As I haven't seen a T-cell, video-streaming helps : nursing students' preference towards online learning materials for biosciences

Background: Educational research continues to seek answers for the most effective teaching strategies instructors should utilise in teaching bioscience courses. However, there were only few recent studies seeking for empirical evidence on nursing students’ preferred learning styles and needs to effectively learn biosciences. Aim: This study surveyed nursing students about their preferred study materials for bioscience courses and explored the reasons behind such preferences. Methods: A descriptive research approach was undertaken using a survey tool asking nursing students their preferred study resources measured through the frequency of use. Open survey questions were also included allowing narratives for reasons of preference and non-preference. Descriptive statistics for frequency distribution and NVivo for categorising written narratives were used for data analysis. Findings: Online video streaming was the most preferred study material with almost 60% of students who completed the survey responding ‘very often’ in terms of frequency of use. Required textbooks were the least popular in terms of use. Individual written narratives from open survey questions explored factors influencing preference and non-preference of particular study materials formed four major categories such as: learning needs and styles, accessibility, material content and lacks interaction. Conclusion: Enhancing student support for online learning platform is critical particularly in maximising effective utilisation of the resources students find beneficial in learning bioscience concepts