The introduction of an online portfolio system in a medical school: What can activity theory tell us?

In this paper we discuss innovations in the personal and professional development (PPD) curriculum that were introduced at a medical school in a major metropolitan university in Sydney, Australia. The review of the PPD curriculum involved the development of new content as well as the exploration of technologies that could be used to underpin the various collaborative, self-directed and reflective learning activities of the new course. An online portfolio system (PebblePad) was selected as the technological platform to deliver the new curriculum. Student feedback relating to the new technology has been critical and activity theory (AT) is used to broaden our understanding of the wider cultural forces what we call the ‘negative discourse of PPD’ that can potentially shape attitudes to technology and learning in the PPD component of a medical degree.