The engagement of students is a notion usually talked about in education, and much research has been carried out on the subject matter. It is usually perceived as the rate of interest that learners demonstrate towards the subject under discussion; their interaction with the teacher, content, and peers; and their enthusiasm to learn and proceed with the profession. One of the challenges I faced is the existence of social barriers (Mikkonen, Elo, Kuivila, Tuomikoski, & Kääriäinen, 2016). Sometimes we could be givens loads of assignments which we were expected to complete individually for a few days. This at times felt disengaging if I got isolated or if I did not have the chance to interrelate with my peers and teachers. To overcome this challenge, the instructors helped in fostering an online community that offered opportunities for students’ interaction. We also created an online study group where the learners and educators could meet via Google Hangouts as well as other video conferencing services.
Administrative barrier also posed a challenge as I and other students did not know when and how to contact the educators outside classroom hours. I also became discouraged because I did not know my development of the course and my anticipations were not communicated evidently. However, to surmount this challenge, the nurse educator set us up for success by establishing contact techniques and time (Mikkonen et al., 2016). He gave us his email address, mobile phone number, and allocated us two days every week when we could get in touch with him. Procrastination is the other problem that affected me in my journey to become a professional nurse. However, I managed to overcome this challenge by setting reminders that could keep me on track.
Becoming a specialized nurse is faced with tremendous challenges. Learners have to overcome the occurring challenges for guaranteed success in professional practice. The interaction between students and teachers is vital to success in the profession.
Reference
Mikkonen, K., Elo, S., Kuivila, H. M., Tuomikoski, A. M., & Kääriäinen, M. (2016). Culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare students’ experiences of learning in a clinical environment: A systematic review of qualitative studies. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 54, 173-187.