A comparative study to assess the student nurses' perception regarding the effectiveness of traditional classroom teaching versus online teaching

Introduction: Every method of education has its own requirements and limitations. Good teaching methods help the students to question their preconceptions and motivate them to learn. Traditional method of teaching in the classroom is most commonly preferred platform of education to meet the knowledge, psychomotor and affective component of education. During Covid -19 pandemic, online learning has become an integral part of education wherein the individuals can take a course within the comfort of home. Relevance and suitability of the mode of teaching is determined by the level of satisfaction of the learners and the learning outcome.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of classroom teaching vs. online teaching among nursing student.

Methods: A quantitative survey was used to compare the student nurses’ perception regarding the effectiveness of traditional classroom teaching versus online teaching at College of Nursing, AIIMS New Delhi. Purposive sampling was used to select 154 nursing students who have experienced both traditional classroom teaching and online teaching. The data were collected using 5-point rating scale through Google form as Covid-19 restrictions were in force.

Results: The nursing students perceived that classroom room teaching was significantly effective (P=<0.00001) mode of teaching than online teaching. The B.Sc. Nursing Students perceived both classroom teaching (P=0.00003) and online teaching more (P=0.011) than M.Sc. Nursing students. The study reported that 87.01% students used Smartphone as an electronic device to attend online classes. More than two-third (80.52%) of the students, used phone data service for internet

Conclusion: The classroom teaching was found to be a more effective mode of teaching among the students. Online teaching would be helpful in adverse situation but cannot replace the classroom teaching. Adaptation to the new technology is easy in early age and lower courses. Amalgamation of different mode of teaching would yield better results and satisfaction especially if it is implemented at earliest of the learning, to bring about the positive changes.