Abstract
In 2013 the occupational therapy program at University of the Sunshine Coast started using PebblePad after it wasadopted as the University-wide electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) platform1 . Although initially the occupational therapy program had only been seeking a replacement for its existing paper-based portfolio system, it soon became apparent that in addition to being a tool to showcase experience and skills, PebblePad could be used as an adjunct learning management tool and a competencytracking tool2 . The awareness of the potential uses of PebblePad led to the decision to apply for a Learning and Teaching Enhancement grant through C~SALT so that the occupational therapy program could take a "whole program approach" to using PebblePad from the beginning of 2015. An important decision at this stage of the journey was to undertake a comprehensive process of mapping the Australian Minimum Competency Standards for New Graduate Occupational Therapists (ACSOT guidelines)3 to provide a foundation for the competency mapping process and identify any gaps in the curriculum. Fast forward to 2016 and the occupational therapy program has now completed the process of mapping ACSOT guidelines andintegrated PebblePad across all four years of the academic and practical education curriculum. To date we have used PebblePad in the following ways in the occupational therapy curriculum: 1. Creation of a range of Multi-faceted workbooks for use in academic learning situations such as tutorials and workshops. 2. Establishment of a range of workbooks for use in practice education learning situations, with a focus onstructured reflections. 3. Construction of structured assessment tasks which can be completed and graded within PebblePad. 4. Development of workbooks to guide our Student-Peer Mentoring Program. 5. Conception and creation of a unique and comprehensive workbook that maps the Australian Competency Standards for Graduate Occupational Therapists across the curriculum so students can track their progress towards completion of professional competencies across the four years of the program. . Guidance of students about the capacity to store and tag evidence of skills and experiences for inclusion in an ePortfolio. ABSTRACTS (CONTINUED).UNIVERSITY OF THE SUNSHINE COAST 23 7. Construction of templates for students to develop a simulated professional Continuing Professional Development (CPD) plan (designed to simulate the CPD plans used by the Occupational Therapy Board). 8. Creation of templates for students to record CPD activities that include hours and supportive evidence (designed to simulate the CPD activity records used by the Occupational Therapy Board). 9. Development of a curriculum vitae 10. Compilation of ePortfolios that showcase student experiences, skills and demonstrated competence, ready to enter practice. Across this four-year journey we have been gathering data at two points; firstly when students enter the program (Week 3 of Year 1) and then as they approach graduation (Week 10 of Year 4). We used an online survey to identify students' perceptions of ePortfolios. In addition to the online surveys we have conducted focus groups with students and staff across the past 12 months. The data will be analysed over the coming weeks and key findings from the questionnaires and focus groups will be presented.