Exploration and evaluation of the use of PebblePad for undergraduate reflective e-portfolio

Background PebblePad is an e-portfolio platform offering a flexible design for reflective learning, an important feature in healthcare education. Methods This was an action research project including an exploration phase leading to student-directed changes, followed by an evaluation phase. Quantitative usage data was collected to measure the impact of changes made. Results A range of themes emerged, and student-directed changes were made around support, structure, and sharing. The changes implemented significantly increased portfolio usage. Questionnaire responses indicated that students felt they engaged well with the sections of the portfolio. Students rated PebblePad highly for visuals and sharing but lower in aspects such as ‘ease of use’. Conclusion PebblePad is a useful platform for clinical e-portfolios. Higher education institutions considering the adoption of a reflective e-portfolio should aim for a straightforward design. It is important to ensure adequate support is provided. Open communication and reflection should be promoted amongst students and tutors. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .