Comparison of blended versus traditional classrooms among undergraduate nursing students: A quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND

Blended learning is a relatively new educational approach that has been introduced into higher education in Palestine. While it has many advantages, there is no empirical evidence, nor any case studies from Palestine to support the use of blended learning over traditional classroom.

OBJECTIVES

To compare students' learning outcomes, learning perceptions of their educational environment, and satisfaction of blended learning versus traditional classroom.

DESIGN

A quasi-experimental study.

SETTING

A public university in Palestine.

PARTICIPANTS

102 Bachelor of Science in nursing students enrolled on the maternal health course.

METHODS

Students freely chose to register for the blended teaching section (49 students) or traditional classroom (53 students), then the teaching method for each section was assigned. Student demographics, course component grades, perceptions of the educational environment, measured by the Arabic version of Dundee Ready Education Environment Measurement (DREEM) inventory, and degree of satisfaction were collected in this study. Descriptive statistics and the Independent Sample t-test were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The sample included 49 students in the blended teaching section and 53 students in the traditional section. Overall DREEM scores, Student Perceptions of Learning, and Student Perceptions of Teachers were significantly higher for students taught with the blended method compared to traditional classroom settings. The total DREEM scores were between 101 and 151 for both sections, indicating that all students, regardless of teaching method, had more positive than negative perceptions of their educational environment. Moreover, there was no significant difference in scores and total course GPA (Grade Point Average), both with and without assignment grades, or between blended and traditional learning in first, second and final exams. However, students taught with the blended format scored significantly higher in assignments than students taught the traditional classroom.

CONCLUSIONS

Blended learning can be a useful educational approach in nursing education and Palestinian universities may consider using it for nursing courses.