A Comparative Study Between Distance and Traditional Learning Among University Nursing Students During COVID-19 Pandemic

Original Article Egyptian Journal of Health Care, 2021 EJH Vol 12. no.3 A Comparative Study Between Distance and Traditional Learning Among University Nursing Students During COVID-19 Pandemic Shereen Abd El-Moneam Ahmed(1), Rasha El-Sayed Ibrahim (2), Eman Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed (3) (1) Assistant. Prof of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Suez-Canal University, Egypt (2) Lecturer at Maternal and Neonatal Health Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Beni- Suef University (3) Lecturer of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Beni -Suef University, Egypt Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic caused the greatest disruption of learning in history with a universal effect on learners and teachers all over the world. Aim: Compare distance and traditional learning among university students during COVID-19. Methods: a comparative cross-sectional study was implemented on 396 university nursing students at the faculties of nursing affiliated to Suez Canal University and Beni- Suef University randomly through the academic year of 2020/2021. Data was collected online using Two tools including 1): assessment sheet to assess the students' perception toward distance and traditional learning, 2): questionnaire to assess obstacles with distance learning. Results exposed statistically significant variances in the students' total perception toward traditional and distance learning 53.46±12.21, 56.23±14.18 respectively, 41.9% of the students have moderate perception level toward distance learning, 53.2% of the students have high perception level, and 61.1% of the studied students face a high level of obstacles. Conclusion: the highest positive perception directed toward distance learning and traditional exam, and the priority obstacles faced by the students during distance learning concerns the Learners' characteristics dimension. Recommendation: a combination of both distance and traditional learning through the introduction of exclusive training to the students and instructors. Keywords: Distance learning, traditional learning, and COVID-19 pandemic. Introduction education affecting over 80% of the world’s understudy population (UNESCO, 2020). In The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID- specific, the COVID-19 pandemic forced 19) pandemic was originated and restricted colleges to move their entire instructional only in China till February 2020, then suddenly traditional system to an alternative online became a global pandemic since 11th March distance one (Liguori & Winkler, 2020). 2020 (Koirala et al., 2020; Lu et al., 2020; WHO, 2020). This outbreak has affected Distance learning shifts the education physical health as well as the lifestyle, stock process from the traditional teacher-centered market, business, in addition to education classroom to a student-centered one, where system all over the world because of restraint students become more responsible for their procedures being taken for its prevention and learning. The sudden evolution to distance control (Verma et al., 2020; Gautam & learning has become a measure of Sharma, 2020). In reaction to the COVID-19 organizational flexibility, where most academic widespread, the government has taken a variety institutions concentrated on moving the of measures to avoid or diminish the spread of educational content to the digital world rather the epidemic especially in education to protect than focusing on distance teaching and students (Bedford et al., 2020). At least 150 ordinary delivery methods (Hanafy et al., countries have closed schools and instructive 2021). 813 Original Article Egyptian Journal of Health Care, 2021 EJH Vol 12. no.3 The traditional learning modalities were globally from the pandemic's beginning until characterized by face-to-face instructional now August 22, 2021, around 212,348,831 methods where the course contents and the with 4, 441,210 deaths, In Egypt, from 14 Feb supporting learning materials were delivered to 2020 to 22 August 2021, there have the students in a live interaction between the been 286,168 confirmed cases with 16,663 students and their instructors. Traditional deaths (WHO Health Emergency Dashboard, classroom learning is known to be teacher- 2021). This pandemic forced schools, colleges, centered and needs passive learning by the and universities to close their campuses from student, in the teacher-centered or passive March 2020 to July 2020 for performing final learning; the instructor usually controls exams, then postpone the beginning of the classroom dynamics. The teacher lectures and study to the new academic year for October comments, while the learners listen, take notes, 2020, and with the beginning of the second and ask questions (Paul & Jefferson, 2019; wave of the pandemic, the study also was Brashear, 2020) stopped for two months that started at January 2021 until the end of February 2021 to allow In distance learning, the course content is learners to follow the social distancing policies delivered over the Internet. Distance learning is (Toquero, 2020) and promoting the academic often student-centered and needs active experts to take distance learning as a viable learning. In student-centered or active learning, option instead of the traditional ways of face- the learners usually determine classroom to-face learning to overcome the problem and dynamics as they independently analyze the complete courses that should be taught through information, put up questions, and ask the the academic year (Kaur, 2020). instructor for clarification. In this type of learning, the teacher, not the student, is The practical training was affected by the listening, formulating, and responding (Paul & pandemic, as the training periods for the Jefferson, 2019; Smith & Brame, 2020). students in the hospital were reduced, shrunken, then disappeared. The university The delivery method of distance learning teaching campuses that accounts for 73 can be synchronous or asynchronous. In the universities and institute either governmental or synchronous method, distance learning occurs special (Egypt\Ranking Web of Universities- simultaneously, and there is live interaction Webometrics, 2021); compensated for this by between students and instructors, as in video making case scenarios and increasing the conferencing and live chats. While the practical periods in the laboratories, which asynchronous method incorporates electronic affected the academic level of the graduates media facilitation of distance learning through and appreciated the presence of obstacles with emails, discussion boards, or text messages and learning and education. Some students prefer it does not occur at the same time (Brashear, distance learning to avoid the hardship of travel 2020). Distance learning occurs through and the others prefer the traditional as it is a synchronous methods across the included usual way for learning. nursing faculties. The students here study through blended learning which means that This study is considered as a nucleus for study some topics with distance learning and identification of the students' concept and trend others with traditional learning. So, the toward different types of learning that affected researchers were attracted to compare the teaching for students, in addition to obstacles students' perceptions regarding both learning facing students with learning, which in turn methods. affect the students' academic level. Hence teachers will teach students in the way that is Significance of the study: most applicable to different kinds of learning according to the direction of the state and the The COVID-19 Pandemic had a serious supreme council of universities. So, this study impact on schools, teachers, learners, and all could work as a base to plan training courses the educational establishments all over the for students, and the faculty members to world (Adnan & Anwar, 2020; Almanthari maximize benefits from and improve the et al., 2020) as confirmed cases accounts educational process. 814 Original Article Egyptian Journal of Health Care, 2021 EJH Vol 12. no.3 In the light of the current technological recorded videos or power points, without development of the world especially in face-to-face meetings. education; improving methods of teaching and Traditional Learning: It is the learning that promoting the usage of innovative and occurs through face-to-face contact approved learning methods in the health field between lecturer and students at the can allow universities to pinch globally and classes produce graduates with a high degree of efficiency and overcome the obstacles of learning. Subjects and Method Research Design: Aim of the Study The present study used a comparative This study aimed to compare distance and cross-sectional study, as the study compared traditional learning among university students the nursing students' perception toward blended during COVID-19 through the following learning (distance and traditional) through objectives: (Suez-canal and Beni- Suef) university in Egypt. Research Objectives: Setting Assess the university nursing students' perception toward distance and traditional The data was collected from different two learning. Faculties of nursing; the first one is at Suez Canal University in Ismailia City, and the other Explore obstacles faced by the universities one is at Beni- Suef University in Beni- Suef nursing students with distance learning. city, Egypt, in June 2021. Identify the correlation between obstacles Subjects and Sampling: faced by nursing students and their perception of distance learning.

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