Exploring the strategies for successfully building e-portfolios in medical schools

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of resistance among medical students toward e-portfolios and find the strategies for them to successfully prepare e-portfolios. METHODS: Participants were a group of 258 medical students. The questionnaire comprised 13 items developed based on the innovation resistance theory. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and Spearman’s correlation analysis using PASW SPSS version 18.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA). RESULTS: Students perceived that e-portfolios have a high degree of relative advantage, trialability, and complexity as their innovation resistance characteristics. Regarding perceived risk, they did not want others to see their information, but they had a high degree of demand for communication with their professors. CONCLUSION: The successful use of portfolios can serve as a tool for student management and assessment that can reflect their introspection, personal development, and academic performance. This study proposed the strategies to promote the use of e-portfolios by strengthening education on the need for them, specific feedback of instructors, and students’ autonomy.