CPD protfolios as structured tools for learning and assessment

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses CPD portfolios, now widely adopted by Medical Royal Colleges and their Faculties in the UK to promote learning that meets intrinsic professional development and external regulatory functions. Early experiences of portfolio-based learning are reported, drawing upon semi- structured interviews with a cross-section of UK public health physicians in various roles and subspecialties. Interviewees felt that the CPD portfolio assisted reflection and learning from experience, but that they needed to acclimatize to this new learning culture. Tensions resulting from its multiple purposes were noted for example, between reflective learning and the assembling of performance evidence. Interviewees preferred a portfolio to have greater flexibility to accommodate diverse modes of reflective practice and personal learning. Analysis of learning needs and professional development plans were seen as useful in giving a direction to learning and aligning it with professional practice. The difficulty of pressing education into rigid recording formats could be minimized by simplifying the forms and broadening CPD categories and credits. But participants felt they would still need mentoring and support in coming to terms not only with the practicalities of portfolio building but also with its educational aims and principles. Continuous review by the Faculty and its CPD coordinators was recommended to assist adaptation of the CPD in the light of emerging anomalies