Experience of distance learning during COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduate nursing students

COVID-19 Pandemic has a huge influence on the learning process worldwide. To maintain student academic progress, learning activities were converted to distance learning to control the further spread of the COVID-19 virus. During this period several studies around the world were conducted to assess the effectiveness of distance learning. The results of these studies showed different perspectives, some of the students preferred e-learning while other preferred traditional methods. The aim of this study was to assess the experience of undergraduate nursing students who used distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was used to conduct the study. A convenient sampling approach was used to collect the data electronically via self-reported questionnaires. The study included 328 participants. The average score of the effectiveness domain was (2.58±0.68, medium level), and the satisfaction domain was (2.56±0.54, medium level). The results indicate that technical issues were the most significant barrier (75.6%) to distance learning, followed by physical problems, and decreased access to technological devices. Savings in transportation costs (74.1%), savings in time (71.6%), and the opportunity to review recorded lectures (67.4%) were the benefits of distance learning reported by nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the nursing students reported a positive preference for distance learning. Technical issues were the most significant barrier while decreased transportation costs were the most significant facilitator. These findings were consistent with other studies from different settings. Further research is needed to build upon these findings.

Development and Evaluation of Cultural Competence Course on Undergraduate Nursing Students in Vietnam

Cultural competence is a crucial requirement of nursing to promote caring for patients with diverse backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to develop a cultural competence course and to evaluate the effects of the course on undergraduate nursing students in Vietnam. A concurrent triangulation mixed-methods study was adopted using quantitative and qualitative data sources. Sixty-six nursing students were recruited for the following groups: cultural competence course with field experience (n = 22), stand-alone cultural competence course (n = 22), and a control group (n = 22). The findings indicated that significant group by time interactions in total cultural competence score (F = 66.73, p < 0.001) were found. Participants’ perceptions reflected on three categories: (a) journey to cultural competence, (b) satisfaction of cultural competence course, and (c) suggestions for improvements. No statistically significant differences between the two experimental groups were revealed, but “obtaining cultural experiences” and “expanding understanding of cultural competence through field experience” were immersed from participants having field experience. It is vital to expand cultural competency education into nursing curricula to enhance nursing students’ perspective of culturally competent care.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing towards Novel Corona Virus (COVID 19)

Background: The emerging respiratory disease is caused by the novel type of corona virus which is named as COVID-19. This respiratory illness has received international attention and it is categorized as highly threaten disease in the US by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of undergraduate nursing students towards COVID-19. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional design was used to assess knowledge, practice and attitudes of 255 undergraduate nursing students towards COVID-19. Study participants were recruited from the nursing college in King AbdAziz University between April and July 2020. Results: The results of study participants showed that undergraduate nursing students had moderate knowledge towards COVID-19. Also, participants had high level of knowledge regarding nature of diseases and precautionary measures by health care providers dimensions. However, they expressed limited knowledge towards mode of transmission. Moreover, study participants demonstrated an optimistic attitude toward disease and good practice towards COVID-19. Conclusions: The study results revealed that study participants demonstrated good knowledge with favorable and accepted practice. This study suggests the importance of emphasis on infectious disease in nursing curriculum

Exploring undergraduate nursing students’ experiences towards home-based learning as pedagogy during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive qualitative exploration

Background The global COVID-19 pandemic has led to the need for educators to explore online platforms in delivering lessons to students. Home-based learning is one of the most commonly-used teaching methods that allow learning to take place despite a physical separation between the students and the educators. Methods A descriptive qualitative approach was used to explore the experiences of nursing undergraduates when using home-based learning as a pedagogy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from twenty-three nursing students (n = 14 in year one; n = 9 in year two) of their full-time pre-registration nursing program in a public-funded university in Singapore. Semi-structured interviews using an interview guide was conducted through Zoom-based video-conferencing from November 2020 to January 2021. The interview lasted between 45 and 65 min (median = 45 min). Data collection took place concurrently with thematic analysis through Braun and Clarke’s six-step approach. This study was reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. Results Three main themes identified during the data analysis were: (1) challenges of home-based learning, where students detailed their experiences and difficulties encountered during the process; (2) the effectiveness of home-based learning, which explored the pedagogy’s impact on the students’ learning experience; and (3) students’ motivation to learn, where the effects on student morale and motivation in partaking in learning tasks were discussed. Conclusions Results from this study suggested that universities should incorporate more home-based learning opportunities as home-based learning to continue playing a crucial role in the foreseeable future. Universities should continue to incorporate more home-based learning opportunities into the existing nursing curriculaa in order to test their capacities and address technical challenges in online learning. Future studies should also consider incorporating other pedagogical strategies when conducting lessons online.