The Potential of Student Portfolios in Radiologic Education - Assignment Example

Download file to see previous pages Self-reflection is an essential component of portfolios, and a critical skill needed in practice. However, students are given little opportunity to learn or practice self-reflection during their education. (Westberg J, 2001). Students need to be taught how to reflect. Students are generally not very motivated to complete reflective portfolios. Usually, only students given to personal reflection are motivated to complete a reflective portfolio. Most students need the external motivation of a course or program requirement to complete them.
The appeal of portfolios is that they use a student's actual work and require reflection on the part of the student. Therefore, portfolios have the potential to assess more complex skills than other measures (Patricia OS, Constance G, 2002, pp. 1305-1309)
Portfolios can enhance the relationship between residents and faculty members. “Faculty can work with the residents in identifying interesting cases, pointing out anomalies, and providing feedback. In mentoring relationships, portfolios may shift more toward formative feedback and less toward assessment.” ( Patricia OS, Constance G, 2002, pp. 1305-1309) Portfolios can evaluate competence in a clinical area. For example, a student might mention a case seen in the Radiology Department. The student can note the history of the patient and the physical examination findings in the first document. The second document for this portfolio could be a short evaluation by the supervising faculty, attesting as to how the case was presented (organization, conciseness, completeness), the differential diagnosis and final diagnosis, the plan (workup and management), the interpretation of results, the timely response and accuracy, and disposition decision. This might enhance the teacher-learner interaction.  ...Download file to see next pagesRead More