Accepted for publication: January 25, 2015 Published ahead of print: March 13, 2015 DOI: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000161
Nurse Educator
digital manner of e-portfolios allows portability and fluidity, allowing students to move from 1 educational setting to another. These elements are integral in the conceptualization of the use of e-portfolios in nursing education. E-portfolios provide a 360-degree view of personal and professional achievement that is available digitally for review by self and others.2 In addition, the electronic platform allows documentation in a wide variety of formats (eg, audio, video) not available in the more traditional paper portfolio. This process can produce a dynamic and comprehensive overview of the student’s experiences and achievements over the course of an academic program. The e-portfolio provides a meaningful basis for evaluating the attainment of program objectives as well as national standards, by incorporating the concepts outlined above.1-3,5-7 Several authors have described the development and components of the typical e-portfolio2,3,5; however, there is little written about operationalizing the implementation process. This article describes the operationalization of the student e-portfolio and the methods by which the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing (UCCON) achieved a successful implementation.
Software Selection Hundreds of software packages exist to build e-portfolios. Selecting appropriate software has far-reaching implications for the success of the e-portfolio. A number of nursing programs have self-developed electronic resources within their own organization using library resources, shared software, and clinical management systems.3,5,8,9 Commonly used programs include Adobe Pro, E-value, and other Web-based products such as ePortfolio and Evernote. When selecting a system, it is essential that stakeholders, including faculty, students, and technology support personnel, are aware of the available features of the software and the goals of the nursing program in question. Volume 40 & Number 5 & September/October 2015
Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
263
Effective e-portfolio software allows the user to collect, store, and organize work in digital space and that is accessible to faculty and students. Software platforms that allow for multiple types of input, including text documents, photos, spreadsheets, presentations, and audio and video files, provide curricular opportunities for more robust assignments and objectives. Additional features to consider may include usability, communication and collaboration, technological requirements, cost, and portability. The ability for users to share and unshare content at any time with faculty and advisors is fundamental to the success of the e-portfolio.10,11 Students need a system that is intuitive, is easy to use and organize, and has the ability to label work that applies to specific e-portfolio components. Faculty requirements include software that allows easy access, functionality for effective student feedback, and a mechanism for verification of accomplishment of the portfolio requirements. For both students and faculty, a major consideration for the selection of software includes the availability of technologic support for the software at the organizational level. The e-portfolio has been a requirement in our DNP program since its inception in 2011. In the initial stages, the e-portfolio was implemented with a cumbersome process through a web application framework without consideration for usability, technology support, and longevity. The initial implementation was problematic in several regards, including the inability to edit and provide direct feedback to students, lack of labeling and indexing, and difficulty with uploading and downloading large files. The integration of iPads offered a new opportunity for how e-portfolios were approached. Our DNP program began an iPad-based initiative in the fall of 2013. Sophomore BSN and DNP students were required to purchase iPads for use in every class and given extensive instruction addressing iPad functionality and utility within the program. Faculty members were recruited into similar training sessions on how to integrate the iPad into the curriculum and develop assignments with meaningful use of this technology. Faculty also learned how to use iPad-based apps, such as iAnnotate and Jot, which increased their productivity and improved the timeliness and quality of feedback given to students. The infrastructure and support for these devices were originally conceptualized for the BSN program but were easily adapted for the DNP program. The UCCON Center for Academic Technology and Educational Resources (CATER) worked collaboratively with the DNP program director and faculty to compare options for the portfolio requirement in the DNP. The search was limited to software that had an iOS app and was also Web based, which significantly decreased the number of options. Using these inclusion criteria, there were many available options. The decision was made to adopt Evernote for the e-portfolio because of the high functionality of use for both the student and the faculty member, the level of support available from the CATER staff, and the ability to use the portfolio to help demonstrate the achievement of programmatic outcomes and attainment of AACN DNP Essentials.
Operationalizing e-Portfolio Software Set-up After the appropriate software system was chosen, students and faculty were oriented to the software and to the required 264
operating system. The e-portfolio software was used to organize students in 2 ways. First, students established a folder for each course in which they were enrolled as a mechanism for course management and feedback. Then, students also established a student-specific portfolio folder. The portfolio folder was used for the student to collect and organize all work that was completed in the DNP program. By using the e-portfolio software for course management, students could copy assignments from a course folder to the portfolio. After each folder was established, students allowed course faculty and advisors access to the folders. Each folder used a standard naming convention to ensure faculty ease of use from student to student.
