Technological innovations such as e-learning are rapidly transforming the ways that institutions of higher education teach and students learn. In nursing education, e-learning offers opportunities to reach a great number of students, irrespective of time and space. In the context of Rwanda, the implementation of e-learning in nursing education was motivated by the country’s need to upgrade the level of working nurses and midwives at a large scale and in a short period. This study aims at exploring the conceptualization of e-learning in nursing education, in the context of Rwanda. Grounded theory paradigm directed this study based on the Framework from Straus and Corbin (2008). The sample size was comprised of 40 participants: 18 nurse educators, 17 nursing students, two ICT managers, and three experts in the fields. The results indicated that e-learning was conceptualised as (a) a mechanism to advance a political agenda; (b) a tool to open access to education for working nurses and midwives; (c) a student-centred approach, (d) a blended learning.
Technological innovations are changing the face of nursing education, with teachers being expected to integrate best teaching practices in the classroom and to ensure that nursing students are motivated and engaged. Taking into consideration students’ needs is essential to provide successful integration of the technology in teaching and learning. This paper aims to explore nursing students’ perceptions and expectations regarding the use of technology in nursing education. A descriptive quantitative research design was used, and the study was conducted at a selected university in South Africa. A total of 150 nursing students completed the questionnaires, with the data being analysed descriptively using SPSS version 25. The nursing students reported that educators used technology to deliver course instructions (96.7%), and encouraged students to use it for creative or critical thinking tasks (95.3%). They were encouraged by their educators to use their own technology devices (94.7%) and online platforms (94.7%). More undergraduate students perceived that nurse educators used technology at school (15.63 ± 2.54) than postgraduate students (14.41 ± 3.07) (U =1341.00, p = .044). Overall, 77.3 per cent of the nursing students expected the use of technology in teaching, mainly Moodle (88.7%), search tools (75.3%), podcasts and videocasts (66.7%), EndNote (62.7%), and Turnitin (48.7%). The majority of the students (82.1%) from the lower academic levels (first and second year) had a high expectation of the use of technology compared to 71.2 per cent of the higher levels (third and fourth year). The use of technology in teaching requires nurse educators to have adequate skills to make it a powerful tool for teaching and learning. Much more effort should be put in motivating students to use various technological tools, and ensuring that they have adequate skills, particularly at the entry level.
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