Available online 24 November 2022

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating technology into a sophomore level nursing class in a private university and to explore students’ perceptions on the use of technology in the classroom. A within-subjects study utilizing a quantitative design was utilized for the total study sample (n = 96). Data were collected from post-tests given to classes after traditional lectures as well as from post-tests given in lectures with the intervention of technology to gauge engagement to the presented material. Test results were compared to determine if there were statistically significant changes between these scores. The results of the post-tests were inconclusive as to the effectiveness of technology and student engagement. However, a survey was distributed to all students at the end of the study to gather total study sample information on student perceptions with the use of technology. The survey results were positive and indicated that students felt engaged in class material when using technology. The study directly addressed the following questions:

• Does the use of a web-based application, such as Socrative, increase student engagement as evidenced by increased test scores?

• Is there a positive perception of learning with the use of a web-based application, such as Socrative?

Section snippetsBackground

Information delivered in nursing courses is vital for future practice, and student engagement is essential for retention of this information. The ability of nursing students to comprehend and retain information is a fundamental necessity for their success and safety in the field of nursing. Because of the rigorous demands placed on nursing students, and declining National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) scores, it is imperative to investigate adjunctive teaching methods to increase

Literature Review

The effectiveness of clickers in post-secondary education has been widely explored and validated as an effective teaching method (Dervan, 2014). In various studies, students reported that content was easier for them to understand when they were actively involved (Carrino, 2015). Clicker use has also been shown to increase performance results for many who were previously poor performers, and students are more willing to answer questions because they remain anonymous (Manke-Brady, 2012).

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework for this study is based on Connectivism and Constructivism. The main principle of Connectivism is that learning occurs through interaction with multiple resources. Learning encompasses several factors, which includes appraising the significance of the information and how various types of knowledge are related to each other (Savin-Baden, 2014). Connectivism is a theory of learning that occurs in the digital age, with different types of technological modalities. Through

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate student engagement after incorporating technology, Socrative, into a sophomore level baccalaureate-nursing class and to explore students’ perceptions related to learning with the use of technology. The relevance of this study was to evaluate the need to adapt teaching methods to increase student engagement, which may result in positive assessment outcomes, based on retention of information. This study addressed the following questions:

•

Does the use of a

Methods

A sophomore level traditional face to face BSN class located in a private university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States entitled “Health Assessment in Nursing” was the setting for the study. The length of the study spanned 4 weeks. The population included students aged 18 and above who voluntarily consented and were enrolled in this class. In total, 185 students from three class sections were provided details of the study and were invited to participate, 96 consented (n = 96). The

Results

Research question 1: Does the use of a web-based application, such as Socrative, increase student engagement as evidenced by increased test scores?

Results of each quiz were examined and compared using paired t-tests. Comparisons were made based on all class sections receiving both levels of the variables (George & Mallery, 2000). Table 4 illustrates the descriptive statistics for each assessment quiz for each class section. Mean scores for each and standard deviations are presented to

Discussion

The results of the paired t-tests that addressed research question number one were inconclusive to support the use of technology in the classroom. The positive score change from the first pairing (Cardiovascular (no technology) vs. Neurological (Socrative)) indicated that adapting teaching methods increased student engagement, resulting in positive assessment outcomes based on retention of information. The use of Socrative is supported by Gooblar (2015) who stated that active learning

Limitations

A limitation of the study was the inequity of difficulty in subject topics being delivered. When comparing the initial pairing, Cardiovascular (no technology) vs. Neurological (Socrative), the difficulty level was closely matched. This t-test yielded positive change scores that supported the use of technology in the classroom. However, the second comparison, Special Populations (no technology) vs. Musculoskeletal (Socrative) yielded negative. This researcher posits that the results were simply

Recommendations

Further investigation is necessary to support the use of the technological intervention Socrative to increase nursing student engagement. It also confirms the need to test this theory when comparing all four topics using Socrative technology, to all four topics without technology. However, the continuation of the application of technology interspersed in traditional lectures is merited based on these findings. As such, students’ connectedness to the course material with participation in

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