On the Other Side of the Screen - Nurse Educators’ Perspectives on Online Experiential Learning During the Pandemic - Issue Briefing - January 30, 2023

Oct 3, 2026

Nurse educators across Canada assess how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped experiential learning (learning by doing) in bachelor of nursing and related programs. The briefing draws on interviews with 20 nurse educators and finds that some theory components and basic lab or clinical elements can move online, but virtual training and simulations do not fully prepare students for nursing work. Educators emphasize in-person lab and clinical experiences for core social and emotional skill development, competency, and critical thinking.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Key Findings

Introduction

Where Do We Go From Here?

Appendix A Methodology

Appendix B Bibliography

On the Other Side of the Screen Nurse Educators’ Perspectives on Online Experiential Learning During the Pandemic Issue Briefing | January 30, 2023 The Future Skills Centre – Centre des Compétences futures (FSC-CCF) is a forward-thinking centre for research and collaboration dedicated to preparing Canadians for employment success. We believe Canadians should feel confident about the skills they have to succeed in a changing workforce. As a pan-Canadian community, we are collaborating to rigorously identify, test, measure, and share innovative approaches to assessing and developing the skills Canadians need to thrive in the days and years ahead. The Future Skills Centre was founded by a consortium whose members are Toronto Metropolitan University, Blueprint, and The Conference Board of Canada. If you would like to learn more about this report and other skills research from FSC, visit us at fsc-ccf.ca or contact [info@fsc-ccf.ca](info@fsc-ccf.ca). [fsc-ccf.ca](fsc-ccf.ca) In partnership with: Funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Program Contents 4 Key Findings 5 Introduction 9 Where Do We Go From Here? 10 Appendix A Methodology 12 Appendix B Bibliography The Conference Board of Canada 3 On the Other Side of the Screen Key Findings • Most nurse educators agree that some theory courses and some basic elements of clinical and lab training can be done online. However, virtual training and simulations fall short of preparing nursing students for the job. Students need in-person training for most lab and clinical training to properly develop the skills they need to work as nurses. • Many nurse educators fear that too much time in virtual classrooms and simulations limits the development of nursing students’ social and emotional skills, like resilience, communication, and adaptability. • Nurse educators commonly indicate that students need in-person learning opportunities to help build competency and critical thinking skills, which in turn create the confidence that’s essential to sound decision-making in emergency situations. • Despite their shortcomings, online learning tools are likely here to stay, according to most nurse educators. These tools can be especially useful in theory courses and make learning flexible and more accessible for some students. • Some nurse educators report needing more resources, support, and training to optimize the quality and delivery of online learning. They indicate that the rapid shift to online learning posed many challenges, especially for educators with little experience with digital teaching tools. The Conference Board of Canada 4 Introduction Experiential learning (EL), or learning by doing, lets students train in real-life settings.1 It helps them develop their technical and social and emotional skills (SES), discover career options, and set goals.2 Traditionally, EL takes place in person, and students develop skills through hands-on practice.3 But the COVID-19 pandemic forced many programs that include EL to find alternative ways to deliver education .4 Nursing programs in Canada—which tend to contain many EL components—were not immune to this shift.5 In many places, nursing education had to change quickly from in person to online so students could continue learning through the pandemic.6 This scenario provided a unique opportunity to understand whether EL can be done virtually and to identify new approaches that could be used even without pandemic-related lockdowns. This briefing summarizes insights from interviews with 20 nurse educators teaching in bachelor of nursing (BN) and bachelor of science in nursing (BScN or BSN) programs across Canada. In the interviews, we asked about the impact of the pandemic on training and how students were affected by shifts to online learning.(For more information on our methodology, see Appendix A.) 1 Grace and others,“Experiential Learning in Nursing and Allied Health

FAQs

What parts of nursing experiential learning can be delivered online, according to most nurse educators?

Most nurse educators agree that some theory courses and some basic elements of clinical and lab training can be done online, with limited negative impact on skills development.

Why do nurse educators say virtual training and simulations are insufficient?

They report that virtual training and simulations fall short of preparing nursing students for the job and cannot fully replicate hands-on benefits from labs and clinical placements.

What resources do nurse educators say they need to improve online learning quality?

Some educators report needing more resources, support, and training to optimize the quality and delivery of online learning, especially given the rapid shift and limited experience with digital teaching tools.

Oct 3, 2026

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