Nursing student perceptions of required online educational programs utilized outside the classroom.

Background: The use of online educational programs (OEPs) such as ATI™, Kaplan™, and Course Point™, to facilitate learning is generally thought to be an innovative and complementary approach to supplement learning across many nursing programs. The rapid transition to an online learning environment, dominated by Zoom, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has further increased faculty and student reliance on OEPs both in and out of the classroom. The aim of this study is to examine student perceptions of faculty assigned OEPs utilized outside the classroom.

Method: Cross-sectional, correlational survey design was used to explore the relationships between student perceptions and the use of OEPs among nursing students enrolled in a traditional baccalaureate nursing program.

Results: Nursing students (n = 221) spent an average of 7.85 h on OEPs and an additional 6.4 h on the Zoom platform. Sophomore students spent significantly more hours engaging in the OEPs (F(3,191) = 10.09, p = .00) and Zoom (F(3,193) = 8.89, p = .00) than the other academic levels. On average, sophomores spent a total of 20 h per week engaging in OEPs (M = 10.9, SD = 11.5) and Zoom (M = 9.18, SD = 4.3). Freshmen students had a significantly more favorable view of OEPs than senior students did (p = .02). Qualitative data analysis from open ended responses revealed four themes: Too many programs, Cost, Technological challenges, and Benefits.

Conclusions: The cost, ease of use, and the number of OEPs assigned influence student perception of OEP. Faculty should be mindful of student burden related to number of OEPs assigned, time required to complete the OEPs, and cost. Furthermore, faculty should consider collaborating with other faculty to streamline the use of OEPs, enhance relevancy, and eliminate redundancy.