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Maintaining a portfolio is an important part of professional life. The MBBS portfolio includes evidence of achievements together with evidence of reflection, and personal and professional growth. Students are required to keep a portfolio throughout their undergraduate years and this continues into professional life.
Portfolio items are designed to help students to begin to prepare for practice, to make the most of their Clinical and Professional Practice module experiences, to improve their reflective thinking and to help them to record the development of their generic skills which is a key part of their development as an undergraduate. In the later years of the course, it will be based on a wider range of learning experiences that help students prepare for practice.
In Years 1 and 2, the Portfolio is held in Moodle and students will be automatically enrolled in the appropriate Portfolio Moodle course for their year group. Assignments, deadlines and further information can be found on the Moodle course.
In Years 4-6, the Portfolio is held in ASR and can be accessed here: Access ASR MBBS Portfolio
Acting as an assessor
Thank you for helping assess and guide the UCL students! The MBBS portfolio for Years 4-6 is student led - a place for them to showcase their progress, achievements and feedback received across the clinical years.
As an assessor, a student may ask you for feedback, for example observing them taking a history from a patient as part of a mini-clinical evaluation exercise – mini-CEX; or discussing a case – case-based discussion – CBD. Your feedback is crucial to their learning and should help the students reflect on and guide their clinical experiences and skill development.
Giving feedback: what do I, as an assessor, need to do?
We use a form system. Students access this via an app or web-browser on their UCL Medical School iPad (or their own device) during feedback conversations and assessments. This enables them to gather contemporaneous feedback which will then be collected and displayed in their portfolio on ASR.
Students will show you the forms and how they work, and type in the feedback conversations as they happen.
You will need to check what the student has written and provide your email address along with either your registration number or your ID card (students can take a photo of this) to verify the feedback given.
The form should look similar to this:
There is the back-up option of being able to send a ticket via email, but we expect most conversations will take place and be recorded in person to improve the quality of feedback and learning. We encourage students to engage in feedback discussions, so if they’re unsure what something means or how exactly to improve, to clarify and ask questions.
What happens after I give feedback?
You should receive an email confirming the feedback you gave. Please get in touch with the portfolio team if you have any concerns or any of the information is incorrect (medsch.eportfolio@ucl.ac.uk)
The feedback will be housed on the Academic Support Record (ASR), both yourself and the student can access this. All assessors can see completed feedback in the “My Tickets” section of ASR.
What about End of Module Reviews: how do I know what the student is meant to have done?
Students should send you an end of module review booking form ahead of their review.
At the top of the form a summary of the minimum requirements is displayed which will show whether students have achieved this. A green “tick” indicates that a requirement is met.
The same view can be seen in student's portfolio in the “Overall” section. All information on requirements is also available on Moodle (portfolio page). In the end of module review form, you can also view the procedures overview, supporting evidence and the students’ own summary and reflection on the module.
What if I have more questions or I’m having difficulty using it?
Please have a look at our FAQs below. If they don’t help or you have more questions, get in touch at medsch.eportfolio@ucl.ac.uk
FAQs
How much do I need to write in each feedback box?
There is no minimum number of characters needed to encourage bespoke, authentic feedback for the student. There are written examples in many of the forms to promote useful feedback. Generally speaking - commenting on both what was done well by the student, and identifying some specific areas for them to improve and how, would be well received.
Which assessments can I sign off?
It depends on your qualifications and the type of assessment. Students should be aware of who to ask for feedback for specific activities – this information is explained in their introductions (IOM) and on Moodle (portfolio page). Each form also has information on portfolio requirements, including assessor seniority.
If you are an FY1 doctor, please only provide feedback on CBD or mini-CEX assessments for year 4 students (not year 5 or 6).
For procedures (DOPS), the qualifications required to sign off at the highest level is highlighted on the form as well as on Moodle. FY1 doctors cannot provide final sign off for any procedure. However, for certain procedures FY1s can supervise, assess and offer valuable feedback, for example at the simulation level. If your role/qualification is not on the list for the level of supervision the student selects, do not sign the form for the student. Please ensure all the information on the form, including the level of supervision you provided, and your role/qualification is correct.
What about teaching sessions – can they be used to sign off case discussions?
No - mini-clinical evaluation exercises (mini-CEX) and case-based discussions (CBDs) should be based in the clinical environment with real patient interactions and cases.
Please use the educational activity form to give feedback relating to a teaching session. Students may ask for feedback on a wide range of activities to aid their development and this form is also appropriate for anything outside the specific portfolio tasks/requirements.
I cannot find the ticket email
Please check your junk-mail. Some local NHS servers are blocking emails from our account. Please add us to your safe senders list. A video of how to do this can be found here: How to add to safe senders list.
Alternatively you can find all ticket requests (and those you have completed) by logging on to ASR (ASR log on) and looking at the MyTickets section (click on the three lines in the top right hand corner to access the menu)
Can I view a student’s portfolio?
Students are able to provide you with access to their portfolio. We encourage them to take ownership. They can do this by adding you as a supervisor using the “My Supervisor” function (or by showing it to you directly.) Once you have been added, you can view their portfolio under the “My Students” section.
Students are encouraged to assign their supervisors from the beginning of placements and their personal tutor who can support their progress over the academic year.
If you need access but have not been assigned by your student, please get in touch with the portfolio team: medsch.portfolio@ucl.ac.uk
What happens to my contact details/the photo of my ID?
This information is held securely by our form system and is used to verify the authenticity of the form completed. You may be contacted in relation to the student and their portfolio. It will not be used for any other purpose.
If you agree the student can send you a ticket, you will receive information via email to complete the forms (see below) and may receive reminders. Tickets will expire after 7 days.
Can I delete forms?
No. Students can delete incomplete forms, however once completed only members of the portfolio team can amend or delete them. If you feel a form should be deleted, please get in touch with the portfolio team (medsch.eportfolio@ucl.ac.uk).
Where do I signpost students to if they are having difficulties with the portfolio?
The portfolio team – medsch.eportfolio@ucl.ac.uk can help with most portfolio related issues or can direct students to the appropriate place. If you have concerns about the student's well-being, educational needs or engagement please contact student support. There are also parts of the end of module form where you can raise a concern.