Sudden Transition from Real Classroom to Virtual Classroom: Perceptions and Problems Faced by Nursing Teachers and Students

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic emerged as a serious public health issue of international concern and leads to sudden overnight transition from classroom teaching to completely online teaching consequently. This transition has turned up as a massive change for both teachers’ productivity and also for student’s social life and learning.One of the biggest challenges, teachers are facing is how to maintain attention andinterest of the students towards online sessions. Nursing profession is skill-based with consolidated body of knowledge. Through online teaching, skill-mastering is not possible to full extent. Sincere evaluation of the student’s knowledge, attitude and skill is also limited.Virtual teaching cannot replace the classroom teaching as it lacks the mental and emotional connect between the teacher and the students. Teacher and student need to be well versed with the various etiquettes for using these online platform/apps for virtual teaching. In spite of all odds, Virtual teaching emerged as an effective alternative teaching-learning method that actually helped to foster teacher-student bonding and maintain continuity of learning at the time of this public health emergency worldwide due to COVID-19 crisis. We all are learning the new normal way of teaching and learning in the coming era. All nursing teachers strive to maintain the quality of nursing education delivered through virtual methods. What we need to ensure is the provision of structured online module which not only imparts knowledge but also update skills.