Graduate nursing students' precourse and postcourse perceptions and preferences concerning completely web-based...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Online Learning
• Educational Technology

Background:

• The rapid expansion of web-based nursing courses necessitates evaluation of their educational outcomes.
• Limited data exists regarding student perceptions and the effectiveness of online graduate nursing programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate student perceptions and preferences for two graduate-level online nursing courses using Billings' outcomes evaluation framework.
• To assess the overall outcomes and student satisfaction in web-based nursing education.

Main Methods:

• A pretest/posttest survey design was employed to gather data from students enrolled in two distinct online graduate nursing courses.
• Student perceptions and preferences regarding course outcomes and instructional format were assessed before and after course completion.

Main Results:

• Students reported favorable or neutral perceptions of outcomes, with positive shifts observed from pretest to posttest.
• A majority of students preferred the online format and indicated they would retake the course.
• The elective aging issues course showed slightly more favorable posttest perceptions compared to the required research course.

Conclusions:

• Graduate-level online nursing courses yield positive outcomes, with students generally satisfied with the web-based format.
• Despite positive results, there is a clear need to improve student socialization and support mechanisms within online nursing programs.
• Special attention should be given to supporting first-year graduate students transitioning to web-based learning environments.