Nursing EducationBCEP-RCTNCT07531355
Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolios for Competency Tracking in Undergraduate Nursing Education: A Randomized Controlled Trial
A study testing Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio Platform and Conventional Moodle-Based E-Portfolio in people with Nursing Education and Competency-Based Education, run by Cairo University at 1 site in Saudi Arabia.
Trial summary
This study evaluates whether a blockchain-enabled electronic portfolio can improve competency tracking and lifelong learning in undergraduate nursing education. Conventional electronic portfolios are often fragmented across courses and clinical rotations, difficult to verify across institutions, and limited in… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 20 to 24 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Nursing Education, Competency-Based Education, Electronic Portfolios
- What is being tested?
- Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio Platform and Conventional Moodle-Based E-Portfolio
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 72 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSaudi Arabia
- Study dates
- 20 Feb 2025to 27 Jun 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 20 to 24 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Third-year undergraduate nursing students
- Enrolled in the medical-surgical clinical rotation at the College of Nursing, Jouf University
- Admitted through the standard national admission route
- Willing to participate and able to provide informed consent
Who cannot join
- Prior formal training in blockchain or distributed-ledger applications
- Expected absence for more than two weeks during the clinical rotation
- Self-reported lack of proficiency in basic digital learning tools
- Enrollment in a non-standard curriculum track, such as bridging or transfer programs
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolios for Competency Tracking and Lifelong Learning in Nursing Education: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods Randomized Controlled Trial
This study evaluates whether a blockchain-enabled electronic portfolio can improve competency tracking and lifelong learning in undergraduate nursing education. Conventional electronic portfolios are often fragmented across courses and clinical rotations, difficult to verify across institutions, and limited in supporting learner ownership of records. To address these challenges, this study compares a blockchain-enabled e-portfolio system with a conventional Moodle-based e-portfolio during a medical-surgical clinical rotation.
Third-year undergraduate nursing students at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia, were randomly assigned to use either the blockchain-enabled e-portfolio intervention or the conventional e-portfolio control. The intervention was designed to support cryptographically verifiable competency records, structured reflective evidence, and personalized competency feedback through dashboard analytics.
Read more
The main outcomes include clinical competence assessed by an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), lifelong learning orientation, portfolio quality, and trust in the credibility and portability of competency records. After the quantitative phase, focus group interviews were conducted with students in the intervention group to explore their experiences with the system and the mechanisms through which it may influence learning.
The study aims to determine whether blockchain-enabled e-portfolios offer educational advantages over conventional portfolio systems in competency-based nursing education and to identify implementation factors that may support or hinder adoption.
Read the detailed description
Competency-based nursing education requires students to demonstrate progressive attainment of clinical and professional competencies across time and settings. Conventional electronic portfolios are commonly used to document reflections, skills, assessments, and learning evidence, but these systems often have limitations, including fragmented documentation across rotations, weak portability of records, restricted external verifiability, and limited learner ownership of competency evidence.
This study evaluates a blockchain-enabled electronic portfolio (BC-EP) model developed to support competency tracking and lifelong learning in undergraduate nursing education. The intervention was designed to provide a tamper-evident and portable framework for documenting competency attainment while also supporting reflective learning and personalized feedback. The BC-EP model was implemented using a permissioned blockchain architecture and included three core components: (1) a verifiable competency ledger in which competency-related artifacts were linked to cryptographically signed attestations; (2) a reflective evidence layer that connected clinical events, competency tags, reflective narratives, and preceptor attestations; and (3) a data-driven dashboard designed to identify competency gaps and guide individualized development.
The study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. In the quantitative phase, a two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted among third-year undergraduate nursing students enrolled in a medical-surgical clinical rotation at the College of Nursing, Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either the BC-EP intervention group or a control group using the institution's conventional Moodle-based electronic portfolio. Both groups received the same clinical rotation, but the intervention group used the blockchain-enabled platform for competency documentation, reflective evidence submission, and personalized progress monitoring.
