Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and implement an accelerated BSN student hybrid delivered professional development course and evaluate student satisfaction and perceived learning.
Literature Review: Most nursing education research has focused on accelerated BSN student nursing education experiences, their characteristics and unique learning styles. Unlike most traditional prelicensure undergraduate nursing students, accelerated BSN students are considered typical adult learners. They are goal driven by their motivation to make career changes and become registered nurses (El-Banna, Tebbenhoff, Whitlow, & Wyche, 2017; Payne & Mullen, 2014). For accelerated BSN students, nurse educators fill the role as learning facilitators. These students appreciate self-directed active learning and achievement of outcomes, have prior life and educational experiences, and are internally motivated to learn. They value a learning environment that promotes flexibility, comfort, confidence, and proficiency in knowledge and skills. Lastly, these students desire immediate real world application of new nursing knowledge and skills to practice (El-Banna et al., 2017; Payne & Mullen, 2014; Sedgwick, 2013).
Researchers discovered that online courses can be just as effective as traditional face-to-face classroom courses in meeting student outcomes (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016; Hampton, Pearce, & Moser, 2017). However, nurse educators must use online teaching methods that facilitate interaction between the technology, content, instructor, and students (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016; Hampton, Pearce, & Moser, 2017). Ongoing course evaluation is also imperative. Hybrid course delivery as compared to other types of online course delivery can provide students with a greater variety of activities and content resources while providing flexibility, active and self-directed learning, and sessions of real-time quality interaction with the instructor and other students (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016). Accelerated BSN students could benefit from online course delivery, such as hybrid courses that incorporate their unique characteristics and learning styles. However, few studies have explored the use of hybrid course delivery and accelerated BSN student satisfaction and learning needs. Therefore, this study was undertaken to explore accelerated BSN student satisfaction and learning while enrolled in a hybrid course.
Theoretical Framework: Knowles’ Andragogy for adult learning (Knowles, 1984) provided this study’s framework. Andragogy involves a process of teaching adults and promoting their learning that differs from teaching other student populations. Knowles (1984) concluded that as an individual matures to adult hood, learning is individualized, self-directed, builds on experiences, involves application to life experiences, and internally motivated based on the developmental task of his or her social role. In addition, the learning environment must provide the adult student with feelings of physical comfort, mutual trust and respect, and acceptance of their differences. Since accelerated BSN students are adult learners, andragogy is an appropriate theoretical base for this study. The instructor used this framework and known unique accelerated BSN student characteristics to guide development and evaluation for the hybrid course.
Method:
This cross-sectional survey study (Creswell, 2018) received university institutional review board approval. The convenience sample consisted of 16 accelerated second-degree BSN students at one Midwestern university enrolled in a professional development course their last semester. All students agreed and consented to participate.
Course Description
Previously, the professional development course was taught using a face-to-face delivery method. The course was offered for the first time using a hybrid course delivery approach. The instructor designed the course based on Knowles’ Androgogy for adult learning and known accelerated BSN characteristics. Students met with the instructor the first and last class periods in a face-to-face classroom. The first class period was spent reviewing the learning management system (LMS), syllabus, schedule, assignments, rubrics, and orienting to use of the cloud-based video conference and collaboration system. In the last class period, students participated in a debate on a healthcare topic of their choice. The remaining class periods were held using a cloud-based video conference and collaboration system providing the synchronous online learning. At the beginning of the course, students chose journal synopsis and seminar topics from a list of topics that interested them. During each of these synchronous class periods, an individual student led a one-hour seminar presentation and discussion. In addition, another student presented a journal synopsis on the same topic. Lastly, the course required the instructor and students to arrange 20 experiential learning hours (clinical hours) based on one or more of the course’s objectives/outcomes. These clinical experiences promoted a student’s immediate course content application to nursing practice. To help facilitate student self-directed learning, each student selected experiences to fulfill these hours and worked with the instructor to obtain necessary approval.
Instrument
The students’ satisfaction and perceptions of their learning for this revised course were measured with the Student Evaluation of Learning and Feedback to Instructors (SELFI) online survey (xxx, 2016). The university’s Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE) made the online anonymous survey available to students. Participants completed the survey one to three weeks prior to the end of the semester. The SELFI consists of 21 Likert-scale items; students indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 (strongly disagree to strongly agree) their satisfaction with the course delivery and how the instructor facilitated their learning experiences. Lastly, the SELFI includes open-ended questions for students to provide additional feedback. The SELFI has been tested and considered to be a valid and reliable tool. Cronbach’s alpha reliability for the 7 factors are as follows: learning (0.87), engagement (0.90), organization/clarity (0.94), learning environment (0.91), individual rapport (0.88), graded material (0.91), and overall promotion of learning (0.95) (xxx, 2016). Additional participant demographic data such as age, gender, ethnicity and previous degrees were collected.
Data Analysis
The university’s OIRE analyzed the survey data. Descriptive statistics were collected and results made available electronically to the researcher (course instructor). Comments were analyzed by the researcher.
Results:
Overall, the students fit the general description of accelerated BSN students as they were mature adult ages, diverse, and earned previous nonnursing bachelor’s degrees. Of the 16 students enrolled in the course, 56% were male and 44% were female. Ages ranged from 24 to 45 years (M=29). Most were white (12/80%). Other ethnicities students specified included multiple ethnicities (1/6.25%), Black (1/6.25%), Asian (1/6.25%), and American Indian (1/6.25%).
SELFI Results: Students reported satisfaction and that the course promoted student learning (M = 4.53, M = 3.94) and engagement (M = 3.97), was organized (M = 3.96), and graded materials were adequate (M = 4.31). The instructor fostered a supportive learning environment (M = 3.84) and encouraged individual rapport with students (M = 4.47). One student commented, "We had some great student-led discussions. I learned a lot and appreciated the clinical opportunities. I liked the variety of class sessions and especially when we met together online."
Limitations: One limitation was that the sample was small and at one university and academic semester, which limits generalizability. Future research should explore more than one cohort of students and multiple programs. A power analysis should be calculated for future studies.
Conclusion: Hybrid courses can facilitate adult learning and satisfaction. Further research is warranted to explore innovative online course delivery methods. The accelerated curriculum for adult learners holds potential to improve nursing workforce shortages and increase the supply of practicing baccalaureate prepared nurses. It is critical to ensure quality education for this special nursing population.