Is Web-Based Learning Effective in Preparing the Nursing Graduate to Meet Competency Objectives in the Nursing Profession: Faculty’s Perception

Abstract

Clinical nursing education is traditionally taught in person where students are immersed within the professional setting where their role is limited, but like that of a registered nurse. Due to shortages of nursing faculty, clinical sites, and the increase in demand in online learning, nursing schools have begun to use and value simulation experiences in place of traditional clinical experiences. Literature supports the use simulation as a replacement for a percentage of clinical hours. The literature also indicates a gap in the transition from nursing graduate to their professional role, pointing to safety and lack of competency of highest concern in practice settings (Akbarilakeh et al., 2019). During the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing educators were forced to take all instruction online to include clinical components (Khalil et al., 2020). For many, this involved taking traditional teaching pedagogy and attempting to simply transfer it online. Faculty were challenged, with little to no training, to implement effective online teaching strategies that could replace the knowledge and experience gained from learning in the clinical environment. Using a modified version by Schmidt et al. (2009) of the Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge Survey (TPACK), the teaching strategies of nursing instructors were investigated. Using a mixed-methods and purposive convenience sample, 102 participants were recruited, and interviews were conducted with a subsample of seven nursing faculty to further explore faculty’s online formal training and their perception of clinical competency achievability in an online learning platform. A Pearson correlation analysis found a weak positive correlation between number of years and courses teaching online and perceived online evaluation abilities. Qualitative analysis themes showed that nursing educators do not feel online clinical education can prepare nursing graduates for their professional role.