The primary educational outcome was clinical competence, assessed using a six-station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Secondary outcomes included lifelong learning orientation, portfolio quality, and trust in the credibility and portability of educational records. Baseline demographic and educational data were also collected. Following completion of the quantitative phase, qualitative focus group interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of intervention-group participants to explore user experiences, perceived benefits, challenges, and possible mechanisms of effect.
The study seeks to determine whether a blockchain-enabled e-portfolio can improve educational outcomes in nursing students compared with a conventional e-portfolio system and to generate implementation-relevant insights for future digital credentialing models in nursing education.
- Conditions
- Nursing Education, Competency-Based Education, Electronic Portfolios, Lifelong Learning, Clinical Competence
- Being tested
- Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio Platform, Conventional Moodle-Based E-Portfolio
- Keywords
- Blockchain, Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio, Competency Tracking, Undergraduate Nursing Students, Medical-Surgical Clinical Rotation
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio PlatformBehavioural
A blockchain-enabled educational portfolio system used to support competency tracking and lifelong learning in undergraduate nursing education. The intervention included a verifiable competency ledger, structured reflective evidence linked to competency tags and preceptor attestations, learner-held credential ownership, and dashboard-based personalized competency feedback during a 14-week clinical rotation.
Conventional Moodle-Based E-PortfolioBehavioural
A conventional institutional electronic portfolio system used for routine documentation during a 14-week clinical rotation. The control platform included portfolio templates, artifact uploads, self-assessment activities, and discussion forums, but did not include blockchain verification, cryptographic attestation, portable credentials, or personalized competency dashboards.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio | Experimental | Participants assigned to this arm used a blockchain-enabled e-portfolio platform during a 14-week medical-surgical clinical rotation. The platform supported cryptographically verifiable competency attestations, structured reflective evidence linked to competency tags, learner-held record ownership, and dashboard-guided personalized feedback. Receives: Behavioral: Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio Platform |
| Conventional E-Portfolio | Active comparator | Participants assigned to this arm used the institution's conventional Moodle-based e-portfolio during a 14-week medical-surgical clinical rotation. The platform supported routine artifact uploads, reflection templates, self-assessments, and asynchronous discussion without blockchain-based verification or personalized competency analytics. Receives: Behavioral: Conventional Moodle-Based E-Portfolio |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Lifelong Learning Orientation Assessed by Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning-Nursing Adaptation
Lifelong learning orientation was assessed using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning-Nursing adaptation (JSPLL-N), a 14-item measure assessing learning beliefs and motivation, scanning for learning opportunities, and attention to learning opportunities. Higher scores indicate stronger lifelong learning orientation.
Measured: One week after completion of the 14-week clinical rotation
Clinical Competence Assessed by Objective Structured Clinical Examination Total Score
Clinical competence was assessed using a six-station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) aligned with medical-surgical nursing competencies. The six stations assessed comprehensive health assessment, medication administration and safety, aseptic technique and infection control, patient education and discharge counselling, clinical reasoning and prioritization, and professionalism/interprofessional communication/ethics. Total scores ranged from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better clinical competence.
Measured: At the end of the 14-week clinical rotation (approximately 14 weeks after allocation)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Apr 2026
- Study start20 Feb 2025
- Primary completion18 Jun 2025
- Study completion27 Jun 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Nursing EducationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Cairo UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either a blockchain-enabled e-portfolio intervention group or a conventional Moodle-based e-portfolio control group during a 14-week medical-surgical clinical rotation. Both groups received the same clinical training, differing only in the portfolio system used for competency tracking and reflective documentation.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 72 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Mostafa Shaban, Cairo University
- Investigators
- Mostafa Shaban, Principal investigator, Cairo University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07531355
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- BC-EP-NEP-2025-JU
- Other IDs
- JU-CON-2025-BC-EP
- Acronym
- BCEP-RCT
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 9 Apr 2026
- Last updated
- 15 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared due to ethical and institutional restrictions related to student educational records and privacy considerations. The dataset contains potentially identifiable academic and performance information from undergraduate nursing students, and consent for open data sharing was not obtained at the time of study enrollment. De-identified aggregated data supporting the findings of this study may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, subject to institutional approval.
