Sassone Releases Op-Ed on Student Engagement During COVID

Samantha Sassone, DNP student and assistant clinical professor of nursing at Nazareth College, has written the article "Keeping nursing students engaged during a pandemic" for the "Daily Messenger." 

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has created havoc on the delivery of education. Teachers across New York are struggling to connect with their students with limited face time, along with numerous state-mandated regulations. Higher education is no exception. So, how are my baccalaureate nursing students handling learning during the pandemic? Well, if my class activity last week is any indication, the answer is not good!

I did a simple survey last week during my medical-surgical lecture. I asked the students to fill out a blank piece of paper. The task was simple: an X, a heart or a star. I asked the students to respond with an X if they felt like they were barely holding on, that everyday was a struggle to show up to class, shower and try to participate. A heart symbolized that the semester is going well; not great, but not bad either. The star indicates the semester is going great, classes are good and I’m happy with my academic performance. I tallied up the results and while they were upsetting to read as a professor, they were not unexpected. I had 65% of the students holding on by a thread, barely able to function at the midterm; 30% are doing OK; and 5% are having a great semester thus far.

While saddened to see in writing what I had guessed was happening all along this semester, I now felt compelled to address the elephant in the classroom, or should I say the elephant in the lounge with mood lighting that was transformed into a classroom to provide the appropriate social distancing requirements issued by New York state this semester.

We have taken the students out of the classroom, limited their time on campus and reduced the interactions with their peers, faculty and staff. We have changed their norm and yet we are still holding them to the same academic standards. Unfortunately, most students, or in my case 65% of my class, have not been able to adjust to the new norm of higher education. Every week, I hear from my students “I miss being on campus,” “I miss stopping in to see my professors,” “I miss study groups in the library with my friends,” “I hate Zoom, it’s not really learning.” All the feedback I receive these days are the longing to go back to the campus and nursing program they once loved. The new reality of daily health screenings and surveillance quarantine is starting to take its toll. All this COVID-19 chaos has impacted their grades, and their overall mental and social well-being. Students feel isolated, they are constantly struggling to engage and unfortunately it will impact their future in the nursing program.