Experiences of nursing undergraduates on a redesigned blended communication module: A descriptive qualitative study.

Background: Education is going through accelerated changes to accommodate the needs of contemporary students. However, there are ongoing concerns regarding the quality of education in communication skills for nurses and other healthcare professionals. Many studies have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a blended learning pedagogical tool in enhancing the learning of nursing undergraduates. However, little is known about students' experiences of a blended learning model for teaching communication skills.
Objective: To explore first year nursing students' experiences of the blended learning design adopted in a communication module.
Design: A descriptive qualitative design was adopted.
Settings and Participants: Data were collected in the form of written reflections from 74 first year nursing undergraduates who were enrolled in a university-affiliated nursing school.
Methods: Students were asked to complete an online reflective exercise regarding an undergraduate communication module on their last day of class, and the submitted reflections were analyzed. A thematic analysis was conducted and ethics approval was obtained for this study.
Results: Six overarching themes and fifteen subthemes were generated. The six overarching themes were: 1) Helpful and engaging classroom experience, 2) valuable online activities, 3) meaningful assessment, 4) appreciation for interprofessional education, 5) personal enrichment, and 6) overall feedback and recommendations.
Conclusions: The students in this study felt that the blended pedagogy communication module enhanced their learning and boosted their confidence in facing similar situations. Interprofessional education was well-accepted among students as they attained a deeper understanding on the importance of interprofessional learning and an appreciation towards other professionals. Blended pedagogy can be used in teaching communication skills to nursing students to provide a holistic and up-to-date learning experience. Future studies should consider engaging students in face-to-face interviews to obtain a deeper understanding on their experiences of a blended pedagogy incorporated communication module.
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