Abstract

Across the various study programs, portfolios serve many functions and purposes. A customizable electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) that facilitates sharing different parts of e-portfolio and provides across-referencing capabilities was developed at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) in 2015. This paper describes the design of the e-portfolio and its effects on the learning outcomes and attitude of the students towards evaluation by e-portfolio. Material and Method This was a single-group quasi-experimental study with pretest-post-test. The sample size was 33 students of the postgraduate Medical students. A pretest was done to evaluate the students’ knowledge level. The students were evaluated for two months during the semester by the electronic portfolio. At the end of the semester, post-test was performed and their attitudes toward the evaluation by electronic portfolio were assessed. Validation of the electronic portfolio was assessed by 10 experts on technical, functional and educational criteria’s by a questionnaire. Responses from the experts indicated that the quality of electronic portfolio was acceptable. The obtained results of analysis of pair t-test revealed that the post-test scores were significantly more than the pretest (p=0.027). Results showed that the student's had a positive attitude towards evaluation through electronic portfolio. There was no significant linear relationship between the level of knowledge and attitude of research samples. The correlation between the students’ reflection on learning and post-test scores was significant, but in other areas (pre-test and attitude), there were no significant correlation (p<0.001). Conclusion Use of e-portfolio can have a significant impact in improving the education system and e-learning courses.