Publications
Wei FC, Kao LJ, Chang CT, Chung JY. Enhancing nursing education through e-portfolios: evaluating the impact on learning effectiveness, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction of NPGY trainees. BMC Med Educ. 2025 Jul 31;25(1):1132. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07497-w.
PubMed 40745304Casino F, Dasaklis TK, Patsakis C. A systematic literature review of blockchain-based applications: Current status, classification and open issues. Telematics and Informatics. 2019;36:55-81. doi:10.1016/j.tele.2018.11.006
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolios for Competency Tracking and Lifelong Learning in Nursing Education: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07531355
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- BCEP-RCT / BC-EP-NEP-2025-JU
- Conditions
- Nursing Education, Competency-Based Education, Electronic Portfolios, Lifelong Learning, Clinical Competence
- Keywords
- Blockchain, Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio, Competency Tracking, Undergraduate Nursing Students, Medical-Surgical Clinical Rotation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 72 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 20 Feb 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 18 Jun 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 27 Jun 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 15 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study evaluates whether a blockchain-enabled electronic portfolio can improve competency tracking and lifelong learning in undergraduate nursing education. Conventional electronic portfolios are often fragmented across courses and clinical rotations, difficult to verify across institutions, and limited in supporting learner ownership of records. To address these challenges, this study compares a blockchain-enabled e-portfolio system with a conventional Moodle-based e-portfolio during a medical-surgical clinical rotation.
Third-year undergraduate nursing students at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia, were randomly assigned to use either the blockchain-enabled e-portfolio intervention or the conventional e-portfolio control. The intervention was designed to support cryptographically verifiable competency records, structured reflective evidence, and personalized competency feedback through dashboard analytics.
The main outcomes include clinical competence assessed by an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), lifelong learning orientation, portfolio quality, and trust in the credibility and portability of competency records. After the quantitative phase, focus group interviews were conducted with students in the intervention group to explore their experiences with the system and the mechanisms through which it may influence learning.
The study aims to determine whether blockchain-enabled e-portfolios offer educational advantages over conventional portfolio systems in competency-based nursing education and to identify implementation factors that may support or hinder adoption.
Detailed description
Competency-based nursing education requires students to demonstrate progressive attainment of clinical and professional competencies across time and settings. Conventional electronic portfolios are commonly used to document reflections, skills, assessments, and learning evidence, but these systems often have limitations, including fragmented documentation across rotations, weak portability of records, restricted external verifiability, and limited learner ownership of competency evidence.
This study evaluates a blockchain-enabled electronic portfolio (BC-EP) model developed to support competency tracking and lifelong learning in undergraduate nursing education. The intervention was designed to provide a tamper-evident and portable framework for documenting competency attainment while also supporting reflective learning and personalized feedback. The BC-EP model was implemented using a permissioned blockchain architecture and included three core components: (1) a verifiable competency ledger in which competency-related artifacts were linked to cryptographically signed attestations; (2) a reflective evidence layer that connected clinical events, competency tags, reflective narratives, and preceptor attestations; and (3) a data-driven dashboard designed to identify competency gaps and guide individualized development.
The study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. In the quantitative phase, a two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted among third-year undergraduate nursing students enrolled in a medical-surgical clinical rotation at the College of Nursing, Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either the BC-EP intervention group or a control group using the institution's conventional Moodle-based electronic portfolio. Both groups received the same clinical rotation, but the intervention group used the blockchain-enabled platform for competency documentation, reflective evidence submission, and personalized progress monitoring.
The primary educational outcome was clinical competence, assessed using a six-station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Secondary outcomes included lifelong learning orientation, portfolio quality, and trust in the credibility and portability of educational records. Baseline demographic and educational data were also collected. Following completion of the quantitative phase, qualitative focus group interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of intervention-group participants to explore user experiences, perceived benefits, challenges, and possible mechanisms of effect.
