Students' experiences of blended learning across a range of postgraduate programmes (original) (raw)
Related papers
To explore international experiences of using blended learning in preparing nursing and midwifery students for initial professional registration to inform future education policy. Background: The global nursing and midwifery skills shortage and need for an expanded nursing workforce that is fit for contemporary care delivery is widely acknowledged. The immense pressure the profession was already under because of austerity, staff shortages and increasingly complex healthcare needs has been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK is extending and evaluating the use of blended learning programmes for preregistration nursing and midwifery students to help address these issues. This study sought to explore relevant nursing and midwifery experiences from outside the UK to help inform future health professional education policy here and elsewhere. Design: Cross-sectional, sequential, mixed methods study Participants/settings: Nursing/nurse education leaders from across International Council of Nurses regions Methods: Exploratory online survey (n = 32) and three follow-up case studies (March-May 2021). Participants' knowledge and experiences of blended learning were examined along with any perceived benefits for workforce development and successful strategies for addressing the challenges blended learning presents in this context. Case studies were developed inductively from survey responses and follow up telephone calls to provide more detailed information about reported successes. Results: Participants reported flexibility, cost effectiveness, increased student/tutor and student/student communication and interaction as benefits of blended learning. Challenges included the design and use of interactive learning resources, appropriate preparation and support for staff and students, the potential of blended learning to exacerbate otherwise hidden disadvantage and the need for multi-stakeholder cost/benefit evaluation. Conclusions: Blended learning is used globally in the pre-registration education of nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals. These results broadly mirror the literature regarding the benefits blended learning offers healthcare students, staff and organisations and the strategies employed to mitigate risk. As the deployment of blended learning nursing and midwifery programmes expands, further work is needed to address gaps in the current evidence base regarding the practice and impact of this approach. These concern adequate preparation and support of students and staff, ensuring access to appropriate equipment and connectivity, exploration of student perceptions that online learning is of lesser value and comprehensive multi-stakeholder, exploratory evaluation to uncover any hidden factors and impact.
Understanding Doctoral Nursing Students' Experiences of Blended Learning: A Qualitative Study
Acta medica Iranica, 2016
The concept of blended learning in the field of nursing and medicine has been accepted. Blended learning has been extensively used thanks to the development of communication technologies and the availability of Internet services. Meanwhile, experiences-based research, by all accounts, can help the expansion of such a learning modality. Therefore, this study was designed to explain nursing doctoral students' experiences of blended learning. To attain this goal, a descriptive phenomenology method was used to illustrate experiences as they are experienced by the participants in the study. With regard to the nature of the investigated phenomena and the existing methods for the inductive analysis, Colaizzi's method of data analysis was used. The findings of the study led to the discovery of three main themes: "failure", "synergy" and "specific interaction". Each of the themes has been further divided into some sub-themes.
2016
The concept of blended learning in the field of nursing and medicine has been accepted. Blended learning has been extensively used thanks to the development of communication technologies and the availability of Internet services. Meanwhile, experiences-based research, by all accounts, can help the expansion of such a learning modality. Therefore, this study was designed to explain nursing doctoral students' experiences of blended learning. To attain this goal, a descriptive phenomenology method was used to illustrate experiences as they are experienced by the participants in the study. With regard to the nature of the investigated phenomena and the existing methods for the inductive analysis, Colaizzi's method of data analysis was used. The findings of the study led to the discovery of three main themes: "failure", "synergy" and "specific interaction". Each of the themes has been further divided into some sub-themes.
Norwegian Nurses' Experiences with Blended Learning: An Evaluation Study
An increasing number of nurses undertake continuing education via information and communication technologies. Development of best practice, based on students' own experiences, is vital in order to create the most effective learning environment. This paper describes the challenges to and facilitators of learning for a group of Norwegian nurses enrolled in a postgraduate course in wound management delivered by blended learning, which combines face-to-face and online components. Data was gathered through a focus group interview and inductive content analysis was used to identify themes emerging from the data. A number of both personal and academic facilitators, and challenges impacted on these adult learners. Technical and academic problems combined with a lack of time created a steep learning curve for these adult students. Valuable feedback, IT support at home and an increased competence eventually gave them a foundation for lifelong learning. Blended learning is an important way...
