Australian Catholic University

Nursing Case Study

Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a national public university and is home to Australia’s largest School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine. ACU serves a geographically dispersed and diverse student body, offering a comprehensive educational experience that combines academic excellence with values-based learning.

The ACU Bachelor of Nursing is offered at six campuses in three states and one territory along the Eastern Seaboard; Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria. Students studying the Bachelor of Nursing undertake their learning through several modalities: face to face, online, and professional practice placement.

Background

University’s Educational Goals

ACU’s educational goals centre on producing highly skilled, reflective practitioners who are well-prepared for the demands of contemporary professional environments. Professional experience placement is a core requirement for nursing students to qualify for registration. An ePortfolio system was therefore vital for documenting competencies, supporting reflective practice, and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Previous System

Previously, ACU utilised a paper-based system in which assessment forms were completed manually, scanned and uploaded to the learning management system drop boxes. This process was time-intensive, lacked transparency and carried potential risks, due to the inability of academic staff to effectively audit, monitor and track placement activity in real time.

Decision Process

The shift to MyProgress was driven by a need to manage potential risks that may be encountered on professional experience placement by academic and education staff within the health care facilities, and to acquire a platform that is better equipped to demonstrate the commitment to accreditation standards expected by the Nursing accreditation body. Shifting the paper-based assessment to a digital platform also supported the modernisation of monitoring and assessment practices associated with professional experience. Choosing a digital portfolio meant potential risks associated with a paper-based assessment, including verification of credentials, and identifying students at risk for the purpose of effective student support and learning as well as meeting accreditation requirements could be addressed.

The University was also undergoing a transition to a new learning management system, which provided the ideal timing for adopting a digital ePortfolio solution. Key priorities in selecting MyProgress included:

1. Demonstrating the commitment to meeting accreditation requirements

2. Streamlining student assessments

3. Enhancing the student experience

4. Increasing visibility and control over placements

5. Monitoring student progress and identifying at-risk students

6. Supporting reflective practice

7. Improving reporting capabilities

8. Integrating with university systems

Implementation

Stakeholders Involved

The implementation was a collaborative effort involving ACU’s professional experience placement coordinators, academic staff, IT support, and students as well as external industry partners. The team worked closely with MyKnowledgeMap, whose expertise and tailored suggestions, based on experiences with similar institutions, were instrumental in shaping an effective rollout.

Dr Mandy El Ali, Senior Lecturer within the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Paramedicine at Australian Catholic University oversees the coordination and management of placements for the discipline of nursing across ACU’s six national campuses where the Bachelor of Nursing is offered.

“It was definitely a team effort, everyone had to commit to the process and MKM were fantastic. Especially Holly and Tom who were supportive of the process and contributed many ideas that supported the creation of the forms and made suggestions based on their experiences with other organisations and the knowledge of the functionality of MyProgress and how it could be tailored to meet specific organisational requirements”

says Dr El Ali.

Training and Support

Dedicated training sessions and support materials were developed for both staff and students. The University placed significant emphasis on change management, recognising the importance of collective commitment to ensure a smooth transition from paper-based to digital systems.

Integration with Other Systems

MyProgress was successfully integrated with InPlace, ACU’s placement administration platform and Canvas (LMS), minimising manual data handling and facilitating seamless transfer of grades and assessment data.

Usage

User Groups

· Students: Use MyProgress for logging placement hours, completing assessments and engaging in reflective practice.

· Academic Staff and Assessors: Use the platform to review and verify assessments and student progress.

· Administrators: Monitor compliance, generate reports and manage placement operations at scale.

Features Utilised

Key features of MyProgress that are actively used include:

Timesheets with validation
Assessment forms
Reporting tools (especially for tracking hours for course completions)
Embedded reflective practice within assessment templates
Real-time dashboards
Integration with ACU’s learning management and placement administration systems, supporting minimal handling of grade transfers

Adoption Rates

While formal usage statistics are still being compiled, MyProgress has been adopted across all six ACU campuses where the Bachelor of Nursing is offered. Positive feedback and improved outcomes have sparked interest from other departments and disciplines looking to adopt the system.

