Nursing Student Engagement in an Online Environment

Background: In traditional classrooms, student engagement has been one of the best methods of evaluating students\u27 thinking skills. In online synchronous classes, student engagement does not occur as it does in traditional classrooms. Aim: A review was conducted to determine how synchronous video conferencing compared to traditional classroom affect nursing student engagement. Method: A database search was conducted in CINHAL, PubMed, Gale America OneFile, and ERIC from the Sacred Heart University Library from January 2016 to November 2020. Eight pieces of evidence were found and appraised. Bomia et al. (1997) defined student engagement as their willingness, need, desire, and compulsion to succeed in the learning process (as cited by Park & Kim, 2020, p. 479). Park and Kim (2020) discussed the importance of student-instructor interactions and engagement for determining student learning experience and performance in online learning. Their research found very little evidence on promoting student engagement in online education (p. 477). Other researchers have found that students prefer the traditional classroom because they are with their peers and instructors and feel better about participation. Students reported they participate more in synchronous video conferencing because they had to be prepared for the class (Phillips & O\u27Flaherty, 2019, p. 7). Some studies found students participate in online courses if their instructors appeared caring and involved. One study reported age as a contributing factor as to whether students participated in online vs. traditional classes. Conclusion: Nursing students seemed to have different reasons for participating in online synchronous learning versus traditional lecture classes. Age may be a determining factor of whether students participate or not in online courses. However, some subject manner does not lend itself to an online synchronous learning environment. Faculty will need to change their teaching strategies to improve student engagement in online courses. Further research is required to ensure future nurses gain the critical nursing skills necessary to meet nursing requirements. Since the immediate change to an online learning environment, a great deal of research has been conducted on student engagement to determine the best evidence-based teaching strategies