Blended learning for postgraduates; an interactive experience
BMC Medical Education, 2019
Background: Blended learning has the potential to stimulate effective learning and to facilitate high quality education. For postgraduate health professionals, blended learning is relatively new. For this group we developed, implemented and evaluated two blended learning modules in a master program on quality and safety in patient care. Aiming for a better preparation compared to traditional textbook homework, the course provided not only web lectures and reading, but also interactive assignments and collaborative learning. Additional goal was saving time for the teachers resulting in a potential cost savings. Method: The experiences of 21 postgraduate health professionals were evaluated with two voluntary and anonymous questionnaires beginning of 2017 with a special focus on the added value of online interaction, underexposed in previous research. Results: This evaluation shows that online modules are regarded as being an effective preparation for face-to-face meetings for postgraduate health professionals. Added value of social interactive online preparation was perceived from collaborating and interacting with each other. Both the interaction between the students, and the e-moderator and teachers were well received. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, we suggest that blended learning may indeed increase the level of education and stimulate effective learning for postgraduate health care professionals. The professionals experienced added value of social interactive online preparation from collaborating and interacting with each other. We consider better aligning of the online and face-to-face components as one of the highest priorities.
Texila International Journal of Nursing, 2019
Introduction: Blended learning (BL) is positive development in education. This method provokes the learner's critical thinking and enables them to integrate their knowledge in real life. In the developed countries in 1990s and so on researchers had evaluated qualitative characteristics of blended learning effectiveness in education whereas in Pakistan this concept and in nursing this methodology is in its infancy stage hence based on the gap in the literature this study has explored the perception of the undergraduate nursing students enrolled in blended learning teaching strategy semesters. Methodology: To answer the research objective phenomenological study design was deployed. 12 in depth interviews were conducted of the undergraduate students who have learned in both blended learning and traditional lecture-based semesters in Lahore School of Nursing, The University of Lahore. Sampling strategy was purposive. Results: Analysis of 12 students' interview was conducted with the major themes of Awareness, Learning Strategies, Learning Activities, Evaluation, and Interpersonal Skills. Participants shared a lot of experiences regarding the effectiveness of blended teaching environment comparatively to lecture based teaching semester. Blended learning fosters the nursing students learning and is beneficial to students' learning in a tertiary environment. Conclusion: This study adds to the unrevealed area of nursing education related to quality teaching strategy for undergraduate nursing students in order to enable them fully for provision of quality care to the individuals in hospitals and community environment. Thereafter, institutions, policy makers and regulatory bodies should incorporate this strategy in the nursing curriculum in Pakistan.
2021
Background: Blended learning (BL) is defined as the combination of both traditional face-to-face learning and synchronous or asynchronous e-learning approaches. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the literature to obtain a broad understanding of the use of BL in nursing and midwifery education in general, in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and in particular Rwanda. Methods: The literature published between 2010 and 2019 were reviewed from six electronic databases using keywords including blended learning, nursing education, midwifery education, higher education, SSA, and Rwanda. Arksey and O'Malley's framework was used in this review. Results: The initial search identified 1,283 records. Eleven articles were selected for this review after the application of predetermined inclusion criteria. Almost all reviewed articles indicated that the integration of BL methods improved the quality of nursing and midwifery education in general, and in SSA countries including Rwanda. C...
Era's Journal of Medical Research
Blended learning, a pedagogical approach is nowadays widely accepted as a combination of both “face-to-face” and online learning components. Concerns have grown throughout time regarding an instructional methodology and a teaching and learning strategy. Several studies and reviews all over the world highlighted that Blended Learning is the most effective method of transferring knowledge to the students and implementation of this approach in professional fields like medical, nursing, and paramedical courses will not only improve the teachinglearning environment but also motivate the students in the self-directed learning approach. The term is specifically given to the educational practice of using a combination of traditional classroom teaching and digital learning. National and internationally this method are being used in an educational institution to motivate the students in effective learning. Computers and technology have their own impact on Integrated learning and the teaching-...
Rwanda Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences
BackgroundAlthough blended learning (BL) is being adopted in public and private higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Rwanda, little is known about students’ use of BL in their learning activities. This article describes a qualitative descriptive study of students’ perceptions and experiences of BL in Rwanda’s post-secondary nursing and midwifery programs in public and private HLIs.MethodsThirty-three nursing and midwifery students from all public and private HLIs in Rwanda exposed to BL were invited to participate in three online focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted using a developed FGD guide with open-ended questions. Inductive content analysis was used to analyze the transcripts.ResultsThree main themes emerged from the data analysis:(1) BL perceived as a new and effective teaching and learning approach, (2) Contextual challenges to the BL method, and (3) Recommendations to improve the BL method. From students’ experiences, the benefits included but were not limited to the ...