Clinical learning environment and supervision: satisfaction levels of University of Rwanda Students

Background: Nursing and midwifery students need to learn theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Students are satisfied with a clinical education program when the environment is conducive to acquiring the knowledge, skills and professional attitude essential for their career.Objective: To assess the level of satisfaction with the clinical learning environment among nursing and midwifery students at the University of Rwanda.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to assess 280 undergraduate nursing and midwifery students. The study used the instrument entitled, the ‘Clinical Learning Environment Supervision and Nurse Teacher Tool’ (CLES+T). Data analysis used descriptive statistics.Results: The majority of participants were highly satisfied with the clinical learning environment (58%), ward atmosphere (54%), the leadership of ward manager (58%) and supervisory relationship (62%). Chi-square results showed a significant association between class level (p=0.001) and last clinical placement (p=0.000). Some students (7%) were dissatisfied with the supervisory relationship.Conclusion: Most nursing and midwifery students were satisfied with the clinical learning environment. However, the reported levels of dissatisfaction showed that improvements are needed to attain a quality education and meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Four: to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.Keywords: Clinical placement, learning,student, satisfaction, nursing, midwifer

Motivators and Barriers for Using E-learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic among Students at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda

BackgroundTo continue delivering the courses despite school closure during the covid-19 pandemic, the University of Rwanda abruptly shifted its teaching from traditional physical to online teaching. This was the compulsory medium of teaching during the lockdown period. This sudden change did not allow for adequate preparation for students. ObjectivesTo assess the preparation of learners to use the e-learning platform, and to explore the factors that enabled or inhibited learners’ use of the e-learning platform. MethodThis was a cross-sectional quantitative research design study done between June and July 2020. An online questionnaire was sent to all students registered in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences for the academic year 2019-2020. ResultsA total of 446 students completed the questionnaire. Students reported not being adequately oriented and unprepared to effectively use e-learning. Students were motivated to use e-learning when the learning objectives were clear, interactive, with engaging materials. Inadequate e-learning infrastructure, limited access to internet connectivity and inadequate devices were identified as the strongest barriers of using e-learning. ConclusionThe covid-19 pandemic has brought a transformational opportunity to embrace a blended learning approach. To sustain such a transformation, proper and timely planning and strategies need to be invested. Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2022;5(1):99-11

Teaching and Learning during COVID-19 Crisis: Faculty Preparedness and Factors Influencing the Use of E-learning Platform at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda

BackgroundTowards the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide and caused many schools to close. Many educational institutions transitioned from traditional face-to-face or blended to a total e-learning approach. The University of Rwanda rapidly shifted from a blended teaching and learning approach to a total e-learning approach. Thus,this study assessed the faculty preparedness and the factors influencing the use of e-learningplatforms at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences.MethodsThe study used a cross-sectional design. A web self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 450 CMHS faculty from June to July 2020, with a response rate of 34.4% (n=155). SPSS was used to describe nominal variables with frequencies and percentages. Similarly, continuous variables were analyzed by calculating median and interquartile ranges. The Chi-Square and Man-Whitney tests were also computed using SPSS.ResultsThe majority of participants (93.7%) started using the e-learning approach, and 92.4% attended e-learning training. The top motivator for e-learning use was a personal interest in technology use (93.3%) and the leading barrier to using e-learning was the concern about access to students (77.1%).ConclusionThis study found that faculty preparedness was significantly associated with e-learning use. The leading motivator and barriers were a personal interest in technology use and concern about access to students, respectively.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2022;5(2):189-20