Benefits

Educational Outcomes

The introduction of MyProgress has enabled significant improvements in learning engagement, reflective practice and real-time risk management during placements. Students now have more autonomy and insight into their learning, while staff have greater oversight of progress and assessment quality.

“The biggest improvement and impact we have seen is the ability for us to monitor placement activity in real time which allows us to more quickly identify students requiring extra support and, collaborate with placement educators to implement supportive strategies and mitigate any potential risks associated within the professional experience in a timelier manner. The other positive is students have more autonomy, that is, they have more transparency and control over their own learning and documentation”

Dr Mandy El Ali, Senior Lecturer, ACU.

Since implementing MyProgress, ACU now enjoys “real time activity monitoring and access to each educator details for the purpose of collaboration, student support, and verification of assessment”, things ACU couldn’t do previously.

User Feedback

Quantitative feedback is not yet available, but anecdotal responses have been positive. Users have praised the system’s intuitiveness and ease of navigation, especially during the early months of implementation.

Operational Efficiency

The platform has delivered operational gains, particularly in monitoring placement activity in real time, identifying potential risks, and supporting swift interventions. While initial setup increased administrative workload, this investment has resulted in significant long-term efficiencies.

Challenges

Technical Issues

No major technical failures were reported. Initial complexity lay in designing assessment forms and configuring workflows to suit ACU’s specific needs. MyKnowledgeMap provided strong guidance throughout this process.

“The initial phase saw an increase in admin processes as we were transitioning, but now everyone is seeing the ease in the use of the platform” Dr Mandy El Ali, Senior Lecturer, ACU.

User Adoption

As with any major digital transition, some resistance and learning curves were experienced. However, sustained support and demonstrable benefits have now contributed to high levels of buy-in.

Cost

Cost was considered but not prohibitive. The platform’s contribution to risk reduction, auditability and streamlined assessments was seen as a valuable return on investment.

ACU knew that MyProgress had reached its investment value when “all stakeholders engaged effectively in the platform with positive results and support could be provided to students and placement facilitators in real time. Anticipated placement associated risks were confirmed as a result of the transparency of the platform allowing us to implement strategies to support the mitigation of these risks” (M. El Ali).

Impact Analysis

Short-Term Impact

In the first few months of using MyProgress, Dr El Ali and the ACU team were most delighted by “The intuitiveness and ease of use. The fact that I could monitor in real time what was happening on placements nationally.” (M. El Ali)

Within the first year, the system allowed the university to:

· Monitor placement activity nationally in real time

· Verify assessor credentials and assessments

· Identify and mitigate risks proactively

· Increased student ownership over learning

Long-Term Impact

Longer-term impacts are not available yet, but it is expected that ACU will see:

· Increased student ownership over learning

· Improved compliance with accreditation standards

· More efficient administrative processes

· Interest from other disciplines and departments in broader adoption

Comparative Analysis

Compared with the previous system of scanned paper uploads, MyProgress has transformed placement assessment into a transparent, auditable and student-centric process, setting a new standard for digital portfolio usage in clinical education.

Lessons Learned

Key Insights

Institutional change is most effective when implemented collaboratively.
Real-time visibility significantly improves student safety and academic integrity.
Tailoring system features to discipline-specific requirements enhances adoption.

Recommendations

Align ePortfolio deployment with wider institutional system changes.
Engage academic and IT stakeholders early in the planning process.
Invest in ongoing training and feedback collection post-implementation.

Conclusion

Summary

The adoption of MyProgress has been a milestone in ACU’s digital transformation journey. It has improved assessment integrity, placement oversight and student engagement in the ACU School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine.

Future Plans

Due to its success, additional disciplines within the university are exploring the use of MyProgress. ACU is also considering the adoption of MyKnowledgeMap’s broader portfolio functionality to further enrich the student learning experience across programmes.

MyProgress is a versatile and configurable ePortfolio system that enables students to gather evidence and feedback to demonstrate their learning, competencies, and progress through a programme, ultimately demonstrating that your programme meets the regulatory requirements.

To learn more about how the MyProgress ePortfolio can support your programmes, contact us.