Abstract
BackgroundOnline learning has been shown to have a significant effect on education in the 21st century, and it has become indispensable in nursing education because of the requirement to connect theoretical courses with hospital-based practice. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, education has shifted abruptly away from traditional face-to-face instruction and towards distance learning. This study explores the experience of online education during COVID-19 from the perspectives of nursing educators, graduate students, and undergraduate students in two universities in the occupied Palestinian territory MethodA qualitative study adopting focus group interviews as a data collection method was conducted from September to October, 2020, in two Palestinian universities : Birzeit University in Ramallah city and Arab American University in Jenin city. A homogeneous purposeful sampling strategy was adopted to recruit participants. The data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis. Ethical approval for the research was obtained from the ethics committees of both universities. FindingsSeven focus groups were conducted. Of these, four focus groups involved undergraduate students (n=30), one involved postgraduate students (n=9), and two involved nursing educators (n=14). The nursing educators and students reported that they faced several challenges when they were required to switch to online learning. The participants perceived online education to be inefficient, particularly for clinical courses, because they perceived difficulties in providing nursing students with the necessary skills in practice. In addition, they reported that a lack of resources harmed the students’ ability to receive a high-quality health nursing education. Some undergraduate students mentioned that when they abruptly switched to online education, certain essential resources such as the internet, library, books, smartphones, laptops, and a quiet environment were unavailable. Furthermore, nursing educators and students perceived the lack of face-to-face interaction imposed by the abrupt shift to online education as a substantial challenge. Nursing educators reported that they encountered difficulties with student evaluation. They recognised that online examinations are not as valid as those held on campus as they believed that grades had been inflated as a result of students utilising alternative online resources to answer exam questions. Finally, home environments were viewed as a barrier, adding to the difficulty of transitioning from the university to the home environment. InterpretationContinuous training of educators is imperative for increasing the use of communication and technology in nursing education. There is a need for updated policies to avoid the perceived negative consequences of online learing and to maximise its benefits. The findings suggest some solutions to overcome these challenges. For example, preparing the nursing educators and students to use technology could relieve the magnitude of the problems that arise when a sudden switch to online education occurs. FundingNone.
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