An Exploratory-Descriptive Study on the Impact of COVID-19 on Teaching and Learning: The Experiences of Student Nurses in the Rural-Based Historically Disadvantaged University of South Africa

Abstract

Covid-19 has disrupted normal working conditions as people were not allowed to assemble in one place. There is a limit that is placed on the number of people congregating in public areas, and these measures also affect the education system worldwide. The purpose of the study was to explore nursing students’ experiences in a historically disadvantaged rural-based university on the impact of Covid-19 on teaching and learning. The study employed an exploratory-descriptive qualitative design among nursing students who were purposively sampled to participate in the study. A qualitative self-administered open-ended online google form was used to collect data. Thematic analysis was employed for this study. All ethical measures were respected during this study. Interviews were conducted with 68 participants, including 12 undergraduate second-year students, 7 third-year students, and 49 fourth-year students. A total of 51 females and 17 males participated in this study. The study yielded several themes, including participants’ expression of their experiences related to teaching and learning during the national lockdown, participants’ views on the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning/research, and Participants suggested sustainable strategies to promote teaching and learning during the national lockdown. In conclusion, the role of preceptors in all clinical areas should be strengthened to improve clinical teaching and learning. The researchers recommend strengthening collaboration among university lecturers for sharing ideas and finding innovative solutions appropriate for handling any pandemic that threatens teaching and learning processes.

Experiences of nursing students preparedness to migrate to online learning during COVID-19 lockdown in Namibia

“…These comments concur with those from a study conducted by Makhado et al ( 2022 ), which reported that the introduction of a new learning modality should be accompanied by a thorough orientation of both learners and lecturers to facilitate effective learning. Lecturers must also develop innovative teaching methods and expose nursing students to clinical learning to acquire psychomotor skills and enhance their professional conduct (Shindjabuluka et al 2022 ).…”

“…This is supported by a study conducted by Nguyen ( 2015 ), which reported that e-learning has a positive impact on the academic achievements of students in terms of reducing costs, saving time and increasing the accessibility of education, while enhancing academic performance. It was affirmed by Makhado et al ( 2022 ) that online learning was identified as a vehicle through which learners are empowered to participate at their own time and reinforce self-directed learning. Wallace et al ( 2020 ) meanwhile showed that despite the educational challenges during COVID-19, skills and creativity in nursing students increased.…”

Equitable Access to Higher Education Learning and Assessment: Perspectives from Low-Resource Contexts

“…Similarly, Shrestha et al's (2021) research showed the noticeable negative impact of the pandemic on university students' and teachers' mental wellbeing in Bangladesh and Nepal. In another study, Makhado et al (2022) reported that undergraduate students and their teachers in Kenya experienced elevated anxiety during the pandemic. However, they used several coping strategies such as online chatting with friends, watching films and participating in online vocational training to deal with the challenges.…”

Detecting At-Risk Students in an Animal Science Module with Performance Data (Test 1 and 2) from Two Different Cohorts in a Rural-Based University

“…It was worsened by COVID-19 pandemic where all Universities moved from traditional face-to-face teaching and learning to modes such as emergency remote learning and online learning [6]. Prior COVID-19 pandemic, only few Universities were engaged with Blended teaching and learning and even fewer offering full online [7]. In Africa, rural-based Universities suffered the impact of COVID-19 pandemic most and South Africa was not exempted [8].…”