The Satisfaction of Clinical Year Medical Students and Associated Factors Toward the E-portfolio System at Faculty of Medicine, Khon kaen University

Abstract

Background and objectives:  The Faculty of Medicine at Khon Kaen University has established an outstandingly featured electronic portfolio (E-portfolio) system for completely recording the online databases of medical students’ academic performance across the whole undergraduate medical curriculum. The objective of this study were  to assess the proportion of the fourth-to sixth-year medical students at Khon Kean University who expressed satisfaction with the E-portfolio system and  to explore which factors influence student satisfaction.  

Methods: An anonymous online satisfaction survey was conducted for 151 randomly selected medical students entering clinical rotations at Srinagarind Hospital during the 2019/20 academic years. Satisfaction was measured in a 4-point scale with the following responses: 1 being Poor, 2 being Average, 3 being Good, and 4 being Excellent. The analysis of factors related to student satisfaction was performed between satisfied (at least 3 points) and dissatisfied (2 points and below) groups.   

Results: Approximately 76.8 (116/151) of the participants were satisfied overall with the E-portfolio system they used. An awareness of the academic purpose of using an E-portfolio which is to reflect the learning outcomes was significantly associated with participants’ satisfaction (p = 0.005).

Conclusion: A large portion of the clinical year medical students at Khon Kaen University is satisfied with the use of E-portfolios in the educational contexts. The most important factor influencing students’ satisfaction is a clear understanding of E-portfolio implementation for learning achievements.