The Use of Debates in an Online Nursing Course

Area of Science:

• Online Education
• Nursing Education
• Higher Education

Background:

• Active participation is crucial in online graduate nursing courses.
• Creative teaching strategies, like virtual synchronous debates, can foster engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of virtual synchronous debates on graduate nursing students' critical thinking and presentation skills.
• To explore student experiences with online debates in a nursing curriculum.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a free videoconferencing system for virtual synchronous debates.
• Collected demographic and survey data to evaluate the intervention's effectiveness.
• Analyzed quantitative survey results and qualitative feedback.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant differences were observed in 7 out of 10 ranked survey items pre- and post-debate.
• Qualitative analysis revealed five key themes: predebate anxiety, technical challenges, overall learning experience, enhanced presentation skills, and group dynamics.
• Students reported increased confidence and improved ability to articulate professional arguments.

Conclusions:

• Virtual synchronous debates are an effective strategy for enhancing graduate nursing education.
• This method improves students' critical thinking, presentation abilities, and understanding of healthcare ethics.
• Online debates increase student confidence and engagement in professional discourse.