Internet usage among undergraduate nursing students: A case study of a selected university in South Africa

Abstract

Background: Globally, the internet is becoming an increasingly indispensable tool in academic institutions and the workplace. Nursing students are required to use the computer and the internet to search for information and to use various software, for which computer and internet literacy are essential. Despite becoming an important tool for teaching and learning, literature reflects an under-utilization of the internet in academic and non-academic settings for a number of reasons. This article explores the general internet usage of undergraduate nursing students at a selected university in South Africa. Methods: A quantitative, non-experimental, exploratory descriptive design was used, with 115 undergraduate nursing students participating in the study. Data was collected using a questionnaire survey after obtaining ethical clearance from the university's ethics committee and were analysed descriptively. Results: The findings revealed that the internet was used for various purposes including; academic (96.5%); communication (82.6%), pleasure (71.3%), and work-related activity (53.9%). Facebook (77.4%) was the most commonly used social network. Constraints encountered in using Barriers to the use of the internet include restriction of access to certain sites (62.6%), very slow internet connection (55.7%), little training on how to use internet facilities (38.3%), and a limited number of computers (37.4%). Conclusions: Contrary to other studies, this study shows that students do use the internet for a number of reasons, and recommend structured support on how to use if for academic purposes.

Integrating nursing informatics into undergraduate nursing education in Africa: A scoping review

“…In selected studies, the majority of nursing students were between 20–25 years, and females represented between 50.7% and 90.4% of the respondents (Bello et al 2017; Buabeng‐Andoh 2018; Elewa & El Guindy 2017; Harerimana & Mtshali 2018b; Harerimana & Mtshali 2019b; Irinoye et al 2016). One of the six studies whose population was faculty indicated the demographics of the population, and it was noted that 50% of the sample was between 40‐49 years, and the majority (84%) had a bachelor’s degree.…”

“…Selected articles indicated that nursing students used several ICT tools such as laptops, tablets, smartphones and Internet (Elewa & El Guindy 2017; Harerimana & Mtshali 2018b; Harerimana & Mtshali 2019b; Pimmer et al 2018). Additionally, it was noted that students used ICT applications and programmes such as e‐mails, Internet search tools, word processors, Excel TM , PowerPoint TM , reference managers such as EndNote TM , Turnitin TM , data analysis software (Buabeng‐Andoh 2018; Elewa & El Guindy 2017; Harerimana & Mtshali 2019b; Nishimwe et al 2016) and social media platforms such as WhatsApp (Pimmer et al 2018).…”

“…Selected studies revealed that these ICT tools and applications were used by undergraduate nursing students, mainly for academic purposes and rarely in clinical practice (Elewa & El Guindy 2017; Harerimana & Mtshali 2018b; Harerimana & Mtshali 2019b; Pimmer et al 2018). In education, students used informatics tools for communication and collaboration with peers and the faculty, accessing online resources and course content from learning management systems, and completing academic work such as assignments and projects (Buabeng‐Andoh 2018; Harerimana & Mtshali 2018b; Harerimana & Mtshali 2019b).…”

“…Selected studies revealed that these ICT tools and applications were used by undergraduate nursing students, mainly for academic purposes and rarely in clinical practice (Elewa & El Guindy 2017; Harerimana & Mtshali 2018b; Harerimana & Mtshali 2019b; Pimmer et al 2018). In education, students used informatics tools for communication and collaboration with peers and the faculty, accessing online resources and course content from learning management systems, and completing academic work such as assignments and projects (Buabeng‐Andoh 2018; Harerimana & Mtshali 2018b; Harerimana & Mtshali 2019b). In clinical practice, informatics tools were mainly used to access health information, communicate and collaborate with peers, clinical instructors, nurses and experts, as well as reflect on their clinical practice (Ajuwon et al 2018; Pimmer et al 2018; Willemse 2015; Willemse et al 2019).…”

“…The inadequate delivery of NI was reported to be related to a lack of clear learning goals, insufficient practical aspects of NI and teaching NI in isolation (Achampong 2017; Elewa & El Guindy 2017). Other challenges included the following: limited access to ICT tools such as computers, Internet and hand‐held devices, and low capacity to implement NI in education and practice due to resource constraints (Ajuwon et al 2018; Akpabio & Ella 2015; Harerimana & Mtshali 2018b; Irinoye et al 2016; Ndinoshiho 2010; O'Connor et al 2016; Olajubu et al 2015; Willemse 2015).…”