Many colleges have started online programs that are primarily geared towards registered nurses (RN) to BS students in order to address the urgent need for qualified nurses that exists today. The COVID-19 pandemic presented a significant challenge to the global education systems, forcing many nations to temporarily close educational facilities and deliver all coursework online.
Providing nursing students with online authentic learning experiences that are relevant to real-world nursing situations, which include both high-stakes medical and interpersonal elements, presents a particular challenge for online nursing.
Not being motivated
The majority of nursing students enter their online courses enthusiastically and are ready to learn, but as the courses go on, they discover that they lose their motivation to even attend classes. Some students find it challenging to concentrate in online classes because there is less face-to-face interaction.
Students lose the sense of urgency and motivation they require to arrive at class on time, meet deadlines, and advance when teachers or classmates are physically absent. Gradually slipping grades and procrastination could result from this. Contrary to popular belief, lengthy texts, difficult homework assignments, and quizzes don't help and may even make students less motivated to attend class.
Tech problems
The so-called Gen Z and Millennial generations are generally adept at using technology. However, this does not imply that they never experience technical difficulties. Students who learn on computers must be able to use a variety of programs, some of which have challenging learning curves.
If a student was on a physical campus and experiencing technical difficulties, the IT department could be easily contacted for assistance. When taking classes online, the student is forced to work things out on their own. If they're lucky, they'll have someone nearby to assist them, but it's likely that person won't be on hand constantly.
Various distractions
In the middle of a virtual classroom session, a delivery or even something as simple as a pet running into the home office can be disruptive for everyone involved. Distractions are a fact of distance learning. Due to these interruptions and perhaps having additional responsibilities, time management becomes more difficult. Because it is entirely dependent on self-motivation, developing a time management system is probably the hardest obstacle for students to overcome. Students must take their education seriously, develop time management skills, establish daily routines, and persevere in their studies in the face of numerous distractions.
A few students are falling behind
Teachers in the conventional classroom have the ability to keep an eye on nursing students and change their pace to allow for anyone who needs more time. This is more difficult to do in an online learning environment. Since it is more difficult to interpret body language virtually, students may choose to remain silent or "put on a brave face," but by the time they leave the class they may be discouraged, frustrated, and feeling like they learned nothing.
Not getting feedback promptly
One of the most significant and meaningful ways that a teacher interacts with a student is by giving feedback. Students may become confused or unsure about expectations, their progress, and their performance in class if feedback is delayed by additional days or weeks due to an online format.
Providing nursing students with online authentic learning experiences that are relevant to real-world nursing situations, which include both high-stakes medical and interpersonal elements, presents a particular challenge for online nursing. To guarantee the quality of online nursing education, support must be given and it must be made sure that the faculty has enough time to create useful courses with adequate assessment for the students.
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