Saturday, January 20, 2007

Guide to do portfolio FAST(and good*)!

Being a student of BPharm(Hons) in International Medical University, portfolios is one of the thing that may haunted by it everynight before you sleep.

One of the toughest time was in Semester 4. We were given 9 portfolios. Lets to some calculation.

We have 14 weeks in a semester. Basically, week one we will have the briefing for the portfolios. Only during the briefing we will get question and topic for the portfolios. Final submittion is on the 12th week. So basically we have only ONE week to finish each portfolio.

You may think that one week is kinda long to produce a 10 - 20pages porfolio of learning but think again, it is a week with classes from 9am in the morning all the way to 5pm in the evening. There will also be Problem Based Learning(PBLs) and laboratory session(which means there will be lab report for you to hand in) and not forgetting class tests throughout the semester. Hence, it is not surprising that we would have to finish a portfolios within 2 to 3 days. I say again, its 'we would have to' and not 'we wish' or ' we want' or even 'we purposely'.

My very pack time table.

When the juniors came to me and asked about the portfolios, I told them that we have to finish it in 2 to 3 days, they were so shock. Now, you all know why.

Ok, back to the point. After 6 semester of BPharm and finishing 29 portfolios, I think I can (or I hope I am qualify to) write a guide of doing portfolios.

Do not borrow the portfolio from your senoirs. Well, why i say that. No matter you like it or not, portfolios will (usually) come out in your end of semester exam. If you are prepared to lose 10-20 marks in your EOS, you may do so.

Plan for the portfolio. Do a draft!!!

My draft. It's a "draft" ok?

To do a draft, do not bother reading thick thick book, just head over and get some simple book that just cover briefly on the topic. Then, you will know what is important in the topic.

Thicker than phone directory.

Discuss with your friends. This can help prevent you from doing topic that is irrelevant.

Only after this, you should start photostating books in the library. Do not photocopy everything under the sun. Do not photocopy the whole topic just because the topic carries the title of your portfolio. No point of you photocopy everything under the sun and dun have time to read it. Remember, you only have 2 - 3 days. Just photocopy whatever you need la..Do not need to be so kiasu wan..

Make use of the internet. By saying this I do not mean "copy and paste". There are plenty useful and reliable resourses subscribed by IMU library. Why not make full use of it? Try search for journals or ebooks. This can reduce the time needed to type the words into the computer. And I still never ask you all to "copy and paste".

Actually, I think the more books you find, the more resources you find, the slower you do. Cause you may get comfused by what the saying. I think you just need the right book rather than more book. For example, you look DiPiro Pharmacotherapy for treatment of certain disease, you look in PapaPatho for pathophysiology and so on. Just make sure you get the latest version and most likely the information would not be obsolate.