CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN ONLINE NURSING EDUCATION: STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE AT INSTITUTE OF NURSING SCIENCES, KHYBER MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, PESHAWAR

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 virus adversely affected social life, economy and educational services all over the world, universities and colleges are facing difficulties to provide good quality educational services to the students due to prolonged waves of COVID-19 and extensive periods of lockdown. This study was aimed to identify challenges and opportunities for nursing students and teachers in online nursing education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Material & Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2021 to June 2021; the focus of this study was teachers and students of the Institute of Nursing Sciences, Khyber Medical University.  A convenience sampling technique was utilized for data collection. A validated tool adopted from previous studies was utilized for data collection. Data analysis was done with the help of SPSS version 24.

Results: A total of 236 participant (9 teachers and 227 students) participated in this study. The mean experience of teachers was 3.89 ± 1.36 years with a minimum and maximum of 2 and 9 years respectively. More than half of the teachers (55.6%) worked from their offices in the university during lockdown. Among the students 68.3% were from generic BSN, 13.2% from Post RN BSN and 18.5% were from MSN of which 38.8%, 21.1%, 32.6%, 4.0%, and 3.5% were in semester 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, 6^th and 8^th respectively. Most (67.0%) of the students attended the classes from their home town.

Conclusion: Most of the teachers and students belong to remote areas of the province, internet connectivity and electricity problems are the major issues faced by teachers and students which significantly affect their studies. A systematic solution is needed from policymakers especially from the ministry of education to overcome the situation and improve education standards during pandemics.