TABLE 1.
Quality appraisal of articles.
| No. | Author(s) year, Country | Purpose | Design | Highlights of key findings | Quality appraisal criteria (Scale: Y = yes, P = poor, NR = not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Barisone et al. (2019), Italy | To explore the perception and effectiveness of web-based learning in facilitating the development of clinical skills in undergraduate nursing students. | Qualitative descriptive study | Clinical learning is fundamental to prevent and know how to manage risky situations. | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (Y) Limitations presented. |
| Therefore, it is important to facilitate the learning of gestural skills and can be effectively done with the support of technology. | |||||
| These learning instruments, which are easy to use and access, could reinforce the knowledge development process by acting as a bridge between theory and practice. | |||||
| 2. | Chang and Lai (2021) | To understand the experience of nursing students in using virtual reality skill learning process. | Qualitative exploratory descriptive design | Most students expressed that because the virtual reality environment was responsive to hand touch, the gestures were easier to learn. | (P) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (NR) Limitations presented. |
| By enabling learners who are unfamiliar with the technology to understand the comprehensive process, the system can assist in the learning process. | |||||
| Furthermore, the system provides learning resources on demand, thus creating an independent and stress-free learning environment. | |||||
| 3. | Coopasami Knight and Pete (2017), South Africa | To assess the students’ readiness to make a shift from traditional learning to the technological culture of e-learning at a university in Durban. | Quasi-experimental interrupted time series | Less than half (47%) initially knew what e-learning was and this improved to 75% post-intervention. | (P) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (Y) Limitations presented. |
| Just less than half (46%) of the participants thought that e-learning could lead to social isolation, but most DUT nursing students live in residence and enjoy an active social life. | |||||
| Turning to the overall e-learning readiness score, most (72%) of the participants were categorised as ‘proceed with caution’. | |||||
| 4. | Foronda et al. (2016), United States of America | Evaluation of vSIM for Nursing: A Trial of Innovation. | Descriptive, mixed-methods design | Respondents reported that the content of the virtual simulation was directly relevant to their role as a nurse (61% strongly agree and 39% agree). | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (Y) Limitations presented. |
| Nearly, all the nursing students who participated recommended vSIM for future use, suggesting that the virtual simulation experience was a positive one. | |||||
| 5. | Harerimana and Mtshali (2019), South Africa | To explore nursing students’ perceptions and expectations regarding the use of technology in nursing education. | Cross-sectional descriptive quantitative research | The students perceived that technology was used by educators to deliver instructions (3.77 ± 1.19), to maintain students’ attention (3.77 ± 1.19) and to make connections to the learning process through audio or video material (3.64 ± 1.36). | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (NR) Limitations presented. |
| Nursing students reported that educators use technology for various academic purposes. | |||||
| Overall, the majority of the nursing students had high expectations for nurse educators to use Moodle (88.7%), search tools (75.3%), published electronic resources (70.7%) and early-alert systems designed to catch potential academic trouble as soon as possible (70.0%). | |||||
| 6. | Maboe (2017), South Africa | To determine how the discussion forum as an online interactive tool be used in an ODL institution to enhance student-to-student and student-to-lecture online interactions. | Quantitative descriptive study | Computers and cell phones with Internet access allow students access to the discussion forum on the website of an ODL institution. | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (Y) Limitations presented. |
| Thirty-four (39.5%) of the respondents agreed that the online discussion forum allows them to study with their peers; 28 (32.5%) strongly agreed; and 17 (19.8%) were unsure. | |||||
| About 20.0% of the respondents indicated that they get no support from lecturers and fellow students when they interact online. | |||||
| 7. | Mackay et al. (2017), New Zeeland | To describe the process of introducing teaching innovation and to explore clinical lecture perceptions and experience of the use of mobile smart devices to support student learning. | Qualitative descriptive study | The use of the iPad enabled a rich range of resources to be available to both the lecturer and the student. | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (NR) Limitations presented. |
| The lecturers were very positive about the immediate and portable connectivity to a rich range of resources. | |||||
| There were reports that it enhanced the students’ critical thinking. | |||||
| 8. | Mawere, Mukonza and Kugara (2021), South Africa | The paper explores the experiences faced by first entering students from rural-based institutions on the use of digital learning during the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa. | Participatory action research method | One of the critical findings in this paper is that most rural institutions are not ready or rather lack capacity to cater for disadvantaged students. | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (Y) Limitations presented. |
| The other significant finding was the absence of devices to connect for digital learning. | |||||
| 9. | O’Connor and Andrews (2018) | To understand the perspectives of nursing students in relation to using smartphones and mobile apps to enhance learning in clinical environments. | Quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design | Of note there was an upward trend in those who used educational apps in practice. | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (P) Research methods appropriate. (Y) Limitations presented. |
| Although many students did not actively use apps to help them learn clinical settings, when asked if they would consider doing so, the majority said ‘yes’. | |||||
| Compared to other approaches, students ranked mobile apps as the third most useful source of information for learning in practice. | |||||
