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Producing Quality Evidence in a Well Organised Portfolio

Doc Ref: 20/04/09-portfolio-quality-evidence

Producing Quality Evidence in a Well Organised Portfolio - Topics covered

• Producing evidence during your placements

• Producing evidence and linking it to outcomes

• Producing quality evidence

• Storing evidence in your portfolio

Producing evidence during your placements

• Your portfolio will contain a collection of written evidence to show what you have learned during practice

• You need to produce evidence frequently throughout each placement not just at the end of the placement

• You need to make time to record your experiences / learning

• Write up your evidence soon after the event so you remember important details

Producing evidence during your placements

• Everything you do on placement has the potential to become evidence.

• During placement frequently ask yourself ….

• ‘’What am I learning from this experience?’’ and

• ‘’How can I write this up to show what I have learned?’’

Producing evidence and linking it to outcomes

• 2 approaches to this:

• 1) Produce your evidence and then link it to the outcomes

• Produce a range of evidence based on the day to day experiences in practice (reflective writing, work products etc.)

• Read through the outcomes and see which outcomes link to the pieces of evidence you have produced

• This approach encourages you to see all placement experiences as potential evidence and should be useful for the majority of your outcomes


• 2) Look at the outcomes and then produce your evidence

• Read through the outcomes and see what kinds of experience and evidence you can use to achieve the outcomes in that placement. Then go out in practice and look for the learning opportunities to produce this evidence.

• Some placements have produced lists of learning opportunities you can access in those placements to help you achieve specific outcomes (outcome mapping)

• This approach encourages you to focus on specific outcomes. It can help you fill in the gaps and achieve the outcomes you have not yet covered.


• You must state on each piece of evidence which outcomes you are linking it to

• You will often be able to link one piece of evidence to several outcomes

• Each piece of evidence should contain sufficient detail to make it easy for your mentor to see exactly how it links to an outcome.

• So for example, if you are linking a piece of evidence to the outcome 2.1.2 ‘‘utilise appropriate communication skills with patients and clients’’ the evidence should clearly focus on your communication with a client, what skills you used and how they were appropriate at the time


• If you link a piece of evidence to several outcomes, you can make it easier for your mentor if you break it down into sections and identify which section links to which outcome

• See how this can be done in the examples of evidence for each of the 4 practice levels in the virtual portfolio

Producing quality evidence

• The collection of evidence for each outcome has to be self explanatory, convincing and persuasive – that is – good quality evidence

• Your mentor will look at the quality of your evidence when deciding whether you have achieved an outcome

• What is quality evidence?

• Quality evidence should be valid and reliable


• Valid evidence

• The evidence should clearly link to the outcome

• The evidence should show that you can do what the outcome states

• The evidence should show that you have the knowledge, skills and attitudes embedded in the outcome

• The wording in the outcomes is important here. Outcomes (and proficiencies) start with words like demonstrate, participate, discuss, recognise, understand, utilise, consult with, provide, analyse, document, collaborate, apply

• It is important that your evidence shows what is being asked for in the outcome.


• Valid evidence

• The evidence should show an appropriate standard of practice for this outcome

• The evidence should be consistent with good practice

• This means that the practice you have written about in your portfolio should be safe, up to date, evidence-based, following professionally recognised guidelines etc. Reference to literature, theory, research in your evidence may help to show that you are doing this.


• Valid evidence

• The evidence should show that you are able to the practice at the level expected for your point in the course

• Level 1 – with constant supervision• Level 2 – with assistance• Level 3 – with decreasing supervision• Level 4 – practising independently

• See examples in the virtual portfolio


• Reliable evidence

• The evidence is reliable if you can demonstrate that you have the knowledge, skills and attitudes for the outcome:

• On a number of occasions• At various times throughout the placement• With a range of clients• In a range of settings / contexts• In different types of evidence (observed learning

record, reflective writing, work products etc.)


• Reliable evidence

• The collection of evidence against an outcome should show a consistency about your practice

• A single piece of evidence only shows a ‘one-off’ ability

• A range of evidence is more convincing and shows that you can perform consistently and reliably.

• Aim to produce just enough quality evidence rather than masses of superficial evidence

The following information needs to be clearlywritten on each piece of evidence

• The type of evidence eg reflective writing (RW)• The date you produced it• The section in your portfolio where you will store it• The outcomes it relates to

• Each piece of evidence should be signed and dated by your mentor when she/he assesses it against the outcomes (usually at the final interview)

Storing evidence in your portfolio


• Your mentor will use your portfolio to assess your performance in practice

• A well organised portfolio will make it easier for your mentor

• Your mentor will be able to make sense of your portfolio if you have an index / contents page.

• The virtual portfolio tool (VP) is a good example of how you can store your evidence in a well organised portfolio


• When assessing whether you have achieved an outcome your mentor will look in your assessment of practice record to see what evidence you have listed for that outcome

• It should be easy for your mentor to find the relevant evidence in your portfolio from the information you have included in the box next to the outcome in the assessment of practice record

• See the next slide as an example

Outcomes to be Achieved for Entry to the Branch Programme

Domain 1. Professional and Ethical Practice

1. Discuss in an informed manner the implications of professional regulation for nursing practice.

Outcome Type and Location of Evidence

1.1.1 Demonstrate a basic knowledge of professional regulation and self-regulation

OL (section 2a page 5)RW (section 3b page 2)QA 20.3.06 with mentor (section 1a page 3)

In this example the mentor should be able to find the record of observed learning (OL), the reflective writing (RW) and the question and answer session (QA) in the listed sections in this student’s portfolio. The mentor can then check the three pieces of evidence and assess whether the student has achieved the outcome at the required level.

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