The class of 2023 will be arriving in September 2019. Each student will be assigned to an ePortfolio group of six to eight students and will be supported for their four years of the MD program by a coach, who could be you!
Goals of the Portfolio on Core Competencies (ePortfolio)
The goal of the Portfolio on core competencies is to provide a framework for students to reflect upon and integrate each of the eight roles of the undergraduate medical curriculum at University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine (clinician, communicator, collaborator, health advocate, manager, professional, scholar and person).
The Portfolio on core competencies is a mandatory component of the undergraduate medical curriculum and spans the four years of the program. Small groups of students and their coaches meet together at least twice a year, with ongoing dialogue facilitated through the ePortfolio website. The objectives of these dialogues are:
- to foster collegial conversations;
- to obtain formative feedback from peers;
- to share personal experiences, difficulties, or successes with others in a safe, non-judgmental, and non-punitive setting;
- to reflect on the impact personal values and experiences have on professional behaviour and perceptions;
- to develop a lifelong habit of giving and receiving professional support and effective feedback;
- to learn to problem-solve difficult ethical or professional experiences using peer feedback and collegial conversations;
- to become more conscious of one’s own professional values and how these may affect a collegial situation;
- to become more aware of others as colleagues and sources of support, dialogue, and feedback;
- to become an independent learner and one’s own critic.
Process
Each coach is assigned a group of up to 8 students for the 4 years of the curriculum. For the 2023 class, the dates for the compulsory meetings* in year 1 are:
- Introduction to ePortfolio: Thursday, September 12, 2019 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. (mandatory for all coaches and students with no possible change of date)
- Progress meeting 1: Friday, November 8, 2019 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
- Progress meeting 2: Friday, February 28, 2020 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
*Note: The date and time of the September Introductory meeting cannot be changed. However, the Undergraduate Medical Education Office schedules the other two compulsory meetings according to the students’ schedule, and can assist individual groups in making their own arrangements should they so choose. Each group session should be scheduled for 1.5-2 hours.
- In-between these mandatory sessions, groups are free to meet if they so wish.
- Ongoing dialogue and development of the students’ ePortfolios are facilitated through the ePortfolio site.
- At the mandatory sessions, each student shares one ePortfolio post for one role, and the coach facilitates discussion. The coach then completes a progress evaluation for each student after the session through the Elentra evaluation system.
- After first year, two mandatory meetings between students and coaches are scheduled each year.
- Each student must submit a complete midpoint ePortfolio after second year and a final ePortfolio at the end of fourth year.
Support for Coaches
Coaches are provided with a $1000/annum honorarium based on an estimated time obligation of 10 to 20 hours per year for their commitment to this program, which includes:
- Facilitating the compulsory meetings
- Reviewing the ePortfolio posts the students choose to share during the year and providing feedback
- Completing the evaluations
- Participating in the regular Faculty Development sessions for coaches throughout the year
- Reviewing the online orientation module
All coaches are recognized at the end of the year by a letter from the Vice Dean, and an award for “Best Coach of the Year” is presented in each language stream at the end of the 4th year.
Coach Eligibility
Coaches must have substantial clinical experience in the Canadian health care system and have, or be willing to seek and obtain, an appointment in the Faculty of Medicine.
You can also review the ePortfolio site at where a sample ePortfolio can be found, as well as many answers to questions without logging in.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the ePortfolio Faculty Committee directly. We look forward to having you join us!
Dr. Amy Fraser
Dr. Anna Byszewski
Dr. Craig Campbell
cc Brad MacCosham, Academic Coordinator – Pre-clerkship