Experiences of nursing students preparedness to migrate to online learning during COVID-19 lockdown in Namibia

Background: COVID-19 made it mandatory for Namibian education institutions to transition from traditional face-to-face classroom learning to online learning. Minimal time was available to prepare nursing students to adopt this model of learning, which subsequently influenced their learning experiences. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore and describe nursing students' experiences regarding their preparedness to migrate to online learning during the COVID-19 lockdown at a public university in Namibia. Setting: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in English at the public university in Kavango East, Namibia. Methods: A qualitative approach utilising an exploratory and descriptive design was used. Convenience sampling and a semi-structured interview guide was used to assess the experiences of undergraduate nursing students. Data saturation was achieved after 15 interviews. ATLAS.ti 8 software assisted with management of data that was analysed inductively following the six steps of thematic analysis. Results: The following themes emerged from analysis of the data: (1) students' readiness to migrate to online learning; (2) challenges faced by nursing students during the migration to online learning; and (3) strategies to support the transition from face-to-face to online learning. Conclusion: The study's findings show that the student nurses were unprepared for online learning due to lack of skills and the ability to use technology to navigate online learning platforms. Access to online learning was also hampered by poor Internet connectivity and unreliable electronic devices. Contribution: These findings may be used to develop targeted interventions and strategies to mitigate challenges faced during transition from face-to-face to online learning.

Perspectives of nursing students on challenges of e-learning during early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: E-learning is becoming an important approach to teaching and learning in higher education institutions, including nursing training. Despite that, there are students who were never introduced to e-learning prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Their challenges in relation to e-learning could differ from those of other students who had experienced the platform before, especially against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic that brought an abrupt change in the approach to teaching, learning and assessment. Objectives: This study explored and described university nursing students' challenges in relation to e-learning during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in a resource-constrained setting. Method: Qualitative exploratory and contextual design was used. The sample consisted of 17 participants who were conveniently selected, and data were collected by means of two focus groups and five individual interviews. Data analysis followed a qualitative content analysis process. Results: The five categories emanated from analysis are e-learning mode not suitable for practical components, challenges related to assessment of learning, connectivity issues, e-learning is a lonely journey and computer illiteracy and limited skills for the use of e-learning. Conclusion: Nursing students' challenges regarding e-learning during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic related to the learning of practical components, assessment, connectivity, a lack of interaction with peers and a lack of the skills required to operate e-learning tools.

Motivators and barriers for using E-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic among students at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda

Background To continue delivering the courses despite school closure during the covid-19 pandemic, the University of Rwanda abruptly shifted its teaching from traditional physical to online teaching. This was the compulsory medium of teaching during the lockdown period. This sudden change did not allow for adequate preparation for students. Objectives To assess the preparation of learners to use the e-learning platform, and to explore the factors that enabled or inhibited learners' use of the e-learning platform. Method This was a cross-sectional quantitative research design study done between June and July 2020. An online questionnaire was sent to all students registered in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences for the academic year 2019-2020. Results A total of 446 students completed the questionnaire. Students reported not being adequately oriented and unprepared to effectively use e-learning. Students were motivated to use e-learning when the learning objectives were clear, interactive, with engaging materials. Inadequate e-learning infrastructure, limited access to internet connectivity and inadequate devices were identified as the strongest barriers of using e-learning. Conclusion The covid-19 pandemic has brought a transformational opportunity to embrace a blended learning approach. To sustain such a transformation, proper and timely planning and strategies need to be invested.

Student perceptions of an online surgical teaching programme during the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of KwaZulu-Natal: A short report

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented global health crisis, with impacts on many facets of the health system, including lack of access to regular training wards and the need for social distancing, which posed particular challenges to undergraduate teaching. Objectives. To explore the perceptions of students of the online surgical programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Methods. An online survey was administered to 258 final-year students. Data were collected on student demographics, the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the teaching programme, engagement and learning from live Zoom sessions, overall perceptions about the module and general feedback on students' experience of the programme. Results. Most students (84%, 77/91) supported the need to change to the virtual programme. The module was perceived as well-structured (89%, 81/91). Most students (87%, 79/91) regarded the online resource materials as beneficial. Analysis of open-ended responses showed that asynchronous delivery allowed students to review and revisit resources in their own time. Student challenges included poor internet connectivity, difficulty in concentrating where live sessions exceeded an hour, and lack of clinical exposure. Conclusion. Online teaching in medical education is a feasible option for remote learning. However, it cannot replace the benefits gained during clinical exposure. Findings from this study will help to set a benchmark for online surgical training at UKZN and develop best practices for blended teaching models. As we adapt to a new normal in the era of COVID-19, the disruptions and results of innovative teaching methods have the potential to change the future of medical education

