Abstract
Background
The sudden temporal transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown affected the educational system worldwide. This study aims to present the experiences of students and tutors on online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 outbreak in Northern Ghana.
Methods
A mixed-method cross-sectional survey explored students’ and tutors’ experiences with online teaching and learning. A sample size of 468 students and 6 tutors were involved in this study using a purposive sampling technique. Bivariate, multivariate, and narrative analyses were used to determine the perspectives of students and tutors regarding online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Results
Our study revealed that 75% of the students perceived online teaching as less effective than face-to-face. Students studying public health nursing (OR 0.35; CI 0.14, 0.89, p=0.027) and midwifery (OR 0.56, 95%CI 0.31, 1.00; p = 0.05) were less likely to perceive online teaching as ineffective than those studying general nursing. Students who supported the integration of online teaching into traditional face-to-face teaching were less likely to perceive the online lectures as being ineffective than those who did not support blended teaching (OR 0.47; C I0.28, 0.81; p = 0.006). Both tutors and students had challenges with the cost of internet data, reliable internet connectivity, power outages and interruptions from family and friends.
Conclusions
Institutions must guarantee the availability of computers, tablets, and smartphones as well as reliable and affordable internet for all students to support online teaching and learning.
Keywords:
COVID-19, e-learning, nursing, midwifery, students, online-teachingReferences
`Aristovnik A, Keržič D, Ravšelj D, Tomaževič N, Umek L. Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on life of higher education students: A global perspective. Sustainability (Switzerland). 2020;12(20):1–34.
Nicola M, Alsafi Z, Sohrabi C, Kerwan A, Al-Jabir A, Iosifidis C, et al. The socio-economic implications of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19): A review. International Journal of Surgery. 2020;78:185–93.
Ahmed J, Jaman MH, Saha G, Ghosh P. Effect of environmental and socio-economic factors on the spreading of COVID-19 at 70 cities/provinces. Heliyon. 2021;7(5).
Lone SA, Ahmad A. COVID-19 pandemic–an African perspective. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2020;9(1):1300–8.
Mwila K, Kalolo F, Mudenda S. Impact of COVID-19 on Academic Activities of Final Year Nursing Students in Zambia : Evidence from Zambia. 2021;1–13.
UNESCO. Global Education Coalition. COVID-19 Education Response. Available from: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/globalcoalition; 2020. Accessed on 4 February 2024.
Quinn B, Field J, Gorter R, Akota I, Manzanares MC, Paganelli C, et al. COVID-19: The immediate response of european academic dental institutions and future implications for dental education. European Journal of Dental Education. 2020;24(4):811–4.
Yaw Asare Afrane. The COVID-19 situation in Ghana. The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2021.
Darkwa BF, Antwi S. From Classroom to Online: Comparing the Effectiveness and Student Academic Performance of Classroom Learning and Online Learning. OAlib. 2021;08(07):1–22.
Ogbonnaya UI, Awoniyi FC, Matabane ME. Move to online learning during covid-19 lockdown: Pre-service teachers’ experiences in ghana. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research. 2020;19(10):286–303.
Alhassan RK. Assessing the preparedness and feasibility of an e-learning pilot project for university level health trainees in Ghana: a cross-sectional descriptive survey. BMC Med Educ. 2020;20(1).
Chaturvedi K, Vishwakarma DK, Singh N. COVID-19 and its impact on education, social life and mental health of students: A survey. 2020.
Chisadza C, Clance M, Mthembu T, Nicholls N, Yitbarek E. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12520. African Development Review. 2021;33(S1):S114–25.
Molato BJ, Sehularo LA. Recommendations for online learning challenges in nursing education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Curationis. 2022;45(1).
Tabatabaeichehr M, Babaei S, Dartomi M, Alesheikh P, Tabatabaee A, Mortazavi H, et al. Medical students’ satisfaction level with e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and its related factors: a systematic review. Vol. 19, Journal of educational evaluation for health professions. NLM (Medline); 2022;37.
Baloyi OB, Jarvis MA, Mtshali NG. A report of a South African university’s management of undergraduate nursing students’ teaching and learning following the COVID-19 interruptions. Vol. 27, Health SA Gesondheid. AOSIS OpenJournals Publishing AOSIS (Pty) Ltd; 2022.
