Portfolios for a reflective approach in learning

Abstract: Portfolios are an organized and thoughtful presentation of an individual’s education, work samples, and skills. Recently, learning through portfolios is gaining due significance in higher education as it involves personal goal statements, reflections, and philosophies, which instills lifelong and self-regulated learning skills. The metacognitive process involved in reflection creates a greater understanding of both the self and the situation which in turn influences future actions. Electronic portfolios have almost replaced paper-based portfolios as they impart the chance to review, communicate, and give feedback in an asynchronous manner. Apart from the obvious benefits, they also help parent institutes to keep track and update about performance of their students on the professional front. Web-based portfolios allow the learner and teacher to remain associated even past the academic years and share viewpoints. The significance of ‘‘Reflective Learning’’ for competent health professionals needs to be realized, and efforts should be directed to explore the potential benefits of ‘‘reflective portfolios’’ in Indian medical schools. It is suggested that piloting portfolios in medical schools will serve the dual purpose of orienting stakeholders and generating evidence about its applicability and acceptability in medical education.