REBEL Competency-Based Learning Portfolio
Summary:
REBEL (Reflective Evidence-Based Evaluation and Learning) is a
comprehensive learning environment focused on competency-based,
reflective learning while encouraging independent learning skills.
Background:
Beginning with its first class of residents in July of 2003, the
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Leadership Preventive Medicine Residency (DHLPMR)
offers select residents and fellows with the skills they need to
redesign and improve the care of the individual patients and
populations of patients they serve. DHLPMR offers the opportunity to
gain knowledge and skills in the measurement of outcomes and the
leadership of change and improvement in health care systems.
As part of their vision for the new residency, the DHLPMR directors
sought to develop web-based portfolio software that supports the
collection and analysis of data used to evaluate residents’ progression
through the program and the evaluation of the program itself. The
intention was to give the DHLPMR program the ability to demonstrate
educational outcomes based on the achievement of competency-based
learning objectives as required by the Accreditation Council for
Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
DHLPMR contacted 53 Technology in the winter of 2003 to discuss the
creation of a competency based portfolio system to support the both
resident and programmatic requirements around the ACGME’s new
competency-based learning objectives. In addition to meeting DHLPMR’s
unique requirements as a new preventive medicine residency blending
both academic and clinical training, the portfolio system needed to be
flexible enough to accommodate more traditional residency programs such
as pediatrics, surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology.
The Problem:
After initial discussion with DHLPMR directors we identified the following key goals for the project.
- Initial release date July 1st, 2003.
- Additional features would be released during the academic year to
coincide with the progression of the resident’s through the program
curriculum.
- Portfolio system needed to be flexible enough to meet unique needs of DHLPMR as well as other more traditional residencies.
- Finished portfolio software must not use any third party components requiring a paid license.
It was clear the biggest obstacle facing the project was the schedule.
The Solution:
After collecting and analyzing DHLPMR’s requirements we identified the following key components of the portfolio system.
- System Core
- Competency-Based Learning Tool
- Learning Activity Tools
- Online Evaluation Tools
- Reflective Journaling
- Reporting
Each component provides services around one aspect of the portfolio,
while the System Core provides application wide services such as user
and group management, email, personalization, and announcements.
Given the limited time before residents’ began the program on July
1st, it was agreed the initial release would be limited to the System
Core and the Reflective Journaling component. Additional components
were prioritized and rolled out as needed as the new residents
progressed through the curriculum.
The Results:
REBEL (Reflective Evidence-Based Evaluation and Learning) is a
comprehensive learning environment focused on competency-based,
reflective learning while encouraging independent learning skills. It
features tools related to competency assignment and tracking, learning
activity support, threaded discussion, evaluation, journaling, and
portfolio building.
One of REBEL’s most distinguishing features is the User Portfolio.
Through the User Portfolio learners are able to rate, and annotate work
products and evaluations in their portfolios. They are then able to
organize these learning objects into collections that demonstrate their
achievement of specific learning objectives. Collections can then be
shared with program faculty or third parties such as prospective
employers or specialty boards.
After nearly 3 years in service, REBEL has become a model for the
ACGME’s mandate for residency programs to demonstrate educational
outcomes based on the achievement of competency-based learning
objectives.
System Features:
REBEL is a feature rich application designed to manage many aspects
of a residency’s curriculum. Features are grouped into the following
functional components:
- Competency-Based Learning Tool
- Learning Activity Tools
- Online Evaluation Tools
- Reflective Journaling Support
- Threaded Discussion
- Reporting
Technology:
REBEL is an n-tier web application utilizing the following technologies:
- Red Hat Lunx Server OS
- Apache web server
- PHP sripting language
- PostgreSQL database
- PEAR - PHP components
Reporting for REBEL is driven by OpenReports,
a java based, open source reporting application utilizing
JasperReports. Report templates are written in XML and can be delivered
as HTML, Adobe PDF, or CSV documents. OpenReports uses the following
technologies:
- Apache Tomcat JSP server
- JSP sripting language
- Hibernate
- PostgreSQL database
- JasperReports
