The integration of e-portfolios in higher education has become a widely recognised strategy to promote competence-based learning, reflection, and professional development. However, its successful and sustainable adoption requires careful alignment with curricular, solid institutional support, and appropriate incentives to engage staff and students alike. (Brück-Hübner, 2022; Lygo-Baker & Hatzipanagos, 2012; Yang & Wong, 2024)

At a university in Germany, an e-portfolio system was introduced as a central system for all degree programmes. In addition to the Media and Education Management degree programme, an important pillar in the implementation are the teacher education programmes. We have seen that e-portfolios must be systematically embedded in curricula in order to ensure their long-term acceptance and effectiveness. Necessary curricular changes are focusing on teacher education programmes. At the same time, other study programmes also took part in the case study so that changes and support initiatives could be introduced and measures tested in other study programmes at the same time. This case study examines the conditions under the following research question and aspects:

What are the key conditions and incentives necessary to sustainably integrate e-portfolios in higher education curricula, promoting engagement and meaningful use?

According to Klampfer (2017), there are five recommendations for the implementation of e-portfolios at universities: (1) create a positive expectation or attitude towards the e-portfolio among students, (2) ensure feedback, (3) make the relevance of portfolio work for later teaching/learning clear, (4) provide illustrative material, which at the same time makes the degree of freedom clear, and (5) select e-portfolio software that is characterised by user-friendliness.

The study aims to identify the key conditions and strategies for successfully integrating e-portfolios in higher education. Therefore, we identify the main challenges associated with the long-term use of e-portfolios, and how can they be addressed to ensure sustainability. We also explore how e-portfolios can be embedded within curricula to enhance engagement and ensure they are perceived as integral to the learning process. We also identify what forms of pedagogical and structural support are essential to improve usability and acceptance among lecturers and students. How instructional templates, guidelines, and examples contribute to the impact of e-portfolios as tools for learning and assessment.

The study builds on the principles of competence-based education and constructivist learning theories that emphasise the importance of self-directed learning and reflection. To explore how these principles can be effectively implemented in practice, this study utilises a design-based research (DBR) approach (Anderson & Shattuck, 2012; Reinmann, 2019). To examine the sustainable integration of e-portfolios in higher education, we chose a structured approach combining iterative implementation, stakeholder collaboration, and mixed-methods data collection.

The universities' e-portfolio system was initially introduced at our university in 2012. Following a first evaluation in 2020 about usage and acceptance, we focused on its integration into teacher education programmes and other disciplines. To support this process, we established a Collaborative Working Group consisting of representatives from all participating disciplines. This group facilitated interdisciplinary collaboration, supported implementation strategies, and ensured alignment with institutional objectives. To revise existing structures, methods, and curricula, we followed iterative cycles of implementation, evaluation, and refinement, ensuring continuous improvement based on stakeholder feedback (Reinmann, 2019). A mixed-methods approach was employed to comprehensively evaluate how various activities and measures influenced the usage and acceptance of e-portfolios.

This approach integrated both quantitative and qualitative methods. To track user activity, platform analytics were used to collect quantitative data (1). These metrics include the number of active users, created pages, comments, and advanced feature usage. Data were recorded for two distinct periods: 2012–2020, and from 2021 onwards, when e-portfolios were more systematically integrated into teacher education programmes and other fields (Drachsler & Kalz, 2016). In addition to platform analytics, annual student surveys were introduced in 2021 to capture learners' perceptions of e-portfolios. These surveys gathered responses from approximately 150 students across disciplines and focused on key aspects such as usability, perceived value, and overall satisfaction (Ciesielkiewicz, 2019). To gain deeper insights into user experiences and the institutional implementation of e-portfolios, qualitative data (2) were collected as open questions in the annual survey, and through semi-structured focus groups and interviews conducted between 2020 and 2023. Lecturers and students from teacher education and other disciplines where e-portfolios were integrated. These discussions focused on understanding the challenges and benefits associated with e-portfolio use, the perceived impact on learning, and the effectiveness of support structures. A document analysis (3) was conducted to evaluate the broader institutional framework supporting e-portfolio implementation. This analysis included institutional reports from the university’s Center for Digitalisation, workshop feedback, and instructional materials. The goal was to assess how institutional policies, training resources, and curricular structures influenced e-portfolio adoption and sustained engagement (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The collected data were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the usage and acceptance of e-portfolios. (1) Quantitative data from platform analytics were analysed using descriptive statistics to identify trends in user engagement over time. This analysis focused on changes in the number of active users, created pages, comments, and advanced feature usage across the two study periods (2012–2020 and from 2021 onwards). Additionally, data from the annual student surveys were examined to track patterns in perceived usability, value, and satisfaction over consecutive years. By comparing survey responses across different cohorts, we were able to assess the impact of changes in curricular integration and institutional support on students’ engagement with e-portfolios. (2) Qualitative data from focus groups and interviews were analysed using thematic analysis, following the guidelines of Kuckartz & Rädiker (2024). (3) Additionally, findings from document analysis, including institutional reports, workshop feedback, and instructional materials, were triangulated with survey results and interview data.

The findings demonstrate that curricular integration, central support structures, and continuous refinement are critical to ensuring that e-portfolios serve as effective pedagogical tools rather than passive digital storage spaces (Weber, 2021). E-portfolios are most effective when clearly embedded in the curriculum, well-structured, and supported for both students and lecturers. Without curricular embedding, e-portfolio use stagnates. When linked to internships and reflective assignments, student engagement increased significantly. E-portfolios became more relevant as students documented competencies and connected academic progress to real-world experiences, strengthening reflective skills and professional awareness. For lecturers, integrating e-portfolios into practical projects and structured reflections facilitated competency-based assessment and positioned portfolios as a meaningful teaching tool. Templates, example portfolios, and clear guidelines proved essential. Structured support helped students create meaningful entries while reducing confusion and frustration. For lecturers, ready-to-use templates increased confidence in e-portfolios, eased concerns about additional workload, and encouraged integration into teaching. Despite declining enrolment, platform analytics show that active users and engagement with advanced features (e.g., peer feedback) increased. Students now use e-portfolios more frequently and interactively, recognising them as collaborative learning tools rather than static repositories. Positive engagement trends confirm the long-term effectiveness of the measures taken. This study highlights that students benefit from structured curricular integration and targeted support, while lecturers gain practical tools for implementation. The growing use of interactive features reinforces the success of the approach. These insights offer transferable strategies for institutions seeking sustainable e-portfolio adoption in higher education.

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