Sarpong SA, Dwomoh G, Boakye EK, Ofosua-Adjei I. Online Teaching and Learning Under COVID-19 Pandemic; Perception of University Students in Ghana. European Journal of Interactive Multimedia and Education. 2021;3(1):e02203.
Ogbonnaya UI, Awoniyi FC, Matabane ME. Move to online learning during covid-19 lockdown: Pre-service teachers’ experiences in ghana. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research. 2020;19(10):286–303.
Addae HY, Alhassan A, Issah S, Azupogo F. Online learning experiences among nursing and midwifery students during the Covid-19 outbreak in Ghana: A cross-sectional study. Vol. 8, Heliyon. Elsevier Ltd; 2022.
Shorten A, Smith J. Mixed methods research: Expanding the evidence base. Evid Based Nurs. 2017;20(3):74–5.
Etikan I, Musa SA, Alkassim RS. Comparison of Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics. 2016;5(1):1.
Lungu M. The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. American Journal of Qualitative Research. 2022;6(1):232–7.
Maqableh M, Alia M. Evaluation online learning of undergraduate students under lockdown amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: The online learning experience and students’ satisfaction. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2021;128.
Mukasa J, Otim M, Monaco B, al Marzouqi A, Breitener P, Jawahar L. Nursing Students’ Perspectives and Readiness to Transition to E-Learning During COVID-19 in the UAE: A Cross-Sectional Study. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2021; 12:1505–12.
Saha M. Perceptions about Learners’ Roles and Functions in Online Higher Education: A Qualitative Research Required. Journal of Teaching & Teacher Education. 2019;07(01):2–13.
Ugochukwu-Ibe IM, Ibeke E. E-Learning and Covid-19-the Nigerian Experience: Challenges of Teaching Technical Courses in Tertiary Institutions. 2021.
Gause G, Mokgaola IO, Rakhudu MA. Technology usage for teaching and learning in nursing education: An integrative review. Vol. 45, Curationis. NLM (Medline); 2022.
Singh HK, Joshi A, Malepati RN, Najeeb S, Balakrishna P, Pannerselvam NK, et al. A survey of E-learning methods in nursing and medical education during COVID-19 pandemic in India. Nurse Educ Today. 2021;99.
Michel A, Ryan N, Mattheus D, Knopf A, Abuelezam NN, Stamp K, et al. Undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions on nursing education during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic: A national sample. Nurs Outlook. 2021;69(5):903–12.
Ulenaers D, Grosemans J, Schrooten W, Bergs J. Clinical placement experience of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study. Nurse Educ Today. 2021;99.
Zarandona J, Cariñanos-Ayala S, Cristóbal-Domínguez E, Martín-Bezos J, Yoldi-Mitxelena A, Hoyos Cillero I. With a smartphone in one’s pocket: A descriptive cross-sectional study on smartphone use, distraction and restriction policies in nursing students. Nurse Educ Today. 2019;82:67–73.
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Abdul-Malik Abdulai, Ibrahim Yakubu, Wuni Abubakari, Abdul-Aziz Baba, Beatrice Abanga, Aabier Lucy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright© by the author(s). Published by the Evidence Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Abdul-Mumin Amankwa, Mubarick Nungbaso Asumah, Hassan Yakubu, Abdul-Malik Abdulai, Mohammed Issah, Abdulai Abubakari, Experiences of lactating nursing students: a qualitative study among nursing training institutions in the Northeast Region, Ghana , The Evidence: Vol. 2 No. 2 (2024): APR - JUN
- Abubakari Abdulai, Balkisu Seidu, Osman Adiza, Abdul-Malik Abdulai, Suraya Malle Mohammed, Fatimata Yakubu, Delilah Nonterah, Mohammed Mutawakil Ibrahim, Mohammed Abdulai Kojo, Mubarick Nungbaso Asumah, Knowledge and practices of midwives on the administration of magnesium sulfate to pre-eclamptic or eclamptic women in a district level hospital , The Evidence: Vol. 2 No. 3 (2024): JUL - SEP