Volume 52, May–June 2024, Pages 40-49Author links open overlay panel, , Highlights•

Connection and communication support student learning and success in online education.

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Caring environments promote connection, engagement, and lasting educational outcomes.

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Caring in online education thrives on meaningful interactions between students and faculty.

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Faculty/student strategies along with resource utilization foster Caring environments.

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Creating interventions to equip students and faculty with Caring skills is vital for online learning success.

Abstract

With the widespread adoption of online education, nursing educators have observed significant challenges related to learner engagement and participation. Over the past decade, the implementation of Caring has consistently displayed a beneficial influence on creating and maintaining a sustainable online learning environment. However, existing online nursing curricula often lack a Caring and learner-centered approach. The aim of this integrative review is to analyze existing research and gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors that promote a sense of Caring in online nursing education programs. A systematic search for published peer reviewed, English language literature identifying the factors that contribute to Caring in online nursing education was conducted utilizing five databases. Findings from 18 included articles suggest that a combination of Caring strategies implemented by faculty and students, and the utilization of institutional resources contribute to enhanced student outcomes. Faculty driven strategies that promote an online Caring environment are Caring communication, role modeling, building personal connections, demonstrating teaching passion, and embodying emotional intelligence. Student behaviors that promote a Caring online environment include deliberate commitment to learning, genuine presence, active listening, and meaningful interactions with peers. Furthermore, incorporating instructional design to develop a Caring learning platform provides synergy to the student and faculty strategies to produce a Caring environment

Section snippetsMethodology

The integrative review method uses different research methods (such as experimental and non-experimental approaches) to contribute to evidence-based nursing practice by offering diverse viewpoints on a specific topic (Whittemore & Knafl, 2005). This approach is considered valuable for both nursing science and practice. In the current integrative review, the approach suggested by Whittemore and Knafl (2005) was adopted to identify the factors that contribute to caring in online nursing education

Findings

The current integrative review encompassed the appraisal of 18 articles (see Table 1). The articles were published between 2002 and 2022 and included international locations, encompassing the United States, Canada, the Philippines, and Indonesia. A variety of evidence designs were included in the articles, comprising qualitative (n = 7), quantitative (n = 4), and mixed methods research (n = 3), and organizational experiences (n = 4). The evidence encompassed levels III (non-experimental

Discussion

The purpose of the current integrative review was to identify the evidence-based strategies that foster caring in online nursing education. The included articles explored caring in undergraduate and graduate online nursing education through the perspectives of students, faculty, nurse lecturers, and nurse educators. It is evident that caring in online education is a reciprocal endeavor, reliant on meaningful engagements and interactions between students and faculty.

Nevertheless, there exists a

Limitations

The current integrative review had some limitations. For instance, not all articles included in the analysis provided a high level of evidence. While efforts were made to include studies of varying quality to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic, the varying levels of evidence across the literature may have influenced the overall findings and conclusions drawn in this review. Additionally, the scope of the review may have been limited by language restrictions, as only articles

Conclusion

The essence of online nursing education should extend beyond the acquisition of technical knowledge and skills; it should also prioritize the cultivation of kind, compassionate communication and the provision of constructive feedback in all interactions, whether they involve faculty, fellow students, or peers. The emphasis on the humane and caring aspects of communication not only enriches the educational experience but also reflects the core values of nursing. The caring aspect of

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication of this article.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Jihane Frangieh: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Laura C. Sarver: Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Victoria Hughes: Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare there are no conflicts of interest.

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