| 10. | O’Connor and LaRue (2021), United Kingdom | To describe how health informatics is being integrated into a Bachelor of Nursing programme in the United Kingdom. | Case study | A wider evaluation of the new nursing informatics curricula and pedagogic framework is currently underway to determine its usefulness in giving nursing students the competencies they need to become skilled in digital health. | (P) Aims and objectives clearly described. (P) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (NR) Limitations presented. |
| 11. | Oducado and Soriano (2021), Philippines | To examine nursing students’ attitudes towards e-learning in two selected nursing schools in the Philippines. | Descriptive, cross-sectional research design | This is an expected finding during this uncertain and unprecedented time of crisis and as the educational system transition from the traditional delivery of instruction to a more flexible yet unpopular modality of teaching and learning. | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (Y) Limitations presented. |
| The nursing students may be unfamiliar with and not fully prepared for the new modality in learning. | |||||
| 12. | Singh et al. (2021), India | To provide preliminary data to the stakeholders regarding the feasibility and acceptability of e-learning. | Quantitative online survey | Computer and Internet usage and availability of dedicated space at home (where there are no environmental distractions) to attend online classes determine the feasibility or practicability of e-learning. | (P) Aims and objectives clearly described. (P) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (NR) Limitations presented. |
| Seamless Internet connectivity is of paramount importance to attend classes without interruption. | |||||
| Network-related issues were frequently reported by a significant percentage of students. | |||||
| 13. | Suliman et al. (2021) | To investigate the experiences of undergraduate nursing students during their first uses of OL to increase the understanding of their encountered opportunities and challenges. | Qualitative exploratory descriptive design | A combination of the following platforms was used to facilitate the OL of the participants: E-learning (12 students), Microsoft Team (seven students), Zoom (16 students), Skype (seven students), WhatsApp (15 students), YouTube (eight students) and Facebook (11 students). | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (NR) Limitations presented. |
| Most study participants reported having poor skills in using OL technology. | |||||
| Half of the students reported that they had episodes of Internet failure whilst attending classes, taking quizzes or submitting assignments, which provoked feelings of helplessness and contributed to their dissatisfaction with the online experience. | |||||
| 14. | Toothaker (2018), Pennsylvania | To assess the millennial perceptions and attitudes of clickers on learning during traditional lecture series. | Mixed-method design | The qualitative results reflect positive perception of millennial nursing students’ use of clickers. | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (NR) Limitations presented. |
| Ninety-one percent of the students agreed or strongly agreed that the use of clickers helped them to develop a better understanding of the subject matter when compared to traditional lecture-based classes. | |||||
| Eighty-nine per cent of the nursing students felt that the clicker question provided the professors to respond to concepts not understood in the classroom. | |||||
| 15. | Uprichard (2020), Manchester | To explore both the benefits of and barriers to e-learning. | Qualitative exploratory descriptive study | One of the clear benefits of using e-learning to deliver training is the flexibility of the location and time it needs to be completed. | (P) Aims and objectives clearly described. (P) Study design adequately described. (P) Research methods appropriate. (NR) Limitations presented. |
| One of the main barriers to the use of e-learning is technical difficulty. | |||||
| Another barrier to the use of e-learning is technological illiteracy. | |||||
| 16. | Van Vuuren, Goon and Seekoe (2018), South Africa | The perceptions of nurse educators regarding the use of high fidelity simulation in nursing education. | Quantitative descriptive research design | Low and medium fidelity simulators are widely utilised in both classroom and clinical settings. | - |
| The fact that most participants agreed that high fidelity simulators help to reduce errors and improve teaching shows that patient safety is also a priority. | |||||
| 17. | Verkuyl and Mastrilli (2017), Canada | Virtual Simulations in Nursing Education: A Scoping Review. | Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping methodology | The participants in the review in general exhibited enthusiasm for virtual simulation as a teaching strategy in nursing. | - |
| These findings are encouraging to faculty members who are exploring innovation in technology and provide support for further development and implementation of virtual simulations. | |||||
| 18. | Willemse Jooste, and Bozalek (2019), South Africa | To explore the experiences of undergraduate nursing students who participated in an authentic mobile learning enactment aimed at enhancing their learning experiences. | Qualitative contextual design | Challenges experienced with data/airtime/Wi-Fi, impaired communication because of poor network access and use of mobile devices in practice perceived as unprofessional. | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (Y) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (NR) Limitations presented. |
| 19. | Zarandona et al. (2019), Spain | To characterise the use of smartphones by nursing students and to assess their opinions about the use of such phones as a distracting factor during clinical practicum and smartphone restriction policies. | Quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study | Overall, 23.3% of participants admitted to having used their smartphone for personal reasons at least once during their practicum. | (Y) Aims and objectives clearly described. (P) Study design adequately described. (Y) Research methods appropriate. (Y) Limitations presented. |
| Most students (98.3%) used their smartphones for accessing social networks, followed by university resources (42.3%). | |||||
| Other cited uses were as a tool for communication and coordination with other team members (19.4%) and for accessing apps to support patient care (13.4%). |
Source: Adapted from Kangasniemi, M., Pakkanen, P. & Korhonen, A., 2015, ‘Professional ethics in nursing: An integrative review’, Journal of Advanced Nursing 71(8), 1744–1757. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12619
vSIM, virtual simulation; ODL, open distance learning; DUT, Durban University of Technology; OL, online learning.