Is Better Readiness the Key to Deeper Learning in Distance Education? A cross-sectional online study

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has required teachers and students to suddenly transition from face-to-face formats to distance education (DE). The uniqueness of nursing discipline is that it requires both theoretical and skills-based learning. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the influencing factors and effectiveness of DE in nursing education. This exploration can guide teaching practice and provide a basis for the future application of DE in nursing education. Aims To describe the current distance education readiness and depth of learning among undergraduate nursing students and explore possible influencing factors. To determine the relationship between students’ distance education readiness and the depth of learning. Design This is a descriptive and cross-sectional online study. Settings School of Nursing in a traditional Chinese medicine university, Beijing, China. Participants A total of 222 undergraduate nursing students from a traditional Chinese medicine university were recruited. Methods A questionnaire, which is composed of information form, the Online Learning Readiness Scale, and the Scale of Students Making Deep Learning, was used for data collection. Frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlations were used in the analysis of the data. Result Undergraduate nursing students have lower averages in distance education readiness and higher averages in the depth of learning. Significant differences in distance education readiness and depth of learning between different grade groups. A positive correlation was found between distance education readiness and depth of learning (r=0.894, p<0.001). Conclusion Distance education is a feasible approach to learning today. Undergraduate nursing students have exhibited poor readiness for distance education but demonstrated deeper learning conditions. Upper grades may lead to better learning outcomes. Better distance education readiness can lead to deeper learning. These conclusions prompt teachers and students to be prepared before participating in distance education to obtain better academic performance.