Exploring Educators' Perceptions and Experiences of Online Teaching to Foster Caring Profession Students' Development...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Digital Health
• Online Learning Pedagogy

Background:

• Virtual care delivery is advancing, necessitating educators in caring professions to equip students with essential interpersonal and technological skills for remote service provision.
• A gap exists in understanding educators' perspectives on teaching virtual caring skills within online learning environments.
• Bridging traditional hands-on learning with digital literacy is crucial for preparing students in caring disciplines for the evolving landscape of healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate caring profession educators' online teaching experiences.
• To identify factors influencing the development of virtual caring skills and competencies in students.
• To understand educators' perceptions of challenges and facilitators in online virtual care education.

Main Methods:

• A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was employed, integrating a cross-sectional survey and individual interviews.
• Surveys examined e-learning opportunities, educator perspectives, and factors affecting online teaching for virtual caring skills.
• Interviews provided deeper insights into educators' experiences, informed by survey findings and a systematic literature review.

Main Results:

• 82 survey and 8 interview participants from education, medicine, nursing, and social work were included.
• Instructional methods included reflections, online modules, discussion boards, remote care demonstrations, and client consultations.
• Significant differences were found in satisfaction with online technologies based on educators' experience and faculty (P<.001, P=.001). Barriers included time constraints and curriculum limitations, while facilitators involved clear objectives and stakeholder engagement. Key principles identified were connection, interaction, compassion, empathy, care, and vulnerability.

Conclusions:

• The study delineates barriers, facilitators, and core principles for effectively teaching virtual caring skills online.
• Practical strategies are offered to enhance online teaching and learning in caring professions programs.
• Future research should focus on adapting in-person teaching methods for virtual caring skills across various educational contexts.