Master's thesis Arno Meiresonne (2021)

Arno is a physiotherapist and was a master student in the shortened educational master's programme at UGent. Arno conducted research on motivational factors concerning the use or non-use of an ePortfolio in physiotherapy.

Title: Motivational research into the use of
an (e)Portfolio - A quantitative study among Flemish physiotherapists.

Arno was supervised by Dr Mieke Embo (supervisor), Oona Janssens (co-supervisor) and Dr Veerle Duprez (commissioner).

Master's thesis Noortje Jacobs (2021)

Noortje is a nurse and a Master of Nursing and Midwifery graduate from UGent. The introduction of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) is an important development in nursing. The Nurse Practitioner and the Clinical Nurse Specialist are two APN functions most often identified internationally. In Belgium, a term encompassing both functions is the Nursing Specialist (NS). The aim of the master's thesis is to develop and validate the Nursing Specialist competence profile. In conclusion, Noortje formulated the following: "The competency framework can be used both by the NS in training and the NS already working. It is a useful tool for connecting the continuum of education, training and practice. Learning is hereby embedded in practice, allowing VSs to meet expectations regarding new knowledge and competences.

Title: Developing and validating a competency framework for the nursing specialist

Noortje's supervisor was Prof Dr A. Van Hecke (UGent), her co-supervisors were Elsie Decoene (UZGent), Dr Mieke Embo (UGent, Arteveldehogeschool) and Prof Dr E. Goossens (UAntwerpen).

Master's thesis Sien Bervoets and Estee Michiels (2021)

Sien and Estee are midwives and Master of Nursing and Midwifery KULeuven graduates. Care, and therefore care demands, are becoming increasingly complex within midwifery practice. To meet these more complex care demands, it is important that professionalisation takes place for midwives. To this end, a new position has been developed, an 'Advanced Midwife Practitioner' (AMP) (international designation) or 'Midwife Specialist' (MS) (Flanders). This position is still in its infancy. The aim of this study was to answer the following research question: "To what extent are the competences for an Advanced Midwife Practitioner (AMP) known and already performed by specialist midwives in Flemish university hospitals?". The researchers' conclusion was that the study showed that the predefined competences are already known and performed by MS in Flemish university hospitals but that more research on a larger scale is needed to validate and implement the desired competency framework.

Title: To what extent are the competencies for an Advanced Midwife Practitioner known and already implemented by specialist midwives within Flemish university hospitals?

Sien and Estee their supervisors were Prof Dr A. Bogaerts (KULeuven), Prof Dr K. Beeckman (UAntwerpen, UZ Brussel), the co-supervisor was Dr M. Embo (UGent, Arteveldehogeschool).

Master's thesis Emiel De Paepe (2023)

Emiel was a master student of the shortened educational master at UGent. As part of his master's thesis, he conducted research on the quality of audio-recorded feedback in ePortfolios. In addition, his research aimed to investigate the experience of using audio-recorded feedback in combination with the ePortfolio. For this, he collaborated with the Bachelor of Nursing programme at Arteveldehogeschool Ghent.

Title: Audio feedback in ePortfolios of nursing students within the context of home care internships

Emiel was supervised by Dr Mieke Embo (supervisor) and Dieter Vyt (co-supervisor).

Master's thesis Zahra Carlier (2023)

Zahra was a master's student in nursing and midwifery at UGent. For her master's thesis, she researched the validation of an instrument to investigate the acceptance of technological tools such as e-learning modules. According to the Quality Act, nurses must undergo lifelong training to keep knowledge and skills up-to-date. Partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of e-learning modules as a continuing education method experienced exponential growth. Yet nurses are not always positive about taking e-learning modules. In the literature, the acceptance or non-acceptance of technology is described as Technology Acceptance. The title of the master's thesis immediately includes the aim. In conclusion, e-learning modules should be used thoughtfully. A blended approach with combination of e-learning modules and tutor guidance is preferred.

Title: The psychometric validation of a technology acceptance survey for e-learning modules among nurses at a university hospital in Flanders.

Zahra was supervised by Dr Mieke Embo (promoter), Sofie Van Ostaeyen, Janne Frissen and Hilde Rombauts (co-promoters).

Master's thesis Joni Vandersteene (2023)

Joni was a master's student in nursing and midwifery at UGent. Digital innovations follow each other ever faster. This means that nurses need to acquire additional digital competences. In the context of her master's thesis, Joni conducted a quantitative cross-sectional study on the self-assessment of digital

competences of nurses in a university hospital in Flemish Brabant using the 'digital skills in care and welfare' test. The self-test was validated and checked for imprint validity and reliability. The influence of age, gender, diploma and position on digital competences was investigated. Self-rating of acquired digital competences was different, age and diploma had a significant influence on digital competences. Feelings when using technology were varied ranging from self-confidence to anxiety. Therefore, it is important to provide tailored support to each nurse.

Title: Mapping digital competencies among nurses in a university hospital: validation and hypothesis testing of a measurement tool

Joni was supervised by Dr Mieke Embo (promoter), Sofie Van Ostaeyen, Janne Frissen and Hilde Rombauts (co-promoters).

Master's thesis Michiel Vandorpe (2023)

Michiel was a Master's student in pedagogical sciences at UGent. As part of his master's thesis, he researched which factors facilitate and hinder the switch from a paper portfolio to an ePortfolio. For this, he collaborated with the HBO5 nursing course at IVV Sint-Vincentius.

Title: The effect of training on qualitative use of ePortfolios in healthcare educational programmes.

Michiel was supervised by Prof Tammy Schellens (supervisor) and Sofie Van Ostaeyen (supervisor).

Master's thesis Nathalie Deweirdt (2023)

Nathalie was a master's student of the shortened educational master at UGent. User training is considered a critical success factor for the implementation of e-Porfolios in practice. However, there is still uncertainty about which methods are most effective. This study aimed to identify training needs among internship supervisors and internship mentors when implementing an e-Porfolio in a HBO5 nursing course.

Title: Supporting internship supervisors and internship mentors in implementing ePortfolio in a HBO5 nursing course: qualitative research on identifying training needs.

Nathalie was supervised by Dr Mieke Embo (supervisor) and Dr Sofie Van Ostaeyen (co-supervisor).

Master's thesis Rani Goethals (2023)

Rani was a master's student of the shortened educational master at UGent. She conducted research on the perceptions of mentors and students of the bachelor of speech therapy programme at Arteveldehogeschool Ghent regarding the use of mobile technology in providing feedback at the workplace. For this, she worked together with the speech therapy programme at the Arteveldehogeschool.

Title: Students' and mentors' perceptions on the use of tablets for feedback during speech therapy: a qualitative study.

Rani was supervised by Dr Mieke Embo (supervisor), Dr Vasia Andreou (co-supervisor) and An Lippens (co-supervisor).