Challenges of the Sudden Shift to Asynchronous Virtual Education in Nursing Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Background: The global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has led
many institutions and universities around the world to bring about a sudden shift
to virtual education to continue their educational activities. Objectives: This study
aimed to explain the challenges of the sudden shift to asynchronous virtual education
in nursing education throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods:
A qualitative study was conducted on nursing faculty members and undergraduate
nursing students in the Urmia School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran. A total of 12
faculty members and 8 students were enrolled in the study using purposive sampling.
Data were collected using semi-structured face-to-face interviews and then analyzed
through the content analysis method. Results: Participants identified “inappropriate
groundwork” and “low inclination to virtual education” as the main challenges of
the sudden shift to asynchronous e-learning in nursing education during the COVID-
19 pandemic. Conclusion: The authorities of nursing schools should provide the
appropriate groundwork for virtual education by the provision and upgrading of the
required hardware and software, teaching how to use the facilities, and developing
standard protocols for virtual education.