Usability of Standards for Scaffolding in a Health Sciences Programme: A feasibility Study

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Educational Standards
• Scaffolding in Nursing

Background:

• Educational standards, while rigorously developed, are socially constructed and can be interpreted differently.
• Varied implementation of standards in health professions education necessitates usability testing.
• This study piloted the usability of scaffolding standards in a health sciences program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the usability of scaffolding standards within a health sciences program.
• To evaluate the effectiveness and context-appropriateness of developed standards.
• To identify strengths and flaws in the application of scaffolding standards.

Main Methods:

• A multi-method design using user and expert evaluations.
• Nurse educators (users) self-assessed scaffolding practices using a checklist.
• Experts reviewed user reports and completed a heuristics checklist.

Main Results:

• Standards achieved an above-average usability score of 68%.
• Seven usability strengths and four flaws were identified.
• Flaws included misinterpretation of terminology and challenges in evidence generation.

Conclusions:

• The pilot study revealed context-specific truths about scaffolding fidelity in health sciences programs.
• Identified usability flaws indicate a need for revising the scaffolding standards.
• Further research on feasibility in diverse health sciences programs is recommended.