Electronic note taking technology and academic performance in nursing students.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Higher Education Pedagogy
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Technological advancements offer alternatives to traditional handwritten note-taking.
• These changes impact the higher education classroom learning environment for nursing students.
• Exploring student attitudes toward note-taking methods is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate nursing student attitudes and preferences regarding note-taking methods.
• To examine the relationship between note-taking methods and academic performance.
• To inform educational practices and policies in nursing programs.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach was employed, collecting data from 217 nursing students.
• Participants were junior and senior-level students in a baccalaureate program.
• Data were gathered through surveys with Likert-type scales and open-ended questions.

Main Results:

• The majority of students (69.3%) preferred electronic note-taking methods.
• No statistically significant difference was found between note-taking method and Grade Point Average (GPA).
• The study identified that note-taking method has minimal impact on academic performance.

Conclusions:

• Multiple variables influence classroom learning beyond note-taking techniques.
• Note-taking method (handwritten vs. electronic) shows little impact on overall academic performance.
• Educators should consider these findings when developing policies on classroom technology and note-taking.