Experience in online learning among nursing undergraduates in a state university in Sri Lanka: A quantitative study

Online education is a novel concept in both primary and higher education in Sri Lanka which emerged after the current coronavirus pandemic. Delivering nursing via online platforms is challenging as it is a skill-based discipline. The objective of this study is to evaluate nursing undergraduates' experience in online learning. The study was conducted as a descriptive cross-sectional study, with a researcher-developed validated Google form distributed via social media and email groups. 117 (75%) nursing undergraduates registered for all academic years at the University of Peradeniya participated in the study. Among participants, 69.2% were females. 38.5% were from the 1st, 30.8% were from the 2nd, 13.7% were from the 3rd and 17.1% were from the 4th years. Synchronous teaching (97.5%), uploading videos to Moodle (97.5%), and recorded PowerPoint presentations (88%) were the most widespread learning techniques while online polls (2.6%), online blackboards (6%), webinars (10.3%), chat rooms (15.4%), group chats (35.9%), and online quizzes (59.8%) were the least implemented learning techniques. The ZOOM (100%) and the social media groups (51.3%) were the most used learning tools, while Kahoot, Edmodo, eduClipper (0.9%), and TED-Ed (4.3%) were the least used tools. Furthermore, students experienced technical problems, lack of motivation, and difficulty in concentration during online classes. The statement ―I acquired skills related to nursing procedures through online learning‖ intended to compare participants‘ experience of practical sessions that were completed online with that of complementary face-to-face classroom sessions. Among the participants, 44.4% (n = 52) Disagreed and 28.2% (n= 33) Strongly Disagreed with the statement. 59.7% of the participants did not accept online learning as a good alternative to develop nursing skills. However, they have adapted to online learning to cover theory-based components. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of online learning in the Sri Lankan context.