The Responses of Rural Learner Nurses to Virtual Learning in a COVID-19 Era

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many universities suspending their academic activities, making virtual learning an option for saving the disrupted academic year. The pandemic presented an opportunity to assess the implementation of virtual learning at this university, thus forcing rural-based universities to enhance their learning management system, including their clinical disciplines. This paper explores the use of virtual learning amongst learner nurses in a rural-based university by following the el-CDDO framework.

A quantitative descriptive design was applied to describe the barriers experienced to virtual learning in a rural university. The purposive convenience sampling method was used to select learner nurses from the Faculty of Healthcare Sciences. An electronic survey questionnaire with both open and closed-ended questions sent via WhatsApp messenger was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with SPSS version 26.

The el-CDDO components affected in the study included the Context, Delivery, and Outcomes of virtual learning in a rural-based university. The Context demonstrated geographically disadvantaged learner nurses, which affects virtual learning delivery. Thus, the Outcomes included various barriers to virtual learning, such as weak networks for connecting to Blackboard, the lack of ICT facilities, such as laptops and tablets, by learner nurses, a lack of skills for using Blackboard, and ageing academics.

The study findings provide a baseline reference for future digital health in the clinical area and the use of virtual learning in a rural-based university. Though we noted complex challenges such as the lack of gadgets, our findings provide a significant contribution to the planning for virtual learning in universities and the use of digital health care in the clinical area. Addressing the virtual learning barriers discussed in this paper will be a significant step in equipping learner nurses with digital knowledge and skills as future healthcare professionals. There is a need to develop strategies to enhance virtual learning in rural-based universities to ensure future digital health.