Assessing Fieldwork Journals: Developmental Portfolios

Abstract

Interactive journals in the form of fieldwork logs and learners' logs were introduced into the fieldwork curriculum of the 4-year undergraduate occupational therapy programme at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. The aim was to promote critical reflection and clinical reasoning. The challenge then lay in assessing these journals to evaluate student performance, while also providing a vehicle for promoting professional understanding. This article describes the development of portfolios as an approach to assessing student journals, together with the evaluation criteria that were developed and the educational rationale underpinning this design.