COVID-19 as an enabler for enhancing online learning and teaching skills for nurse educators at the University of Namibia: Prospects and challenges

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused instability in the education system and has compelled higher education institutions (HEIs) to find alternative ways of teaching and learning by making use of the latest online teaching approaches. Aim: The purpose of the study was to explore how COVID-19 could serve as an enabler for the enhancement of online learning and teaching skills for nurse educators at the University of Namibia with specific emphasis on prospects and challenges. Setting: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in English at a public nursing education institution located in the northeast of Namibia. Methods: A qualitative explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used. Data were collected by means of in-depth semi-structured interviews with 18 nurse educators from the School of Nursing. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Field notes were simultaneously taken to enrich the data. Results: The study revealed three themes: nurse educators' experiences of the use of online learning and teaching skills, COVID-19 as an enabler for enhancing online learning and teaching skills and strategies to sustain online teaching and learning. Conclusion: Internet technology has generated a surge in demand for web-based teaching and learning. The online learning mode was not effectively utilised during the COVID-19 era because of inadequate technological skills on the part of nurse educators. Contribution: These findings can be used by universities to equip students and academic staff with skills to adapt to e-learning as the new modus operandi in learning and teaching in the post-COVID-19 era.

Online teaching and learning: Experiences of students in a nursing college during the onset of COVID-19

Background: The world has entered the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Utilisation of technology is inevitable. For the past years, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has halted normal operations, including in the physical classroom for nursing students. Students and facilitators had to move to a remote way of teaching and learning, utilising online teaching and learning. However, students and facilitators were not ready to use online teaching and learning. This not only resulted in numerous challenges, but also became an eye-opener for best practices and intervening strategies. Objectives: To explore and describe experiences of students in a nursing college with regard to online teaching and learning during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was adopted. A purposive, nonprobability sampling approach was used to select participants from second year, third year and fourth year. First-year student nurses were excluded because they did not commence with classrooms at that time. Results: Seven themes emerged, namely knowledge, confidence, training, equipment, clinical exposure, course extension and flexibility, and all themes had subthemes. Conclusion: It is evident that students had more negative experiences during online teaching and learning than positive experiences.

Accessible continued professional development for maternal mental health

Background: Changing global health and development trends have resulted in a need for continued professional development (CPD) within the health and development sectors. In low-resource settings, where the need for training and CPD may be highest, there are significant challenges for disseminating information and skills. There is a need to improve mental health literacy and reduce levels of stigma about maternal mental illness. The Bettercare series of distance learning books provides a peer-based format for CPD. We aimed to evaluate the Bettercare Maternal Mental Health book as a format for CPD. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether the Bettercare Maternal Mental Health book significantly improves knowledge and decreases stigma around mental health for care providers from the health and social development sectors.Setting: One hundred and forty-one participants (social workers, nursing students and health professionals) were provided with the Bettercare Maternal Mental Health book to study.Methods: Before and after studying the book, the same multiple-choice knowledge test and the Mental Illness Clinicians' Attitude Scale were used to assess cognitive knowledge and mental health stigma, respectively.Results: Participants' knowledge showed a statistically significant (p < 0.001) improvement between the pre- and post-test results, for all six chapters of the book. However, participants' attitudes towards mental illness did not show a statistically significant change between the pre- and post-test results. Conclusion: We found that this method of learning elicited significant improvement in mental health knowledge for care providers. Continued professional development policy planners and curriculum developers may be interested in these findings

Can Facebook® be used to administer a distance-learning module of evidence-based medicine? An observational study

Introduction: There is a small volume of published literature describing the use of social networking sites, such as Facebook®, in medical education. However where this literature is available, only poor outcome measures such as learner satisfaction have been measured.Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to create and measure the use of a novel distance-learning module on the practice of evidence based medicine (EBM). This programme was to be delivered using an established and free web-based social-networking site, Facebook®.Methods: A prospective observational study was performed. 31 postgraduate residents enrolled to participate in a module that was delivered by Facebook® over five simultaneous weeks. A standardised tool, the Columbia EBM Instrument, was used to measure outcome measures such as "comfort-level", "self-reported practice", and "knowledge" before and after the module. Results: 12 residents (40%) engaged with the Facebook® activities. The residents' knowledge of EBM did increase, though a quasiexperimental analysis revealed that this increase of knowledge could not be attributed to the Facebook® group.were aged 3 years and younger. Scalds were by far the commonest type of burn occurring in 93% of the patients. Partial thickness burns accounted for 91.7% of cases. The average length of hospital stay was 20.9 days and the mortality rate 16.7%. Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) burned greater than 25% and full thickness burns were associated with mortality.Conclusion: Residents did not engage with the Facebook® groups despite the feasibility of doing so being high. The results of this study should guide educators to use Facebook® with caution as students may not engage with the activities