The effect of blended learning on the learning level of nursing students and the educational environment during pharmacology clerkship

Abstract

Background & Objective: Pharmacology is an important educational course in nursing education; however, the conventional curricula have not provided students with sufficient opportunities to improve their pharmacology knowledge and skills. This study aimed to determine the effect of blended learning on the learning level of nursing students and the educational environment in pharmacology clerkship. Materials & Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 30 undergraduate nursing students supposed to enroll in the pharmacology clerkship course in 2021 at the Jahrom University of Medical Sciences. All students participated in eight educational sessions using blended learning (electronic and conventional education). A self-assessment questionnaire was used at the beginning and end of the clerkship course to assess familiarity with the educational goals. The formative assessment score and final “Objective Structured Clinical Examination” (OSCE) score were used to assess the students’ learning level. At the end of the course, the educational environment of the clerkship was evaluated using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) instrument. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including paired t-test, as well as Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. Results: The paired t-test results showed a significant difference in the mean score of achieving educational goals before and after the intervention (P>0.001, t=6.36). The mean of formative assessment and end-of-course OSCE scores were 83.66±7.51 and 83.26±7.09, respectively (out of 100). The mean score of the educational environment of the pharmacology clerkship was also reported as 98.5±18.86 (out of 170). Conclusion: The results showed that blended learning led to a desirable level of achieving the educational goals and environment during the pharmacology clerkship. It is suggested to use blended learning along with the clinical educational goals to improve the students learning.

Keywords

• blended learning
• clinical education
• clinical clerkship
• educational goals
• nursing students