Online and simulation-based training: Prepping nursing students for deeper, practical engagement

There is need for effective virtual learning design for clinical nursing students that yields high levels of knowledge acquisition, self-efficacy, and transferrable skills. Students’ experiences during learning impacts these outcomes. An online innovation project was developed at a South Texas University, designed to measure students’ experiences in simulated clinical experiences. We hypothesized that custom, personalized online learning simulations may reduce cognitive load and promote online students’ self-efficacy, potentially impacting associative information processing. Researchers collected data measuring cognitive load, students’ experiences, and embedded analytics and were analyzed using open and thematic coding. Participants reported low levels of frustration, high levels of support in the modules, perceived skill transferability, and self-efficacy. Planning personalized, online scenario-based modules that reduce cognitive load, may positively impact students' self-efficacy and associative skill transfer.