The study seeks to determine whether a blockchain-enabled e-portfolio can improve educational outcomes in nursing students compared with a conventional e-portfolio system and to generate implementation-relevant insights for future digital credentialing models in nursing education.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either a blockchain-enabled e-portfolio intervention group or a conventional Moodle-based e-portfolio control group during a 14-week medical-surgical clinical rotation. Both groups received the same clinical training, differing only in the portfolio system used for competency tracking and reflective documentation.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio | Experimental | Behavioral: Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio PlatformParticipants assigned to this arm used a blockchain-enabled e-portfolio platform during a 14-week medical-surgical clinical rotation. The platform supported cryptographically verifiable competency attestations, structured reflective evidence linked to competency tags, learner-held record ownership, and dashboard-guided personalized feedback. |
| Conventional E-Portfolio | Active comparator | Behavioral: Conventional Moodle-Based E-PortfolioParticipants assigned to this arm used the institution's conventional Moodle-based e-portfolio during a 14-week medical-surgical clinical rotation. The platform supported routine artifact uploads, reflection templates, self-assessments, and asynchronous discussion without blockchain-based verification or personalized competency analytics. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 20 to 24 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Third-year undergraduate nursing students
- Enrolled in the medical-surgical clinical rotation at the College of Nursing, Jouf University
- Admitted through the standard national admission route
- Willing to participate and able to provide informed consent
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Prior formal training in blockchain or distributed-ledger applications
- Expected absence for more than two weeks during the clinical rotation
- Self-reported lack of proficiency in basic digital learning tools
- Enrollment in a non-standard curriculum track, such as bridging or transfer programs
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio PlatformA blockchain-enabled educational portfolio system used to support competency tracking and lifelong learning in undergraduate nursing education. The intervention included a verifiable competency ledger, structured reflective evidence linked to competency tags and preceptor attestations, learner-held credential ownership, and dashboard-based personalized competency feedback during a 14-week clinical rotation. | Behavioural | Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio |
| Conventional Moodle-Based E-PortfolioA conventional institutional electronic portfolio system used for routine documentation during a 14-week clinical rotation. The control platform included portfolio templates, artifact uploads, self-assessment activities, and discussion forums, but did not include blockchain verification, cryptographic attestation, portable credentials, or personalized competency dashboards. | Behavioural | Conventional E-Portfolio |
Primary outcome
Lifelong Learning Orientation Assessed by Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning-Nursing Adaptation
Time frame: One week after completion of the 14-week clinical rotation
Lifelong learning orientation was assessed using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning-Nursing adaptation (JSPLL-N), a 14-item measure assessing learning beliefs and motivation, scanning for learning opportunities, and attention to learning opportunities. Higher scores indicate stronger lifelong learning orientation.
Clinical Competence Assessed by Objective Structured Clinical Examination Total Score
Time frame: At the end of the 14-week clinical rotation (approximately 14 weeks after allocation)
Clinical competence was assessed using a six-station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) aligned with medical-surgical nursing competencies. The six stations assessed comprehensive health assessment, medication administration and safety, aseptic technique and infection control, patient education and discharge counselling, clinical reasoning and prioritization, and professionalism/interprofessional communication/ethics. Total scores ranged from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better clinical competence.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Apr 2026.
- Background: PubMed 40745304Wei FC, Kao LJ, Chang CT, Chung JY. Enhancing nursing education through e-portfolios: evaluating the impact on learning effectiveness, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction of NPGY trainees. BMC Med Educ. 2025 Jul 31;25(1):1132. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07497-w.
- Results publicationCasino F, Dasaklis TK, Patsakis C. A systematic literature review of blockchain-based applications: Current status, classification and open issues. Telematics and Informatics. 2019;36:55-81. doi:10.1016/j.tele.2018.11.006
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared due to ethical and institutional restrictions related to student educational records and privacy considerations. The dataset contains potentially identifiable academic and performance information from undergraduate nursing students, and consent for open data sharing was not obtained at the time of study enrollment. De-identified aggregated data supporting the findings of this study may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, subject to institutional approval.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Mostafa Shaban principal investigator
Cairo University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Blockchain-Enabled E-Portfolio Platform and Conventional Moodle-Based E-Portfolio in people with Nursing Education and Competency-Based Education, run by Cairo University at 1 site in Saudi Arabia.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Saudi Arabia. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Lifelong Learning Orientation Assessed by Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning-Nursing Adaptation (time frame: One week after completion of the 14-week clinical rotation). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07531355, which also lists 2 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Apr 2026.