Abstract

CANALEJAS-PEREZ, M.C.. The portfolio as an educational tool: a study in schools of nursing. Educ. méd. [online]. 2010, vol.13, n.1, pp.53-61. ISSN 1575-1813.

Aims. To describe the experiences with portfolios which are being developed in the Spanish Schools of Nursing, and to analyze the opinion of teachers with experience in the use of portfolios on its use as a learning and/or assessment tool. Subjects and methods. Descriptive transversal study carried out from April to June 2008 with the participation of 58 teachers of the Spanish Schools of Nursing, who have a wide experience in the use of the portfolio for training nurses. The data were collected through a questionnaire created for it and the following aspects were studied: teachers' profile, experience with portfolios and opinion on the use of such tool. Results. Most of the experiences are being carried out for 1 to 3 years, mostly in theoretical learning periods. Portfolios are composed of works designed by the teacher and works freely chosen by the students, among which we must highlight thoughtful writing. One of the advantages they stressed was that the portfolio improves thinking ability and critical thought, allowing us to identify student's strengths and weaknesses. The main disadvantage they found was the increase of teacher and student's work. Conclusions. The portfolio is a tool which is being brought into the training of nurses gradually. Its use contributes the significant learning of the competences, with a thoughtful and critical approach, and allows us to discover the different steps followed by the students in their acquisition.

Keywords : Active learning; Competency-based education; Formative assessment; Nursing education research; Portfolio.

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