E-Portfolios in Medical Education: A Reflective Exploration of Learning Experiences from Faculty Perspective

E-portfolios are electronic collections of evidence that the students gather over some time during their educational journey. The learner has the flexibility of incorporating not only written notes but also videos, audio and pictures in an e-portfolio. Objectives: To explore the perception of the mentors regarding the benefits and challenges of implementing an e-portfolio. Methods: It was a qualitative cross-sectional study. The mentors involved in mentoring the student's e-portfolio development process were invited for semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was performed to analyze the data and provide an understanding of the perception of the mentors regarding e-portfolios. Results: The -e-portfolio not only enhances digital literacy among the students but also promotes reflective practices through which they reflect on their learning experience and self-assess their areas of improvement while at the same time promoting lifelong learning. Implementation of e-portfolios is also associated with challenges which include technological hurdles, lack of digital infrastructure, internet connectivity, effective time management and content selection. Conclusions: It was concluded that despite the challenges, the ability to enhance skills through e-portfolios remains evident. The provision of digital structure and training can help the institutes achieve the full benefits of an e-portfolio.