Exploring prelicensure undergraduate nursing students' lived experience of engagement in synchronous online learning

Abstract

<p>The continued uncertainty of nursing education pedagogy during a worldwide pandemic has brought heightened awareness and preparation to synchronous online teaching strategies that bolster student success and engagement. The identification of barriers to effective teaching strategies and techniques that foster student engagement is needed in synchronous online learning. Furthermore, building on past synchronous online learning teaching strategies will improve nursing students&rsquo; overall success and engagement.</p> <p>The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore teaching strategies that enhance student engagement with prelicensure undergraduate nursing students in synchronous online learning settings in colleges located in the Midwest. A phenomenological approach was used. Analysis included semi-structured interviews with six participants and resulted in the emergence of four themes and sub-themes: (a) course structure; with the sub-themes of communication, classroom management, and distractions, (b) student engagement; with the sub-themes of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive, (c) technology; with the sub-themes of faculty barriers and student barriers, and (d) online teaching strategies; with the sub-themes of teaching strategies that promoted student engagement and teaching strategies that did not promote student engagement.</p> <p>This research identifies teaching strategies that cause barriers to student engagement in synchronous online learning and would benefit nursing educators. The recommended suggestions should be applied to incorporate into the prelicensure undergraduate nursing program to provide preparation and awareness of known teaching strategies that promote student engagement.</p>