e-Portfolios and Self-Assessment in Dental Hygiene Education: A Pilot Study

Self-assessment and critical thinking skills are required for students to reflect on the knowledge and skills they acquire in a dental hygiene program. The Commission on Dental Accreditation states that all graduates must be competent in the knowledge, skills, and values needed to practice as a new practitioner. In order to foster self-assessment, an e-portfolio incorporating a graduate competency template was implemented into a newly designed seminar course. The purpose of this study was to gain student perceptions of a newly implemented e-portfolio as a method to self-assess their knowledge and skills.

Three cohorts, including 98 dental hygiene students, completed a paper post-course survey that included yes/no questions, a Likert-scale statement, and open-ended questions regarding the e-portfolios.

Approximately 94% of students believed they were able to self-assess their abilities by developing an e-portfolio with the graduate competency template. In regards to the graduate competency template, 98% of students stated that the template was helpful during their self-assessment process. Students reported that they received meaningful feedback from the instructor about their ability to self-assess their knowledge, values, and skills.

E-portfolios can be utilized as a self-assessment tool and a method for students to demonstrate competence.