Core area 5: Specialist option

Supporting NHS practice mentors to use learning technology

A key and ongoing aspect of my role is to ensure that the mentors have sufficient knowledge, understanding and access to PebblePad to assess their student's development and document their learning. There are significant challenges in achieving this, most particularly that I need to reach over 4000 active mentors. These mentors all have varying levels of IT skill and some have very limited access to computers within their work environment. Reflection on how to overcome these challenges has enabled me to innovate and trial different approaches to achieve the eportfolio project outcomes; in this instance, for mentors to be correctly using PebblePad to record identified learning outcomes for the programme, and complete summative assessments.

Frequent issues I respond to include difficulties logging onto PebblePad and not having the appropriate level of access required to complete actions. There may be several possible causes for these issues and I explore these with the mentor until a solution is identified. My knowledge of PebblePad and of the associated systems, such as the registration of mentors is critical in achieving this. One other significant issue is the IT competence of the mentor. I often provide step by step coaching over the telephone and for instance, this will elucidate if problems in PepplePad are due to poor IT skills or if there is an issue with the software. Although this response will solve issues on an individual basis, it is not efficient when supporting a large number of users and so developing improved training practices and/or materials is essential.

Regular reflection and review has enabled me to learn about factors that shape how I need to develop and deliver training. NHS culture and working conditions are two such factors and it became evident to me very quickly that supporting users in a healthcare environment presents different challenges to supporting academic staff and students at the University. Mentors have a responsibility to their students but they are also busy practitioners working in demanding healthcare environments, from GP surgeries to acute hospital wards. With this in mind I knew that the guidance needed to be very easy to follow and accessible so that mentors could seize windows of opportunity to complete documentation on PebblePad around the demands of their roles. I write the guidance using numbered steps (see below left) to make it as easy as possible. I have also made the guidance more accessible by placing hyperlinks to appropriate information throughout the portfolio. Originally I produced the guidance as a PDF instruction document (see below right), but I have found that web based instructions are easier to navigate and share information via email using hyperlinks. It also makes instructions easy to update, demonstrated by changes to the guidance following the recent launch of a HTML5 version of PebblePad.

Unlike staff at the University, many users have to share access to a computer and only check emails on an infrequent basis. As a result of this, the dilemma of how best to communicate with such a large number of mentors was complicated. A survey of mentors indicated that they prefer to receive information via email so I have continued to produce email announcements shared among practice areas. Mentors must complete an annual update to continue to be registered as an active mentor and so including information about PepplePad in this is a supplementary mode of delivery that is not dependent upon email. I also keep mentors up to date with announcements and developments by posting updates on our blog and contributing to newsletters on our website.

I act as a link feeding back suggestions from the mentors to programme leaders and PebblePad developers. Suggestions are always considered and influence the design of the eportfolio system. For example the original design of the nursing portfolio contained a separate workbook for mentors to verify that students had completed a directive set by the European Union. It soon became clear that the mentors found the multiple elements confusing and often overlooked this section for completion. Having received this feedback, I streamlined the design of the portfolio using PebblePad's tagging system. This allows for separate workbooks to be included in the main body of the student's practice documentation (see below). This has helped to ensure that the EU directive workbook is not overlooked and time is not wasted chasing incomplete work post submission.

Working closely with practice partners has given me a unique insight into the healthcare environment in which our students learn. This insight alongside evaluation of feedback influences how I design portfolio’s within PebblePad. I aim to make the workflow clear and easy to navigate whilst ensuring that the portfolio system still adheres to the progression requirements of the NMC and the assessment requirements of the University. I continue to learn more about practice conditions for our students and mentors within the NHS and use this understanding to inform my approach when teaching how to use PebblePad. The mentor's assessment and feedback is an essential part of a student’s learning so it is important that mentors understand and are comfortable using the system where the progression is recorded. I use my experience to help facilitate this and support the system's use in practice.

Following the successful update of PebblePad to the HTML5 version, I would like to develop the online guidance that is available for mentors to include short instructional videos. The online material will support the teaching I deliver to mentors and can be used as a reference when in practice. I intend to continue developing these resources to strengthen the sustainability of training support for a large number of mentors supported by a small team.