Effectiveness and learning experience from undergraduate nursing students in surgical nursing skills course: a quasi- experimental study about blended learning

BACKGROUND: Blended learning is increasingly being adopted, and yet a gap remains in the related literature pertaining to its skill performance, learning engagement and inner experience in undergraduate surgical nursing skills course. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the changes in skills performance and learning engagement in the application of blended learning, and what it actually brings to nursing students. DESIGN: The study uses a historical control, two-armed, mixed and quasi-experimental design. METHODS: The blended learning version of the course was offered to the 2019 class of 334 nursing undergraduates. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected after the course to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the course effects compared with the 304 nursing undergraduates of grade 2017 who adapted traditional learning. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using IBM SPSS 26.0, and qualitative data were encoded using Nvivo11.0. RESULTS: There were significant differences in skill performance and learning engagement between the class of 2017 and 2019 (p < 0.001). Combined with further analysis of the interview data, 3 first-level nodes and 8 secondary nodes were determined. Students’ opinions, comments and suggestions on the application of blended learning are refreshing. CONCLUSION: Moving forward with blended learning: opportunities and challenges go hand in hand. Researchers need to continually modify their research designs to respond to variable educational environments. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-023-01537-w.