An exploration of the effects of synchronous and asynchronous learning activities on student nurse experience during the Covid-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a significant disruption to the Higher Education sector. This has been particularly evident within health and social care education, with the added need for both students and educators to support the frontline emergency workforce. Innovative remote teaching and learning approaches were urgently required to enable students to continue to achieve and succeed on professionally accredited courses, whilst learning remotely. This article presents student nurse perceptions and experiences of synchronous and asynchronous online learning activities during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores themes around student engagement, attainment and future curriculum design. A mixed methods approach including both qualitative and quantitative measures was used in the action research study. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected using focus groups and questionnaires. Thematic analysis and frequency analysis were used to interpret data, with key emergent themes around: Lecturer engagement and interactive content, zoom fatigue, peer collaboration, self-direction, motivation and anxiety. During the action research process, and through analysis of data, results show that student experience is not reliant on a single approach to learning, but a wide range of elements influence and result in a successful online learning environment, for both the student and educator.