The Use of Debates in an Online Nursing Course

Abstract

Background: It is important to foster active participation in online graduate nursing courses through creative teaching strategies, such as virtual synchronous debates. Method: A free videoconferencing system was used to complete the virtual synchronous debates. Demographic information and survey data were obtained to assess the impact of an online debate on critical thinking and presentation skills. Results: Seven of the 10 scored survey items had statistically significant differences in preimplementation and postimplementation ranked scores. Five qualitative themes were revealed: predebate anxiety/nervousness, technical issues/online format, learning experience, improved presentation skills, and group work. Conclusion: Through virtual synchronous debates, graduate nursing students can gain a stronger appreciation for ethical issues in health care, learn to succinctly convey their views, and increase their confidence in presenting a professional argument.

Facilitators and barriers to online group work in higher education within health sciences – a scoping review

“… (2019) US ʽTo determine student perceptions about collaborative learning activities between prelicensure BSN and MSN students.ʼ Survey (Likert scale and open-ended) Nursing Hybrid or blended asynchronous – BSN students on campus, MSN students online Create low-literacy pamphlets for community sites based on community assessment. Use pamphlets in educational sessions at community sites 1 semester Not stated George, T. P [ 44 ]. (2021) US ʽTo implement a virtual synchronous debate in an online graduate nursing course and to determine whether students’ ability to communicate professionally about ethical issues in health care improved after participating in the learning activity.ʼ Survey (Likert scale and open-ended) Nursing, course in advance practice nursing Synchronous Online debate 1 semester: 1 debate session (active participation) 2 debate sessions (attendance only) 3 Govindarajan, S [ 45 ].…”

“… Facilitators Barriers Social presence Affective expression Getting to know the other group members [ 66 ] Establishing and improving interpersonal relationships [ 43 , 67 ] Working in the same group over time [ 47 , 48 , 63 ] Lack of personal interaction in group work [ 64 ] Open communication Feeling included and safe in the group [ 48 ] Trusting the others in the group [ 48 ] Reciprocity [ 54 ] Establishing quality communication early in the group process [ 52 , 53 ] Group cohesion Joint accountability, responsibility and shared commitment [ 45 , 47 , 48 , 52 , 54 , 63 ]. Equal distribution of workload [ 37 , 62 ] Establishing group norms [ 53 ] Intensive interactions early in the collaboration [ 52 ] Encouraging interaction and inclusion of all members of the group [ 67 ] Continuous socio-emotional interaction [ 48 , 52 ] Endorsing and valuing teamwork [ 41 ] Lack of shared commitment [ 54 ] Working on tasks regardless of other group members [ 47 ] Unequal distribution of workload [ 42 , 44 , 48 , 62 , ...…”

“… Facilitating discourse Discussion prompts seemed to enhance achievement [ 40 , 59 ]. Unclear instructions and explanations were suggested as a potential barrier in several studies [ 32 , 44 , 46 ]. Outside CoI Agreeing on digital tools or social media between students to use for communication and collaboration [ 61 ] Using well-known digital tools or social media [ 39 , 49 , 50 , 60 , 61 ] Technical challenges [ 50 , 57 , 60 ] Internet connection [ 34 , 49 , 59 , 63 ] Lag time [ 55 ] Insufficient instruction or competence in using technology as a potential barrier [ 60 , 65 , 68 ] Scheduling group meetings as a barrier [ 34 , 43 , 44 , 50 , 61 , 62 , 64 , 68 ] Find time to work individually on group assignments [ 35 ] …”

“…Joint accountability, responsibility, and shared commitment among the group members were identified as potential facilitators related to the sense of cohesiveness and belonging to a community [ 45 , 47 , 48 , 52 , 54 , 63 ]. Likewise, working on a common project [ 44 ] and equal distribution of workload [ 37 , 62 ] was reported as beneficial. Findings from a quantitative study suggested that establishing group norms [ 53 ] and having intensive interactions early in the collaboration [ 52 ] could facilitate the group process.…”

Andragogy and teaching techniques to enhance adult learners’ experience

“…The use of debates in an online learning environment aid in enhancing student interactions with their peers and course instructor. [43] Collaboration amongst students when completing work in an online environment is beneficial for helping students develop enhanced knowledge of the class content. [44] Students expressed feelings of anxiousness initially with this assignment, as they were nervous about appearing on camera and speaking to their classmates in an online setting.…”