Nurses’ Perceived Quality of Educational Life during the Covid-19 Induced Rapid Transition to Online Learning in Post-Graduate Courses: A Qualitative Study

This study aimed to investigate healthcare post-graduate students’ perceptions of the quality of educational life and learning experience during the forced online transition due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The study design was inspired by a qualitative inductive approach. Participants (N = 24) were nurses who attended healthcare postgraduate courses. In-depth video-recorded interviews were carried out. Thematic analysis was chosen to infer data from the transcripts. Four critical themes emerged from data analysis: 1) the “emotional” change in the quality of life; 2) learning environment and quality of educational life; 3) the socio-relational dimension; 4) strategies to improve the educational life. Although initial struggles related to the unfulfilled different learning styles and socio-relational needs, students showed mostly a proactive attitude. They discovered, with the help of online learning, that a learning program could be adapted to their lifestyle. Lastly, study participants highlighted the crucial importance of online tutors to improve their engagement and the quality of educational life.