‘We just had to try it’ - Virtual mentoring experiences of students and their lecturers- Namibia

BACKGROUND: Mentoring is the backbone of nursing in the classroom and clinical practice. Online learning became the teaching mode of choice during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nurse training institutions were caught off guard with the sudden changes as they were not prepared for the imposed restrictions. Reliance on face-to-face mentoring (FFM) was greatly disrupted because of restrictions on public gatherings and closure of schools. Students needed to continue learning, lectures needed to keep their jobs and nurse training institutions needed to be viable in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. This study explored virtual mentoring (VM) experiences among third-and-fourth nursing students and their lecturers. METHODS: An exploratory qualitative design was used. Purposive sampling was used for students and convenient sampling on lecturers. Data collection instrument was designed and pilot tested. Six focus groups from students (n = 46) were conducted. Telephone interviews were conducted with lecturers (n = 18). Data were analysed using NVivo 12. RESULTS: Five key themes were identified on both groups; (i) Preparation of adequate teaching content is crucial, (ii) problem-solving scenarios to promote student expertise, (iii) group work and use of social media platforms promote socialisation, (iv) personalized feedback important for psychological support and (v) use of videos during lectures was paramount for nonverbal communication. Institutional support and learning of IT skills to navigate through the Learning Management System were recommended as ways of strengthening VM experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Although both FFM and VM produced positive mentoring experiences, mentoring activities such as modelling, scaffolding, coaching, articulation, reflection and exploration were not clearly understood as mentoring activities. Future research should explore teaching pedagogies to strengthen VM. KEY MESSAGES: • Innovative techniques for nonverbal communication are important during online learning as they mentor students on communication skills and boost self-esteem. • Knowledge on navigation of the LMS and its various features that support virtual mentoring is paramount both for students and lecturers to meet learning outcomes.