Components Components of the DNP portfolio can be divided into 3 categories: course work, project work, and student profile information. Students are required to include all course work in the e-portfolio. Inclusion of course assignments demonstrates specific work that students have accomplished in particular Essentials such as informatics, health policy, theory, and evidence-based practice, to name a few. Course work directly demonstrates competencies in the Essentials as the curriculum threads were designed around these same criteria. Project work can include evidence of the student’s project development, implementation, and evaluation of the DNP Capstone Project. These elements may include the literature review, project or business plan, institutional review board approvals, timeline development, and evaluation plan. Project work may cover several Essentials within 1 component. Finally, students are encouraged to add information about themselves. This may include their updated curriculum vitae, awards and honors achieved while in the program, invitations to speak, and various other examples of professional development. This requirement highlights the students professionally during the timeframe that they were a student. The e-portfolio is used as an evaluative method by which the faculty can assess if students have achieved endof-program outcomes based on the Essentials. Uploading Students can upload e-portfolio components in several ways. They can write notes directly by using the add button and writing or pasting information into the note. Depending on the software, students can e-mail or send elements through the Web or via cloud-based storage. Through these same functions, students can also add photos, videos, papers, and other written work to their e-portfolio. Students of UCCON are able to directly import e-portfolio items from their iPads into their portfolios using the share function and iCloud technology. Naming and Tagging Using standard assignment naming conventions for e-portfolios is considered best practice. Students name their e-portfolio files in a standard fashion using their unique student identifier, and the component is named based on the AACN DNP Essential it most clearly represents. For example, a paper written on a health policy that affects the student’s healthcare organization would be named, ‘‘Essential 5: Health Policy Assessment for X Organization.’’ Components of the student’s DNP Capstone project are named with the word ‘‘Project’’ in
Volume 40 & Number 5 & September/October 2015
Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Nurse Educator
the title. For example, the student’s literature review would be named ‘‘Project: Literature Review.’’ Setting a standard for naming conventions not only ensures that each student’s portfolio looks visually the same but also facilitates the evaluation of the portfolio by the faculty. Course work and project components often cover more than 1 of the AACN DNP Essentials. The e-portfolio software we use allows the student to create labels called tags for the notes within a folder. Tags help to provide indexing and are a mechanism for labeling when a particular note might apply to more than 1 category.12 Students are instructed to set up tags for each AACN Essential and for the DNP project during e-portfolio development. The indexing of tags is used as an evaluative method at the end of a student’s program.
Sharing Depending on the software, students can share individual notes at any time with any person they choose. They can share with other students if they are working collaboratively on assignments, although students share primarily with faculty and advisors. Individual notes can be e-mailed, shared via social media, or shared via a link to the note. Students can chose to share notes or entire folders such as the completed e-portfolio. Evaluation Even within the scope and breadth of DNP Capstone projects, the overall variety of components in e-portfolios still offers faculty the same robust views of the program achievements and attainment of the essentials for each student.13 Eportfolios are evaluated each semester by the UCCON DNP director and as needed by the student’s practicum faculty. Faculty can open e-portfolios and search by note name or tag to view all work a student has included in each Essential. At the end of the program, before graduation certification, the program director ensures that all appropriate components are included in the portfolio. Providing an evaluation method and an analysis of the e-portfolio solidifies the mastery of the DNP Essentials and shows worth to students that the e-portfolio is not just an academic exercise, instead demonstrating attainment of the program objectives and required accreditation Essentials.9,13
Discussion As academic programs consider the implementation of e-portfolio requirements, it is essential to consider several factors. Program directors should first determine the scope and purpose of the portfolio.1-3,5,9 Components of the portfolio should be clearly delineated before choosing software3 and stakeholder feedback incorporated into this decision. Administrators should be prepared to offer rationale as to why each component should be included.9 Once agreement
Nurse Educator
has been reached about the components, software for implementation can be considered. Software should be accessible, easily customized, have proven usability, be portable, and provide robust data for both students and faculty.8,9 Evaluation of the e-portfolio also should be considered at the onset of the process. Preimplementation planning should include the development of feedback guidelines for faculty and best practices for students that include the capacity to make the portfolio their own work.13 E-portfolios can be a valuable tool in nursing education if approached with vision, purpose, and adequate planning. The use of an e-portfolio system helps to instill an attitude of lifelong learning in students before embarking on their professional career track. When implemented after adequate planning, e-portfolios can best highlight the achievements of both students and academic programs.
References 1. Clark JE, Eynon B. E-Portfolios at 2.0—surveying the field. Peer Rev. 2009;11(1):18-23. 2. Smolowitz J, Honig J. DNP portfolio: the scholarly project for the doctor of nursing practice. Clin Scholarsh Rev. 2008;1(1): 19-23. 3. Moriber NA, Wallace-Kazer M, Shea J, Grossman S, Wheeler K, Conelius J. Transforming doctoral education through the clinical electronic portfolio. Nurse Educ. 2014;39(5):221-226. 4. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. October 2006. Available at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/position/ DNPEssentials.pdf. Accessed August 30, 2014. 5. Green J, Wyllie A, Jackson D. Electronic portfolios in nursing education: a review of the literature. Nurse Educ Pract. 2014; 14(1):4-8. 6. Eynon B, Gambino LM, To ¨ ro ¨ k J. Completion, quality, and change: the difference e-portfolios make. Peer Rev. 2014;16(1):8-13. 7. Kirkpatrick JM, Weaver T. The doctor of nursing practice capstone project: consensus or confusion? J Nurs Educ. 2013;52:(8):435-441. 8. Sweat-Guy R, Buzzetto-More NA. A comparative analysis of common e-Portfolio features and available software. Issues in informing science & information technology education. 2007; 4:327. 9. Wassef ME, Riza L, Maciag T, Worden C. Implementing a competency-based electronic portfolio in a graduate nursing program. Comput Inform Nurs. 2012;30(5):242-248. 10. Evernote. 2015. Available at https://evernote.com/evernote/. Accessed September 4, 2014. 11. Evernote. Knowledge base article: share notebooks. Updated December 2014. Available at https://evernote.com/contact/support/ kb/#!/article/95751063. Accessed September 10, 2014. 12. Evernote. Knowledge base article: adding tags to a note. Updated January 2015. Available at https://evernote.com/contact/support/ kb/#!/article/28452448. Accessed September 10, 2014. 13. Fawns T, McKenzie K. How to ensure e-portfolios are a valuable resource to students’ learning. Nurs Times. 2010;106(30):21.
Volume 40 & Number 5 & September/October 2015
Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
265
