Variability among groups of nursing students’ utilization of a technological learning tool for clinical skills training: An observational study

Abstract

Background and objective: The use of technology has become the norm in nursing education. While technology has opened up for more flexible, active, student-focused teaching methods, its introduction has also brought challenges regarding its use and implementation. Recent literature has concentrated on how to best implement technology, but little attention has focused on observing student practices during technology use. Therefore, it is unknown how to optimize technology use within clinical skills training. The objective of this study was to investigate how groups of nursing students utilize a technology-based learning tool. Methods: An observational study with an exploratory design was implemented using video recordings as the data material. Results: The results indicated a high level of variability in nursing students' performance and ability to utilize a technological tool while working in groups. The variability during clinical skills training was associated with four factors: level of competence, motivation to learn, role clarification, and collaborative problem-solving skills. Conclusions: The results of the study indicated variability in groups of nursing students' ability to employ a technological tool during a selected procedure-namely, wound care and dressing. These findings suggest that a set of implications for faculty members should be developed. Specifically, staff and students should be prepared prior to using technology by focusing on group dynamics, group composition, development of collaborative problem-solving skills, and role modeling.

Norwegian nursing students’ evaluation of vSim® for Nursing

“…Half of the programme is comprised of studies in clinical placements, including surgical, medical and psychiatric wards, as well as in nursing homes and municipal health care services. Throughout the program, various digital learning and advanced simulation tools are used to optimise learning [2]. The use of simulation has been shown to be beneficial and effective for nursing students in their learning processes [3–5].…”

Barriers and Facilitators to the Learning and Acquisition of Research Competencies among Nursing Students through Active Methodologies: A Qualitative Study Using Reflective Writing

“…Our results on SGL describe involvement and a sense of obligation toward the task, where the work is shared, coinciding with the work by Iqbal et al [ 60 ], in which SGL is associated with students’ commitment toward the task to be developed, enthusiasm and willingness toward the group effort. Being engaged encourages critical questioning and peer problem solving [ 61 ]. In addition, working in small groups fosters self-directed individual and group learning [ 62 ].…”

Using “Knowing That” and “Knowing How” to Inform Learning of Peripheral Vein Cannulation in Nursing Education

“…To guide instruction in PVC, nurse teachers use guidelines (Haraldseid et al, 2017;Ravik et al, 2017a). Research shows that a common practice is that timely guidelines to describe "knowing how" form the basis of simulationbased skill learning, including PVC (Haraldseid et al, 2017;Ravik et al, 2017a;Zarifsanaiey, Amini, & Saadat, 2016). Timely guidelines appear to be a starting point for a mechanical "knowing how" more than they are a basis for reflection in action (Ravik et al, 2017a).…”