Engagement of Undergraduate Nursing Students in Virtual Learning Environment in Karachi Pakistan

Abstract

Aga Khan University (AKU) is implementing blended learning (BL) in their existing programs. This study reports the use of BL mode in one of the courses entitled Advanced Concepts of Community Health nursing (ACCHN), offered for undergraduate nursing students, for the first time in Karachi Pakistan. A qualitative exploratory design was adopted.The year II students of Post-RN BScN programme who were studying the course were invited to participate in the study. Data was collected by using focus group discussions (FGDs.). Students found ACCHN course flexible because of the use of blended modalities. They felt that their learning was enhanced by multiple resources shared by faculty on Moodle. In terms of strategies, students found Vodcasts useful. Moreover, few students felt DFs were not as useful, due to wordy posts, which were time consuming to read and understand. Students also found lack of facilitation by faculty on DFs. Students suggested that faculty can use synchronous modes such as Skype and Webex to summarize the discussions. Load shedding and low bandwidth were also discussed by students as obstacles in successful implementation of the course. The findings concluded that bandwidth and electricity issue at home needs to be resolved at the national level.