Transfer of knowledge and skills : learning portfolio in the master of science in physiotherapy (MScPT)
Creators: name: Bechter, Susann
name: Niedermann Schneider, Karin
Publisher: name: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften
Year: 2019
Subjects: Learning process
Learning portfolio
Competence
378: Hochschulbildung
615.82: Physiotherapie

description: Background: The three-year part-time MSc programme at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (UAS Zurich) provides physiotherapists with competencies for working as clinical specialists in a specific clinical focus area (e.g. musculoskeletal, paediatrics) and for tasks in evidence-based physiotherapy development and in research. The students transfer the acquired knowledge in research methods and extended physiotherapy skills into practice by completing three 150-hours internships, i.e. in a research setting, in the field of physiotherapy development and in a clinical setting. These internships provide important learning opportunities. To foster the learning process, the students are required to create and manage a learning portfolio, supported by a personal mentor, with whom they meet up over two years, once a semester, for 60-90 minutes per session. In the first meeting the mentor guides the student in analysing his/her own learning process, setting individual goals and developing an action plan in order to reach the goals in the following period. Subsequently the student implements the planned actions on his/her own and reflects on the transfer of his/her knowledge and skills into practice. In the following meetings the student and mentor (re )assess the progress in the attainment of the individual goals, discuss possible barriers and facilitators, individual strengths and weaknesses. Together they set new goals and develop an appropriate action plan for the next semester. The overall average time expenditure per student for the learning portfolio is about 16 hours. 

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the learning portfolio and the personal mentorship are adequate methods for supporting the students in their individual learning process. 

Methods: An online survey, using EvaSys, was performed. The graduates who completed the learning portfolio in 2018 (n=19) were asked to judge the framework of the learning portfolio, i.e. the concept of guided and autonomous learning, the number of meetings with the mentor, the expenditure of time, and its usefulness on a 4-point scale (1=very adequate, 2=adequate, 3= little adequate, 4=not at all adequate). 

Results: In total, 13 students (68%) answered the questionnaire. Eleven students (84.6%) judged the concept ‘very adequate’ or ‘adequate’. Ten students (76.9%) considered the number of meetings with the mentor as ‘very adequate’ or ‘adequate’. Nine students (69.2%) judged the expenditure of time for the learning portfolio as ‘very adequate’ or ‘adequate’.  Ten students (76.9%) rated the usefulness of the learning portfolio with ‘very adequate’ or ‘adequate’.

Conclusions: The learning portfolio together with a personal mentor seems to be a powerful tool for the majority of the students. It helps them to reflect on the acquired knowledge and skills and to develop strategies for transferring theory into practice. 

Implications: The internships and the learning portfolio play an important role in the MSc programme. They contribute to the development of the students and the PT profession alike. In order to increase the number of students who consider the learning portfolio as useful, certain adaptations, e.g. more flexibility regarding the amount of meetings with the mentor, are needed.