SBO Scaffold: e-portfolios to support workplace learning in healthcare training

In short

This strategic basic research explored how e-portfolios could contribute to workplace learning in healthcare education. Within the multidisciplinary Scaffold project, researchers analysed the role of e-portfolios as scaffolding tools for students in programmes such as nursing, midwifery, speech therapy and occupational therapy. The aim was to map out competence development and strengthen learning processes, both during the programme and in the transition to professional practice.

Need and relevance

Workplace learning formed a crucial part of healthcare education, yet students often encountered challenges in bridging theory and practice. Reflection, feedback and self-regulation were essential mechanisms in this process. A well-designed e-portfolio supported these mechanisms and enabled students to grow more purposefully in their competences. Educational institutions were seeking concrete and validated ways to integrate these tools effectively, and this project responded to that need.

From approach to impact

The Scaffold project was a four-year, multidisciplinary research project aimed at strengthening workplace learning in healthcare education through the development of an innovative e-portfolio. It consisted of:

• 3 transversal work packages
  user-centred design and prototype development
  training and usage procedures
  policy, legislation and ethics
• 3 context-specific work packages
  video and interdisciplinary education in mother and child care
  assessment of competences in general practice training
  lifelong learning and healthcare
• 1 overarching work package
  project management to ensure cohesion across all packages

Four doctoral researchers carried out in-depth literature reviews and investigated specific aspects of the e-portfolio, ensuring that new scientific insights were integrated into its development. The central research question was: how does an e-portfolio affect the quality of education and workplace-based care?

Work package 'lifelong learning and healthcare'

Within work package 6, ‘lifelong learning and healthcare’, the team validated the proof of concept e-portfolio in eight healthcare programmes: HBO5 nursing, bachelor’s in nursing, midwifery, speech therapy, audiology, occupational therapy, podiatry and oral health. The focus was on competence development during training, at transitions between educational levels (HBO5–bachelor–master), during national and international internships, and after graduation.

The e-portfolio was used as a scaffolding tool—an instrument that supported students in reflecting, receiving feedback and self-regulating their learning. The project delivered evidence-based recommendations for implementing e-portfolios in healthcare education.

Collaboration

Scaffold was a unique collaboration between Ghent University, KU Leuven and Artevelde University of Applied Sciences. Within work package 6, there was also close cooperation with IVV Sint Vincentius, a provider of HBO5 nursing education. The result? A state-of-the-art e-portfolio that made competence development visible and structurally strengthened workplace learning.